One Year On

Actually it’s both, a little more and a little less. It’s difficult to pinpoint the real birthday of MING: though we’ve now been selling watches in the public domain for just over a year, these products of course have a significantly longer gestation period. And there’s a design period before that, and a funding/business period that might or might not run concurrently…I think you see where this is headed. This week’s series of posts are perhaps a little more philosophical and candid in nature than our usual; it’s not often that one gets to look back on such a major journey. We’ve collated thoughts from each of our team members in an attempt to provide a more balanced, overall view.

Ming Thein

The team will tell you I’m the eternal pessimist; there’s a backup plan for everything. I didn’t expect us to get anywhere near this far in the first year; I’m happy we’re still a going concern and that we remain in a position to make watches that excite us. More than anything as we look to grow the lineup into less mainstream models, we have to ask ourselves if the pieces still get us hot and bothered, regardless of what they are. The best model should always be the next one.

I really do believe this, both because I can see the board a year or two or more out from now, and I know that as much as I like what we’re selling now – I like what’s coming even more. I could tell you what’s probably already known – it’s much more difficult to design a cheaper watch than a more expensive one – but I’d rather say that the challenge of designing something with less forces you to really prioritize what’s important, but oddly also tends to spur you into ‘what if’ questions that lead to interesting results when the budgetary constraints are relaxed somewhat.

Most importantly though, I have to say a huge personal thank you to my team and our suppliers – if my own stress levels are any measure, it’s been one of the most challenging things any of us has done - both the volume and nature of the curveball tasks, and you’ve all gone above and beyond (even if sometimes it seems the watch industry has trouble keeping schedule!). I am constantly reminded we are friends first, watch lovers second, and professionals last – but by no means least.

Lastly: without the support of our friends in the media (too many to mention individually) and all of our enthusiastic customers (even more) – there’s simply no way we’d still be here today. Thank you for your confidence in us; especially those of you who are still patiently awaiting your 19.01s – we are doing our utmost and are confident they will be delivered on schedule.

Here’s to even more exciting things to come in year 2!

- MT

Praneeth Rajsingh

It’s clear by now that MING has had a significant impact on the lives of the entire team - but it’s been personally memorable for slightly different reasons. I am the youngest member of Team MING and it’s not everyday you're invited to be part of an undertaking like this. While some still think I’m crazy for my career choices, it’s been a defining experience - personally and professionally - and a choice that I would happily repeat.  

Over the past year, there have been sleepless nights, countless expletives and far too many cigars expended at problems we could have never predicted, but we’ve also met fellow watch enthusiasts and collectors - many of whom we now call friends - and witnessed sketches on a piece of paper transform into watches on customers wrists. I remain convinced that the whole team is mildly masochistic, for that’s the only way to thrive amid all the various curveballs and surprises (both good and bad) that the year has thrown at us.

I am and will always be grateful to MT for conscripting me into this craziness we call a watch brand and to the team for their confidence and trust in me. As Dr. Bosse mentioned, these are some of the finest gentlemen, I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

Finally - I would be remiss to not thank our production partners, friends in the media and of course, our customers, for all their support. None of this would be possible without all of you.

Here’s to an exciting second year!

Dr Magnus Bosse

For me, the story of MING is first and foremost a story of friendship, but also of a common horological vision which rapidly took shape, and a small but multinational endeavour running at incredible pace that - for me at least – is an example of what a globalised economy can make possible.

When I mention friendship, I would like to refer to Ming Thein in the first place. We’ve known each other for more than we would dare to admit - from the early days of international watch fora (Timezone, PuristS), when this brilliant (then) kid came up with mind-blowing, completely crazy but at the same time utterly logical mechanical ideas for watch mechanisms.

We became even more close when we strolled around Kuala Lumpur during one of my frequent UN missions to Malaysia, that is also when I was introduced to Nadiah, Ming’s wife. Our friendship weathered seismic ups and downs, but never faded. In the last 2-3 years our exchanges intensified, Ming suddenly seemed to have regained an interest in watch designs - designs which were simple and clear, but at the same time had a stupendous amount of cleverly conceived tiny details which made them so fascinating on many levels of appreciation.

Ming asked me whether I would know people who could assist him in realising these ideas, and quite naively I said ‘yes, let me check’. A bit of back and forth, and finally Ming ‘asked’ me, with a quite firm (almost annoyed) voice: ‘Magnus, are you really that thick? Do you want to be part of the team, answer now: yes or no?’ - I mentioned I was naive, right? There was something that took autonomous control of my conscious, rationale decision making apparatus…

In the opening I made a strong comment about the international nature of the initiative: MING is based in Malaysia, and I reside in Vienna, same timezone also as our suppliers and partners in Switzerland. This is when I got to love and hate, at the same time, WhatsApp - an essential tool that drives the management of MING - with a restless and proliferative team that has a 5-hour head start each morning… I let you guess what that means (sleep is overrated, by the way… it must be ;-) )!

All of them are forgiven (but not for introducing me to the world of fine cigars): the team that Ming put together are a bunch of the finest gentlemen I ever had the chance to get to know - working with you - Chek, Kin-Meng, Jacky and Praneeth - is a blessing. People from different nationalities, ages, religions and social backgrounds - all working seamlessly towards a common goal. That is an aspect which nurtures us every day, and is certainly a role model.

But here is something which I also learned - it is the commitment of our partners, who are more than just suppliers - they are real partners who go the extra mile to find solutions to make MING’s exact requirements possible, and who are not simply telling us something is not possible. People who steered us through all the mistakes and errors neophyte ‘watchmakers’ would make (we know now very well why rotating disks are so rarely used on a dial!). This is not to be taken for granted in this industry.

It is a reward to work for something which - speaking also as an industry-insider and a blogger now - has become quite rare in watchmaking: a thoroughly designed (in both a technical as well as an aesthetic sense) collection of timepieces which bring a fantastic amount of horological value at their respective market level, way beyond what is usually offered. Designed to a coherent vision by a well respected individual.

Yet the greatest reward to me was to witness that these watches are actually sought after by our customers (who have all made this journey possible with their purchases), and enjoy an encouraging recognition by the industry and the industry journalists, bloggers and forum members alike.

I am deeply grateful for having been offered the chance to be part of the team, and I can only look forward for many, many additional years.

Thank you ever so much - and keep on ticking!

- Dr. B.

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Jacky Lim

Friends. We all need friends. And it’s great when your friend understands what you mean when you bring up numbers like “7001”, “2892”, “15202”, “1815” or phrases like, “15mm is too thick for a 38mm”, “that devil's tail” or “those heat-blued hands”. For many years, I did not realize that I was the odd one out among my friends - almost no one quite understood my obsession with watches, much less how I made a living with them. Then along came a few more obsessives like myself. People who, thankfully, have the ability to imagine, execute and present ideas and concepts better than I can possibly think to achieve. And I’m proud to call these guys my colleagues and  proud to be a member of Team MING. =)

And as a Malaysian, I’m proud to have contributed in some small way to putting us on the horological world map. Last but not least, I am grateful to everyone - our customers, friends in the media and production partners - who has helped us achieve what we have. I look forward to the years to come. Happy birthday MING and Selamat Hari Merdeka to my fellow Malaysians reading this!

- JL

Kin Meng Chan

The adventure thus far, has been most exciting and fulfilling on many levels. There is the thrill of bringing concepts and ideas to reality, and the validation of these by your peers in the market. Then there is the excitement of business challenges to be met and overcome, with each achievement being another rich thread woven into the tapestry that is the MING story.

What I enjoy most about the MING adventure is coming into contact with different people from all over the world. Our timepieces are a link to the rich stories and backgrounds of the people we have, along the way, come to call friends - be they people involved in the manufacturing process, our customers or members of the media. It is a privilege to share in the human aspect behind why someone identifies with our work and to experience their passion; it reminds us that the timepieces we love, those mechanical marvels, do posses a very human soul via our interaction through time.

- KM

YF Chek

It’s hard to believe a year has gone by already. The excitement of presenting the 17.01 and the subsequent overwhelming response is still fresh in my mind. Behind the scenes and for much longer than a year, countless design iterations have come off the drawing board, thousands of messages have been exchanged by the team - usually in rapid succession and at all hours of the day and we’ve over come significant obstacles and barriers. It all seems to have happened so fast.

Ming Thein - our Founder/Chief of Design - has constantly kept us on our toes and awake into the wee hours of morning with his prodigious output of designs and ideas; from detailed component design to material selection and movement choice.  While watch design at MING is by benevolent dictatorship (and not by committee) - we were often called upon to tap into our collective horological experience and critically analyze each design. Put simply, we had to be our own worst critics. Watch making is not for the faint-hearted or for those with just a passing interest. We knew this would be a difficult undertaking but the sheer amount and pace of work was something else.  We started MING to create and share distinct and exciting watches that offer tremendous value - regardless of each watches market positioning. We wanted to make watches we would buy for ourselves and in my humble opinion, I think we have achieved our objectives; from the inaugural 17.01 to 19.01, 17.03 and several others in the pipeline to follow.

I find myself repeatedly and regularly reaching for my MING timepieces - choosing them over all the independents and haute horlogerie pieces in my collection -  not because of my vested interest but because I genuinely enjoy and love each MING timepiece. It has been an exhilarating experience and I am certainly looking forward to more!

- YFC