MING 37.02 Minimalist Review

MING is one of those brands I constantly see posted on Instagram by countless fans of the brand. I have always been on the outside looking in and really love the design aesthetic the brand employs on most of their pieces. One thing that is terribly hard to do in watch design is to create a watch that is identifiable from across the room. For some watches like the Panerai Luminor this is done by case shape and others rely on such things as their dials like watches from Moser. In terms of MING, their brilliant hour and minute hands look like nothing else and are a telltale trait of the brand.

Through dumb luck I had never seen or handled a Ming timepiece in person. One of the most fun things about running Hourstriker is that I get to review a lot of watches I typically wouldn't be exposed to otherwise. This gives me the ability to spend lots of quality time with these watches on wrist and pardon the pun, lets me see what makes them tick. Recently I reached out to MING to see if they had any sample watches available for us to review and they mentioned that they had one of their new Minimalists if we were interested.



Before we take a look at the Minimalist, let's first go over the history of Horologer MING. MING is the brainchild of commercial photographer and designer Ming Thein. Ming's passion for watches started in the early 2000s when he was living in London and working as an intern. It was during this period in his life that Ming decided he would like to purchase his first serious watch, which ended up being an Omega chronograph that he still owns.

Ming would then dive fully into the world of watches and would become one of the most respected watch photographers gaining recognition of forums like the PuristS. Ming even went on to working with watch brands photographing their newest releases. By this time Ming had also moved back to his home country of Malaysia where he became active in the local watch scene.



By 2014 Ming and some of his watch friends decided that they really didn't care for what the other watch brands were releasing and thought they could create their own watches that would appeal more to their personal tastes. This would set in motion the creation of the watch Brand MING and just a few years later the brand would release their first watch the 17.01 in 2017. The 17.01 was an extremely distinctive with clean lines and a minimalist approach to design. The watch also hinted at the "MING hands" we've all come to know and love from the brand.

The coming years would see MING go on to evolve their brand encompassing various complications and metals, with every watch still staying true to the look of the brand. The watch world definitely took notice with MING winning two Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) awards in 2019 and 2024 for Horological Revelation and Sports Watch respectively. These two award wins and also the popularity MING has within the collector community really made me super excited to get some hands on time with one.



Initial Thoughts

When the Ming 37.02 Minimalist arrived the first thing I noticed about the watch was its incredible dial. MING actually uses a jet black sapphire dial on the Minimalist and has the "minute" track filled with liquid Polar White lume. While the play of black and white is stunning in its own right, the real magic of this dial comes to life when the lights go out. MING was able to achieve a first in the watch world by having their new in-house Polar White luminous material glow a true white. The name minimalist really fits this watch well and in normal lighting the watch is just a perfect balance of black and white simplicity. When the lights go out seeing the brilliant white glow from the dial markers and aqua blue from the Super-Luminova MING hands is anything but minimal with the watch putting on a great light show.

The next thing I noticed about the 37.02 Minimalist is the very nicely finished movement. For this watch MING uses the Sellita made for MING SW300.M1. The aesthetic of the black dial is somewhat mirrored on the movement which has been finished with dark anthracite bridges and a skeletonized winding rotor. The non-treated steel parts of the movement also add nice contrast to the darker movement like how the white markers and hands do dial side.



The final thing I noticed about the MING 37.02 Minimalist during my initial time with the watch was how solid it felt. While the watch is by no means a large watch at 38 mm in case diameter, it just feels extremely substantial. On the rubber strap with a stainless steel pin buckle the watch only weighs 70 grams, but in hand it has a great heft to it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but maybe I thought due to its size and being called Minimalist that it was be a featherweight. It's by no means heavy, it just feels like quality in hand if that makes sense.

Technical Specifications

Now that I've gone over my initial thoughts of the MING 37.02 Minimalist, let's take some time to look at the technical specifications of the watch. The Minimalist is crafted out of 316L stainless steel and has a case diameter of 38 mm and a lug to lug length of 43.3 mm. Like I mentioned earlier the watch weighs in at 70 grams when attached to the black rubber strap and stainless steel pin buckle. I measured the thickest part of the case to be 11 mm as well.



The Minimalist uses a slightly domed sapphire crystal that has anti-reflective coating on both sides. This leads to a crystal that is just one hundred percent crystal clear. Underneath the sapphire lives the near perfectly black sapphire dial. I had a collector friend comment to me that it almost looks Vantablack based on how inky the black dial looks, almost absorbing all light. It is funny though, because at some angles if it catches the light correctly the dial almost looks mirrored as well.

The dial is extremely clean with only small MING branding at 6 o'clock and the MING logo at 12. There is a collection of different length white lines that run along the outside of the dial sometimes on top of each other forming the "minutes" track or hour markers. These lines are actually laser cut and then filled with the Polar White luminous material. Finalizing the dial are the traditional MING hands which are done in white and glow an aqua blue in low light from being coated with Super-Luminova X1. The hour hand has its interior coated with lume while the minute hand is outlined in lume. MING also omits the use of a running seconds hand on the Minimalist to keep the dial as uncluttered as possible.



Moving on from the dial, the Minimalist has a thin polished bezel that surrounds the sapphire crystal. The mid case is brushed in finish and has a slight curve to it following the shape of your wrist. The lugs slope down fairly aggressively which helps the watch fit on a variety of wrist sizes. The right hand side of the watch features an oversized crown that is deeply scalloped. The crown does not screw down and offers manual winding of the automatic movement in the resting position. Since there is no date complication on the Minimalist, there is only one additional crown position. Pulling the crown out to position one allows you to set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minutes hand either. Even without the use of a screw down crown the Minimalist is still good for 100 meters of water resistance. This means the watch is good for swimming and even very light diving.

Flipping the watch over shows off the brushed display caseback which is secured to the case with four screws. Through the caseback you can see the Sellita for MING SW300.M1 automatic Swiss made movement. The anthracite bridges have been skeletonized giving a great look inside of the movement. Also the contrast between the anthracite colored bridges and steel pieces make for a nice contrast. Circular brushing also adds a bit of visual interest to the mostly all business look. Finally topping the movement is a stunning MING branded skeletonized winding rotor.



The SW300.M1 beats away at 28,800 (4Hz) and features a power reserve of 45 hours. On our timegrapher the SW300.M1 showed an average accuracy of + 1 second per day when averaged out over several positions. That is an extremely accurate result and well within chronometer specifications. This also puts the MING 37.02 Minimalist up there with the most accurate watches that we have tested.

The lug width of the Minimalist is 20 mm which also happens to be the most common strap width. This means that the Minimalist will be able to accept literally endless amounts of aftermarket straps. The Minimalist does come on a super comfortable black FKM rubber strap though. The strap is very supple and required zero break in time to wear well on the wrist. The strap features the MING logo on each piece near the lugs. The black rubber strap tappers down from 20 mm to 18 mm at the polished stainless steel pin buckle that also has MING branding. The pin buckle is a unique design that threads the strap back under the buckle after you have inserted the pin. This keeps the watch very clean looking with no visible excess strap visible while wearing the watch.



On The Wrist

Typically a 38 mm watch would be far too small for my personal preferences, but I feel the Minimalist wears a little bit larger than its case diameter hints at. With the large mostly exposed dial with minimal bezel surround and longer lugs the Minimalist wears more like a 40 mm watch. I have pretty outdated thoughts on watch sizing, still preferring the oversized cases of a decade ago, so the Minimalist did feel a bit on the small side to me. I do have a 7.25 inch wrist with a 55 mm flat area, so there is a decent area for a watch to cover. The one thing I hate about "smaller" watches is when the watch favors one side of my wrist over the other. Given the slope of the lugs and the grippy form fitting nature of the FKM rubber strap the Minimalist never had this issue of preferring one side of my wrist over the other.

With the extremely low weight of 70 grams the MING 37.02 Minimalist truly disappears on the wrist. Even some of the watches I've worn before that have a similar weight make themselves more known on the wrist due to being larger and only having a similar weight because they're crafted out of titanium, ceramic or carbon. It's refreshing to see a stainless steel watch which wears like such a treat on wrist. With the watch being compact in case diameter but also coming on a fairly wide strap, the watch never seemed top heavy and hugged my wrist perfectly.



One fear I had with the Minimalist was how legible it would be without any true hour and minute markers. The contrast of the jet black dial and white dial markers is up there with the best watches I've seen though. The hands and markers just jump off of the dial and really make themselves seen. Now exact time telling might be a bit of a challenged with the Minimalist but you can approximate the time quickly. The Polar White hour markers change on every hour, either in position or going from one line to two. This makes my legibility test of trying to tell them time at a glance while driving easily passed by the Minimalist. Now I would probably need some added time to tell you exactly what minute it was though.

The look of the MING 37.02 Minimalist goes perfectly with my main dress of a black t-shirts (hoodie), shorts (sweats) and sneakers. Although I typically dress very casual, the high polish of the bezel on the Minimalist means that the watch could also be used in more formal settings. Switching to a leather strap would also probably make the watch a bit dressier as well. At it stands the Minimalist is a great t-shirts and shorts watch. I think the Minimalist could also be an awesome summer watch, especially on a white rubber strap.



While wearing the Minimalist out to run errands and out to dinner and drinks I noticed the watch did get a decent amount of attention. Not quiet Freak levels of attention, but MING watches really don't look like anything else and that seems to attract eyes. The Minimalist can also have a near mirror like look to the dial in certain lighting which also helps. I had a few people ask about the watch and also showed it to a few friends. Everyone really was impressed by it and have nothing negative to say. Most people loved the look of the dial and also the darkened movement. What really impressed people was showing them the Polar White lume though, which I was able to demonstrate with a small UV flashlight I keep in my wife's purse.

Value and Position in the Market

One thing I have yet to mention is that the 37.02 Minimalist is the first watch from MING completely designed, engineered and produced in Switzerland. The watch is produced at MING's new facility in La Chaux de Fonds with the goal of internalizing more of the engineering and production and also having better control over the supply chain. One small technicality did stop MING from printing "Swiss Made" on the dial though, being that Ming Thein still does some design and engineering work in Kuala Lumpur.



The 37.02 Minimalist breaks new ground on a few fronts for MING in being the first watch to have pure white lume and also being the brands first watch fully produced in Switzerland. The watch also stays true to MING's design aesthetic and runs on a deadly accurate Sellita movement made for MING. It is also just a very handsome watch and really doesn't look like anything else. The retail price of the Minimalist is $3,650 which we feel is rather justified for what you're getting. As we do with all of our reviews, now is a great time to look at some other watches on the market that compare to the Minimalist and see how the watch fares.

First up we have the Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour in coral lacquer from Fears. This watch measures 40.5 mm and is crafted out of stainless steel. The Brunswick has a unique and colorful dial which like the Minimalist really doesn't look like any other watch out there, the coral lacquered dial also adds a touch of fun. The watch is powered by the Sellita SW200 with a custom Christopher Ward jump hour module and offers 100 meters of water resistance like the Minimalist. The Brunswick does cost a bit more than the Minimalist at $4,400.



Next up we have the Perception from Atelier Wen which is a 40 mm integrated sports watch crafted out of stainless steel. The Perception takes the now common steel integrated sports watch look and gives it a bit of a unique spin with its handmade guilloche dial available in several bright colors. The watch is powered by a Dandong SL1588 automatic movement that has a 41 hour power reserve and offers the same 100 meters of water resistance like the other two watches. The Perception is a tiny bit less expensive than the Minimalist at $3,320, but remember it is assembled in China not Switzerland like the Minimalist is.

Moving on we have the Model 1 Blue Fume from AnOrdain which has a 38 mm case diameter and is crafted out of stainless steel. The Model 1 Blue Fume has a stunning blue Japanese enamel fume dial that is probably one of the most remarkable dials this side of Moser and costing a fraction of the price. The Model 1 is powered by a Sellita SW210 or La Joux-Perret G101 and offers half the water resistance at 50 meters. The Model 1 Blue Fume is also more expensive than the Minimalist at $3,914.



Speaking of Moser, finally we have the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Vantablack. This watch has a 40 mm stainless steel case that is crafted out of stainless steel. The watch has an absolute black dial which is covered with Vantablack paint that is the darkest known color ever created and absorbs almost all visible light. The Endeavour has a very clean dial like the Minimalist with only the polished hour, minute and seconds hands visible. The Endeavour is powered by an in-house Moser caliber HMC 200 with 72 hours of power reserve and only 30 meters of water resistance. The Moser is much more expensive than the MING at around $28,000 though.

As you can see, the Ming 37.02 Minimalist shows great value when being compared to other watches from independent manufactures with unique looking dials. The Fears Brunswick is the most complicated piece with its jump hour complication and comes at a premium over the Minimalist. The Atelier Wen and anOrdain offer exceptional dials and split the different price wise between the Ming, with a good part of the reason the Atelier Wen is less expensive being due to the fact that it is produced in China. The Moser is just stunning but costs many times more than the MING, also functionality wise you aren't getting anything extra with the Moser, mainly an in-house movement and a brand that finds itself more often compared to high horology brands. Also of the five watches, the Minimalist is probably the only one that can be identified from across a room due to its defining design aesthetics.



Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the MING 37.02 Minimalist for me? To be honest on a personal level the Minimalist never had a chance as it came to my watch preferences. When it comes to my personal watches the smallest watch I own is 42 mm and the largest is 48 mm. Also every watch in my collection is crafted out of titanium, carbon or ceramic. I also tend to skew towards divers and sport watches, so that the MING is on the edge of a dress watch doesn't help.

I have to say I did very much enjoy wearing the Minimalist even though I felt a bit self conscious, but that is caused by my own size hang ups. It would probably be similar to somebody who is used to a 38 mm watch wearing one of my 48 mm pieces. The solid feel of the watch surprised me, especially since it had such a low weight including the strap and buckle. The dial design and first of its kind white lume were also true stand outs for me. I also very much enjoyed the look of the darkened movement displayed through the case back.



Ok, so the Minimalist really isn't for me, but would I recommend it to somebody who was looking for a luxury timepiece that was sub 40 mm? I would recommend the Minimalist is a heartbeat to somebody looking for that kind of watch. At under $4,000 you are getting a truly unique design that is fully produced in Switzerland. The movement made for MING by Sellita is also up there with the most accurate movements we have every tested as well. My size hang-ups are at this point antiquated and most modern watch collectors would now see 38 mm as a goldilocks size. The 100 meters of water resistance while paired with a rubber strap also means this watch could pretty much accompany you in any situation. It would also be pretty hard to find another watch in this price range that is genuinely this interesting.

I'd really like to end by thanking MING for sending us this 37.02 Minimalist to review. It served as a great hands on introduction to a brand I had always been very curious about. Even though the watch doesn't fit in my wheelhouse of watches I collect I can absolutely see why so many people love the brand and constantly sing its praises. Hopefully in the upcoming months I can take a look at other pieces from MING and continue learning more about the brand.



For more information about the 37.02 Minimalist please visit : MING

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: 37.02

Retail Price: $3,650

Case Size: 38 mm

Lug to Lug: 43.3 mm

Thickness: 11 mm

Weight: 70 Grams

Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel

Bezel: 316L Stainless Steel

Strap: Black FKM Rubber Strap with a Polished Pin Buckle

Movement: Sellita for MING SW300.M1 Automatic Movement

Functions: Hours, Minutes

Power Reserve: 45 Hours

Water Resistance: 100 Meters