Hands-On The Ming 20.01 Series 5 Gets A Freaky New Dial

Today's new entry into the arena of complex dials is the Ming 20.01 Series 5. "What the hell am I looking at?" I thought to myself when I first saw a prototype dial for this watch a few months ago. But seeing it in the now 5th iteration of Ming's Agengraphe-powered chronograph made a lot of sense. While it's a big departure from the sleekness of the brand's sapphire-based dials with its signature "inversion" light effect, it's a striking look that pairs appropriately with a central-totalizer chronograph. It feels like an abstract, almost brutal take on the sunburst dial. And with these dials, oftentimes they simultaneously serve as proof of concept for a new manufacturing technique. This couldn't be more true with this dial, as despite its complex construction, it is created out of a single block of titanium.

Yes, despite its many interlocking surfaces and extremely complex geometry, this is a solid dial. In what Ming says is most likely the first in the industry, this dial is laser milled from a single block of metal to create these sloping radial stakes with vertically and horizontally interlocking contours. Whether it fits your aesthetic or not, there's no doubt that the dial is certainly an incredible feat of micromachining. One can only imagine the future possibilities that might arise from this kind of industrial process being achievable. The whole dial is then PVD-coated in blue, with another laser process used to remove the coating from the stakes to reveal the base titanium.

While a blue dial makes sense, I do think that this kind of dial construction is just begging for a monochromatic treatment. I'm imagining a solid look from afar, while a closer inspection would reveal the hills, valleys, nooks, and crannies of this dial. But the blue is pleasing, in an atypical hue and a nice grainy texture from the PVD coating. A pair of fully polished hour and minute hands is infilled with plenty of Super-LumiNova X1 for visibility, though when you're staring at so many small elements, legibility will inevitably be slightly challenging. 

The central chronograph seconds and minutes hands are also in white, though not coated in lume. Instead of minute tracks on the dial, all the timing information, including the tachymeter and minute track, is relegated to the domed sapphire crystal. The markings are etched on the underside of the crystal, then infilled with Ming's Polar White lume, a luminescent material that finally achieves Ming's quest to create lime that can actually emit white.

Powering the 20.01 Series 5 continues to be a manually-wound Agenhor AgenGraphe caliber, Cal. 6361.M1. It's a version of the AgenGraphe modified for Ming, with a Ming Polar Bear motif serving as the central bridge. The AgenGraphe continues to serve as the de facto choice for a high-end chronograph movement for many of the modern independents — Ming, Moser, and Singer all come to mind. 

And it makes sense. The architecture is stunning, and this unique Ming version features a manual caliber, eliminating the automatic winding rotor, and the bridges are given a 5N rose gold coating for a striking look. To really seal the manual-winding deal, a hard stop was added to the caliber when fully wound, unlike on the automatic versions with a slipping clutch.

All of this is fitted into the 34-part Ming 20 series case, with a hybrid steel and titanium construction, with a diameter of 41.5mm and a thickness of 14.2mm. Parts such as the bezel, lugs, caseback, and crown are made of stainless steel, while the pushers are color-matched to the dial and crafted from titanium. The mid-case is also made of titanium with a black DLC finish. The package is completed with a dark blue Alcantara strap, serving as a textural companion to the dial, though a black FKM rubber strap is also included for a sportier feel if you want to put the watch's 50 meters of water resistance to the test. On the wrist, the watch works on a good mix of wrist sizes with the short "flying blade" lugs. But it's still a chunky watch, and wearing what feels like a spaceship on your wrist means that this isn't one for a dress cuff.

Priced at CHF 37,500 and limited to 25 pieces, the Ming 20.01 Series 5 is for the die-hard Ming enthusiast. But it's priced right in line with the other haute horlogerie AgenGraphe options in the space, and if you're considering a Ming chronograph, well, there's not much else out there that will scratch that itch.

For more information, visit Ming online.