Ming Project 21 Horological Omakase

Buffy Acacia

• The Ming Challenge 21 Horological Omakase is the ‘chef’s alternative’ of the watch world with Ming Thein in full inventive management.
• R&D for the venture was funded by 10 backers, initially at a 2023 feast for Ming collectors. After delivering their watches, 15 have been made for the general public.
• This tantalum-cased watch is powered by a classic F. Piguet 21 motion, first launched in 1925 and the world’s thinnest calibre on the time, standing simply 1.75mm tall.

A lot of humanity’s best artworks exist as a result of the artists have been correctly supported. Feudal lords as soon as had artists in residence who might spend months on a single work whereas their meals and lodgings have been assured. Kings and queens approached watchmakers in the identical means as jewellers. The nice guilds of Renaissance Europe flourished from aristocrat commissions, paying the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci sufficient for his art work that he might revolutionise science in his spare time. Typically talking, it takes some huge cash and belief to make these desires come true. That’s primarily how the Ming Challenge 21 Horological Omakase got here to be, with monetary backing from 10 dinner friends who trusted founder Ming Thein’s private beliefs.

As a model, Ming already receives countless reward for its creativity and daring. So what’s it able to when all restraints are gone, and it isn’t making an attempt to please anybody however its personal founder? Posited to Ming Thein as a thought experiment at that fateful feast, the Ming Challenge 21 Horological Omakase is precisely what he needed to design for himself. Omakase, for those who aren’t acquainted, is a Japanese phrase that actually means “I go away it as much as you”, and refers to a sort of eating expertise the place the visitor leaves it as much as the chef to pick out and serve your entire menu; an inventive expertise the place you place your belief within the chef’s expertise. A horological omakase, then, is a really apt title for this Ming.

Its basis begins with the motion — a classic Frederic Piguet calibre 21. It’s possible you’ll affiliate the Piguet title with a special model, however this Piguet is definitely a separate household of watchmakers who would find yourself supplying ebauches to the likes of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and even Breguet. The Piguet 21 was the thinnest motion ever made when it was launched in 1925, and it stored that title for 1 / 4 of a century. At 1.75mm thick, the hand-wound calibre has had its bridges utterly reworked with assistance from Mathis Horlogerie and TitAl SA for extra ornament and skeletonisation.

There isn’t a lot profit to an ultra-slim motion with out going for a slender case, and avoiding the ‘dinner plate’ impact meant additionally choosing a small diameter. The ultimate dimensions are a particularly tasteful 35mm with a complete thickness of simply 6.9mm. That stated, Ming didn’t need to sacrifice any wrist presence in any side. Using tantalum, a really uncommon case materials in watchmaking, is impressed for a lot of causes. Firstly, its density sits barely above 18k gold, giving it the heft we count on from luxurious watches regardless of its stature. Secondly, the darkish bluish hue of the steel distinctly units it other than metal, white gold or platinum, and even titanium. Three types of ending embrace a skinny strip of polished bezel, the brushing on the case’s compound curvature, and sandblasting alongside the flanks. Tantalum can also be recognized for its low reactivity and excessive hardness, so it’s hypoallergenic, proof against scratches, and unlikely to tarnish.

It’s a high-end Ming, so there’s no probability of a easy dial. What appears at first to be a cascading drape of batons and shadows is definitely a number of layers. The bottom layer is a brass plate as most dials are, coated for its circularly-brushed layer of color and striped milling regardless of its thickness solely being 400 microns. Above that’s borosilicate glass that’s infused with extra of these strakes as hole voids to realize its intense depth in such a small quantity of area. As if that wasn’t sufficient, the hour markers and Ming emblem are engraved into the underside of the flat sapphire crystal, clearly marking every of the hours. The fingers are simply distinguished regardless of having comparatively related lengths, because the hour hand is stable and the minutes hand is totally skeletonised. One other noteworthy level is that the Challenge 21 Horological Omakase is among the few watches in Ming’s catalogue to not function any luminescence in any respect.

Ming Challenge 21 Horological Omakase value and availability

10 items of the Ming Challenge 21 Horological Omakase have been instantly given to its backers from the 2023 feast, whereas an additional 15 items have been made publicly accessible. The non-public version has a blue dial, whereas the general public dial is coated in 5N rose gold with matching motion bridges. Worth: CHF 32,500 (~US$36,515)