Clever, small and a bit precious
By Tom Hargreaves, Falmouth, Cornwall ยท
MING started as Ming Thein's project, a photographer turned watch designer from Malaysia, and they make watches that look like nothing else. The 37.09 Uni is their diver.
38 mm, 12.8 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 600 m, open caseback, internal rotating bezel, grey dial, rubber strap. The SW300-1 is MING-modified and gives you 50 hours. $5,900 to $6,500.
600 m in a 38 mm watch is good engineering. The size suits the wrist well. The internal bezel is less fiddly than you'd think, but it's no match for a proper grippy external bezel in cold water with gloves on.
The grey dial is lovely to look at, but grey isn't the colour I'd pick for legibility underwater, and the minimalist look means the lume is subtle. Too subtle for my liking.
It's one for the design crowd. Not for the dive school. I'd love to borrow one for a summer and then give it back.