MING 19.02, World Timer
After the success of their 19.01 watch, MING presents 19.02. Dedicated to travelers, this new timepiece incorporates a world time complication powered by a Swiss made microrotor automatic movement.
The 19.02 retains the 19.01’s gradient sapphire dial, now in black, with a masked section for a titanium 24 hour disk, under the dial, that rotates to easily display time across the marked timezones.
MING chose to make the cities static and 24 hour disk rotate as numbers are easier to recognize at a glance than airport codes. The cities are printed under the sapphire to minimize parallax and create the impression of a completely seamless display.
The brand has also added a central crosshair to assist in fast indexing and reading of time, and Ming Thein’s eclectic city selection for something a little different – the 19.02 is probably one of the few world time watches with Kuala Lumpur on the dial, reflecting the brand’s home.
Though the 19.02 shares the same index markings, gradient sapphire dial, case body and hands, the feel of the watch is substantially different to the 19.01 due to the rose gold movement peeking through the edges of the dial: it has a warm, classical palette as opposed to a cool, modern one.
The additional 0.3mm overall thickness required for the world time complication has been accommodated into the front box sapphire crystal, with a slightly greater radius of curvature to evoke the feel of vintage Plexiglas.
The brand has once again partnered with Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne to power the 19.02: this time with a variant of their in-house microrotor automatic, the ASE220.1, in a unique configuration for MING. The movement features skeletonized bridges, a matte-blasted 5N rose gold coating, and hand-finished and polished anglage. It has a power reserve of approximately 70 hours and is wound bi-directionally by a rotor made of sintered tungsten.
Once again, the signature MING skeletonized barrel cover allows for easy determination of the state of wind. As with the 19.01, the movement is adjusted in five positions and tested for an extended period prior to delivery.
The 19.02’s case – in reality a thin titanium band holding the two deep-box sapphire crystals together – is made from grade 5 titanium with a mixture of mirror-polished and finely brushed surfaces. It is once again constructed without a spacer ring for maximum rigidity.
The dial is made of sapphire and uses a unique lacquer process to achieve a deep black in the center, and fully transparent edges to allow some of the movement’s rose gold baseplate to be seen. It also has the deep reflective luster reminiscent of enamel. All printed markings are on the underside of the dial to achieve a seamless look.
Both external sapphire crystals carry double-sided antireflective coatings. Hands are skeletonized and loaded with Super-LumiNova X1, along with the ring inside the bezel that projects a soft glow onto the dial. Ming has also retained the quick release curved straps, made by Jean Rousseau Paris.
Technical details
Model: MING 19.02
Functions
Hours and minutes, 24 hour world time, microrotor automatic winding
Case
39mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness, grade 5 titanium
Double box sapphire crystal with double-sided antireflective coating
Polished bezel and lugs; finely brushed caseband
Rigid case without spacer rings
50m water resistance
20mm lug width
Dial
Sapphire dial, radial gradient from opaque black to transparent, with masking for 24 hour world time disk and printing under dial
Chapter ring, logo and rear markings laser-etched into the sapphire crystals
Hands and dial ring with Super-LumiNova X1
Movement
Schwarz-Etienne for MING Cal. ASE220.1
Partial skeletonization with 5N rose gold coating and bead blasted bridges
Hand polished anglage
Hacking function
~70h power reserve at full wind
Bidirectional automatic winding with high-mass tungsten microrotor
Movement adjusted to five positions
Straps
20mm width, curved bars with quick release
Includes 2x calf leather straps by Jean Rosseau, Paris, with quick release and signed steel buckles.
Will fit 160-210mm wrist circumference
Travel pouch
Handmade in Kuala Lumpur from vegetable tanned natural leather
Warranty
1-year warranty against defects
Origin
Made in Switzerland
Pricing
CHF 10,900
