MING Launches The 20.05 Series 5 Chronograph, With Scifi Inspired Laser Machined Dial

The 20.01 series of chronographs from MING are distinguished by their case design and construction, with “flying blade” lugs and a case which was designed around the MING version of the Agengraphe chronograph movement – this is a bullhead style chronograph, designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, which has a number of unique technical features (about which more in a minute). The case is complex, with 34 components overall; the upper and lower bezels lock the case components into place, and the whole assembly is held together with four screws that compress everyghing into place. This case construction and the Agengraphe for MING 6361.M1 caliber, has been used in several different small series limited editions, beginning with the Special Projects Cave 20.01 Series S, and most recently, in the 20.01 Series 3, which has a dial of laser-etched borosilicate glass, in which the voids left by the laser etching process are filled with Super-LumiNova, for a most hypnotic effect.

The most recent release in the 20.01 series is a bit of a departure for MING. The 20.01 Series 5 continues with the same case architecture, but this time in stainless steel with a titanium case middle – a first for the 20.01 series – and with an intricately detailed dial made of a single piece of laser-milled titanium.

The dial has a series of radially aligned “strakes” (a strake is a longitudinal edge found on the hulls of ships, and also on high performance jet aircraft, which serve to control fluid flow over the hull or fuselage). These strakes are machined in a complex pattern. There are a total of 36 pairs of strakes, evenly spaced around the dial (which I suppose means in theory that you could use them as hour markers, at three strake pairs per hour – 36 divided by 12 – although in practice I suspect owners will simply read the time from the positions of the hands relative to the 12:00 hour marker).  The shorter strake is symmetrical around its long axis and begins with a flat planar upper surface, before describing a gentle concave curve ending in a rounded, reflective terminal point.

The longer of the two strakes is asymmetrical at its base, with a convex rounded element adjacent to a flat surface. This longer strake narrows as it approaches the center of the dial, terminating close to the center in a very fine point.

The dial is first laser-machined, and then the entire dial gets a deep blue PVD coating. The blue coating is then selectively laser ablated from the top of the strakes, producing a semi-matte finish contrasting with the blue below. The blue coating is applied in a color gradient that darkens abruptly at the center of the dial, and the whole effect is one of great visual depth.

MING has said that the dial was inspired by imaginary mechanisms from science fiction. I’m not sure which if any designs Ming Thein had in mind but at least to the eyes of this lifelong Star Trek fan, the pattern’s very reminiscent of the radiating lines found in some post-original series starship navigation deflectors, especially the Sovereign class.

The dial has the chronograph minutes/seconds track etched on its underside, as well as the tachymeter scale, and both are filled with MING’s “Polar White” Super-LumiNova mixture (which emits white light thanks to its mixture of different SLN colors; in general, SLN is only available in different specific colors but not in pure white). The hands, on the other hand, are coated in blue Super-LumiNova X1.

The Agenhor for MING AgenGraphe Cal. 6361.M1 is large as watch movements go, at 34mm x 5.35mm. This is a central chronograph (center seconds and minute hand) bullhead design, with the start/stop and reset pushers at the top of the of the case rather than the side (the chronograph pushers are anodized blue as well, to match the dial). The Agengraphe caliber was first introduced, in a quite different configuration than that used by MING, in of all things, the Visionnaire Chronograph from Fabergé, which had coaxially mounted center chronograph hour, minute, and seconds hands, and which had hour and minute hands on the periphery of the dial, driven from beneath the chronograph hour, minute, and seconds registers which were superimposed over them; it was also self-winding, with the oscillating weight for the automatic winding system located on the dial side of the movement. In the 6361.M1, the movement is hand-wound, and the mainspring has a fixed endpoint to hand-winding rather than the slipping bridle found on the mainsprings of self-winding watches. (This is true of all MING gold-finished AgenGraphe movements; anthracite finished variants have a slipping bridle). The MING version also has no chronograph hour hand, and all four hands – hour, minute, and chronograph minute and seconds hands – are on the same central axis.

The movement is an extraordinary piece of engineering. It’s column wheel controlled, and has a unique lateral friction clutch (typically, chronograph friction clutches are found in vertical clutch chronographs) and is equipped with a safety system to keep the chronograph hands properly positioned in case the watch gets a shock and the friction clutch accidentally disengages. The reset to zero mechanism doesn’t use the usual hammer and heart cam system, in which the chronograph hands jump abruptly back to their zero position – instead, the AgenGraphe uses a system of snail cams and springs to gently return the chronograph hands to their starting positions. The mainspring barrels are skeletonized, which lets you get a visual indication of the state of wind (the coils of the mainsprings are wound tightly around the arbor when the watch is fully wound) and in this version of the AgenGraphe, the bridges are 5N rose gold plated, with polished anglage. The movement has a power reserve of 55 hours and there is a little Easter egg for MING fans – the center bridge is shaped like the MING polar bear mascot, first seen in a custom watch Ming Thein designed in collaboration with ochs und junior, whose triangular nose can still be seen in the 12:00 marker on MING watches (and which also lent its name to the Polar White lume material).

Precision’s been a priority for MING since the launch of the 17.01, back in 2017; that watch, despite its sub-$1000 price point, was adjusted to positions and had a nitrogen filled case, to improve the longevity of its lubricants. The 6361.M1 is adjusted to six positions.

The 20.01 Series 5’s dial construction gives it a very variable appearance as the angle of the light changes. Viewed laterally, the dial markers can almost totally disappear, thanks to the spacing and reflectiveness of the strakes. Viewed head on, though, legibility is very good, with the strakes clearly occupying a different level from the chronograph minute/seconds markers and the tachymeter scale.

The only problem, if you can call it that, with this sort of watch from MING is that it’s almost impossible to get a sense of the visual effects the elaborately constructed dial and just how different the watch can look depending on the angle of incidence of the light – I’d recommend checking out Ming Thein’s video presentation of the watch. The company continues to expand its presence both as a brand, and as a founding member of the Alternative Horological Alliance, and has recently been introducing regular series production pieces as well, But the spirit of experimentation and love of unusual and imaginative design is as much a part of watchmaking at MING as ever – and at every price.

The MING 20.01 Series 5: Case, stainless steel with DLC coated titanium case middle; color matched pushers in titanium; 41.5mm x 14.2mm, water resistance 50M, with Polar White lume on the indexes and scales. Laser machined dial with deep blue vapor deposition coating. Movement, Agenhor for MING AgenGraphe caliber 6361.M1, 34mm x 5.35mm, rose gold bridges with “polar bear” central bridge. Hand-wound, column wheel, lateral clutch chronograph with center minutes and seconds hands; 55 hour power reserve, adjusted to six positions and running at 21,600 vph in 41 jewels. Limited edition of 25 pieces worldwide; price, CHF 37,500. For availability and to find out more about MING authorized retailers, visit Ming.watch.