MING has built its reputation on watches that look beamed in from about a decade in the future. Everything is layered sapphire, floating lume, and dials that do things dials really aren’t supposed to do. So it’s a little funny that the brand’s latest release traces back to something incredibly analog.
A MING patron had his camera reskinned by Royal Selangor, Malaysia’s famed pewter house, then asked founder Ming Thein to collect it for him in Kuala Lumpur. That pickup turned into a long lunch with Royal Selangor’s managing director, and the lunch eventually turned into a watch. That watch is the new MING 37.06 Royal Selangor, complete with a hand-hammered pewter dial.
141 Years of Hitting Things With Hammers
Royal Selangor has been working pewter since 1885, when founder Yong Koon set up shop in the tin-rich Malaysian state that gave the company its name. Today, it’s one of the biggest names in pewter on the planet, with more than 200 craftspeople at its Kuala Lumpur factory.
Pewter itself is mostly tin, toughened with a little copper and antimony. It won’t tarnish or corrode, but it will develop a patina over the years. Every one of these dials is hammered and finished by hand, and the dimpling is deep enough that the surface shifts constantly in the light.
Everything Else Is Signature MING
The dial may be old-world, but the platform is pure 37-series. The 38mm case is brushed grade 2 titanium, 11.05mm thick with a 44.73mm lug-to-lug, and the whole head weighs a barely-there 35.9 grams. Water resistance sits at a respectable 100 meters.
MING’s floating lume trick is still in tact as well. Rather than cluttering that pewter with printing or applied markers, the chapter ring and indices are engraved into the underside of the sapphire crystal and filled with Super-LumiNova X1, hovering over the dial like a hologram. Underneath, a customized Sellita SW300.M1 automatic with skeletonized, rhodium-plated bridges handles timekeeping with 50 hours of reserve.
Assembled In Kuala Lumpur, Not Switzerland
All 88 pieces are being assembled in Kuala Lumpur rather than Switzerland, a first for MING, using production infrastructure the brand built specifically for this project.
Thein was born in KL and still lives there, so this is about as personal as watch collaborations get. Each piece also ships in a hammered pewter presentation box made by, who else, Royal Selangor.
Spec Sheet
Case Size: 38mm
Case Thickness: 11.05mm
Lug-to-Lug: 44.73mm
Case Material: Grade 2 titanium (brushed)
Head Weight: 35.9g
Dial: Hand-hammered pewter by Royal Selangor
Movement: Sellita for MING SW300.M1 automatic
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Water Resistance: 100m
Band: Blue-grey goat leather by Jean Rousseau
Limited Edition?: Yes, 88 pieces
Pricing & Availability
Priced at CHF 5,000 (~$6,125) and limited to just 88 pieces, the 37.06 Royal Selangor is available now in person at select Royal Selangor boutiques, with a small online batch dropping August 6th. Head over to MING’s website to register your interest.
Recap
MING 37.06 Royal Selangor
Limited to 88 pieces and assembled entirely in Kuala Lumpur, the MING 37.06 pairs a hand-hammered pewter dial by Royal Selangor with the brand’s featherweight titanium 37-series case.
