It’s difficult to tell at first, but MING’s new 37.02 Minimalist model claims to likely be the first-ever watch with a white-colored lume. This might seem difficult to believe considering most other examples of light are, in fact, a shade of white — in fact, looking at the timepiece, you almost have to keep reminding yourself that it’s something innovative — but actually, typical watch lume, like the ubiquitous Super-LumiNova, is almost exclusively some type of green or blue, with other shades sneaking in there on occasion.
Thinking Outside the Box
Since its inception in 2017, Malaysian microbrand MING impressed watch enthusiasts with its instantly recognizable visual ethos and knack for innovation. In 2021, MING launched its Special Projects Cave where it’s had fun with dial lasering, lume, and material, and to impressive results. Less than a year ago, they acquired a world record with the LW.01 Manual, the world’s lightest mechanical watch tipping the scales at 8.8g. And earlier this year, it did something else in the “lume-isphere” with its jaw-dropping 20.01 Series 3 Chronograph that utilizes a unique layering process and hand fills each crevice with lume via syringe.
MING 37.02 Minimalist Basics
Falling into its proclivity for minimalism, the 37.02 Minimalist looks striking, first and foremost, with its black dial against the white handset and outer ring — much like MING’s classic design ethos. However, when you turn the lights out, you’ll see the hands glowing light blue with Super-LumiNova X1 and the outer ring glowing white.
Years in the making, this white lume has been a sort of fixation for founder Ming Thein. Dubbed Polar White, the proprietary creation emits a broad spectrum of light. It’s a glowing liquid that’s been filled inside laser-cut channels within the sapphire dial itself. Sapphire is a unique dial material in that it can invert glow and make the dial marking appear to float. MING plans to use Polar White a lot more in the future.
Touching on the specs of this watch, it’s not terribly different from other 37 series watches. You have a 38mm stainless steel case with 100m of water resistance and a modified Sellita SW300 automatic movement exclusive to MING, seen through the exhibition caseback. Lastly, it’s adorned with a sturdy FKM rubber strap.
Spec Sheet
Case Size: 38mm
Case Thickness: 11mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Water Resistance: 100m
Movement: Modified Sellita SW300 automatic
Band: FKM rubber strap
Limited Edition?: No
Pricing & Availability
As MING’s “first watch to be designed, engineered, and production managed internally” at its new Swiss facility in La Chaux de Fonds, the 37.02 Minimalist should also see immediate shipping upon ordering and higher production runs. In fact, this watch is still up for grabs right now from MING’s website for CHF 3,250 (~$3,754).
Recap
MING 37.02 Minimalist
MING created what’s perhaps the first-ever white-colored lume, using a proprietary liquid.
