MING 21.01 Project 21 Limited Edition
MING presents the 21.01 Project 21, an exclusive watch equipped with the historic Frederic Piguet 21 hand-wound movement.
Designed by the brand’s founder Ming Thein, this timepiece in tantalum was initially created as a subscription or omakase series for ten most esteemed and trusted collectors of MING watches. It is now available for public in a limited edition of just 15 pieces.
Frederic Piguet 21 is a mechanical movement with a distinguished history: at just 1.75mm it was for the longest time, one of the thinnest movements ever made and one of the longest produced. It and its derivatives have been used by nearly the entire industry – with Patek, AP, VC, JLC, IWC, Blancpain, Cartier and others putting their own take on it. And it has long been one of the movements Ming Thein has wanted to create a watch around.
In this new MING watch series, Each Frederic Piguet cal. 21 has been completely reworked with new bridges including one in titanium that is colour matched to the dial, skeletonised to show off the gear train, and has jewels set in chatons.
MING partnered with TitAl SA and Mathis Horlogerie for these extensive changes. All other bridges carry polished anglage and fine sablage, in a nod to the finishing used on the brand’s other movements.
The dial side is equally special: despite being an extra-flat, Project 21 has two dials: the first features a multilayered pattern of strakes constrained within a fused borosilicate layer by FEMTOprint. This is suspended over a CVD coated brass plate that’s just 400 microns thick yet manages to carry milling that echoes the strake pattern above.
The indices are etched into the external crystal, and the skeletonized hands have polished and angled flanks; due to its thinness and the thematic intent there is no luminous material, making the Project 21 one of the very few MING watches that does not glow.
Project 21’s case measures 35mm in diameter. It is produced and finished entirely by Joshua Shapiro of the Alternative Horological Alliance and his team in Los Angeles and is a masterpiece of machining in tantalum, down to the multiple finishes on the 3.5mm diameter crown.
Following the delivery of the 10 omakase watches to trusting collectors and friends, MING has announced a limited 15-piece edition of the Project 21 for public release.
This edition features a 5N rose gold coated dial and matching movement with 5N rose gold coated bridges. Priced at CHF 32,500 they are available from the Ming watch website or authorised retail partners.
Model: MING 21.01 ‘Project 21’
Case
35mm diameter, 6.9mm thick
Monobloc case in tantalum with three finishes, by J.N Shapiro in California
Flat sapphire crystals front and rear with double-sided antireflective coating
Two layer dial – Femtoprint fused borosilicate with voids over CVD brass
50m water resistance
20mm lug width
Movement
Vintage Frederic Piguet Cal. 21, 18 jewels
Extra flat hand winding movement
Modified and reworked by Mathis Horlogerie and TitAl SA for MING
20mm diameter, 1.75mm thickness
Hand winding
Skeletonized titanium train bridge and sandblasted surfaces with polished anglage
38h power reserve at full wind
Movement adjusted to five positions
Functions
Hours and minutes
Straps
1x calf leather strap by Jean Rousseau Paris
1x additional strap of customer’s choice
20mm width, curved bars with quick release
Fitted with ‘flying blade’ brushed titanium tuck buckle
Optional matching: Alternative Horological Alliance bracelet in tantalum, by J.N Shapiro
Other features
2-year warranty against defects
1-complimentary service within the first 5 years of ownership
Made in Switzerland
Pricing and availability
CHF 32,500 with 30% deposit on confirmation and balance before delivery
Edition of 15 watches
