MING has unveiled the 57.04 Iris to celebrate its eighth birthday. In this brief time, they have delivered over 15,000 watches across 75+ references encompassing 3 design languages to more than 8,000 collectors and friends worldwide. Along the way they won 2 GPHG awards.
The 57.04 Iris debuts the brand’s fifth generation design language. It features their first ever destro (crown on the left) and first chronograph in their regular collection – outside their Special Projects Cave (SPC).
“Our first generation was experimental – finding our feet and figuring out what our design codes would be. The second generation – maximalist, elaborate, ornate, and with hollow flying blade lugs. The third generation shifted towards monobloc simplicity and minimalism with touches of ribbon surfacing. The fourth generation does not exist as a nod towards Asian superstitions – it was designed and consigned to stillbirth.”
Image: The 57.04 is a glimpse into MING’s future. Newer models will encompass this new fifth generation design language, “a creative evolution that has been in development for several years now.”
“Our fifth generation is defined by a modern take on Art Deco: tightly sculptural with plenty of visual presence and restrained ornamentation. It is bold and unapologetic. It showcases our experience with complex, unconventional case construction and takes it to another level with our new stepped lugs that retain our signature flare, have 9 separate pieces to achieve a unique nested effect with crisply defined and differentiated finishing on each surface. Look closely and you’ll see the tops are polished, the sides satin brushed. This is not a watch that goes quietly into the good night.”
Key Features
Functions and Operation
Image: Notice how the colour of the dial here is different from the top and header image.
Central hours and minutes.
Chronograph functions: Central chronograph seconds. 30-minute counter at 6 o’clock.
Crown at 9 o’clock for winding, time-setting, and monopusher for chronograph start / stop.
Dial
Image: The 57.04 Iris is possibly one of the few chronographs that can be used in the dark. Coating the chronograph seconds hand and 30-minute counter dish with lume is pure design genius.
Metallic deep-dish dial (brass base) that features multiphasic, colour shift coating.
Diamond cut hour and minute hands are blue coated and feature Super-LumiNova X1. Chronograph seconds hand is coated with Super-LumiNova X1. 30-minute counter dish features a sandwich construction and coated with Super-LumiNova X1. (All blue emission.)
“The watch really earns its name on the dial side: it isn’t just the deeply dished and fluted dial that you notice first, nor is it the floating indices, or the uniquely shaped chronograph minute counter disc that has sandwich style construction overflowing with luminous material. It’s the colour of the dial itself that is impossible to define because it’s in a constantly shifting dynamic state between turquoise and purple and all the transitionary shades of blue in between. The effect is achieved with a multiphasic coating over a machined brass base. We call it ‘Iris’ because of its curvilinear radial pattern and the depth, intensity, and dynamism of its colour.”
Case
Image: Notice the stepped lugs and details on the monopusher crown. The case features a polished and brushed finish. The circular hour-markers laser etched on the top crystal is a MING feature carried forward into the new fifth generation design language.
Case is made from 316L stainless steel. Diameter: 40 mm. Thickness: 11.85 mm. Lug-to-lug distance: 47.80 mm. Lug width: 20 mm.
Dial side and caseback feature a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. The circular hour-markers are laser etched on the top of the dial side sapphire crystal and filled with the brand’s proprietary MING Polar White luminous material (glows pure white). Water resistant up to 100 metres.
Watch comes with a stainless steel Universal Bracelet and an anthracite colour goat strap fitted to the brand’s stainless steel tuck buckle.
Movement
Image: The destro configuration and movement finish – 4N coated three-quarter plate and anthracite mainplate – has been developed in partnership with Sellita, a key partner of the brand.
Powered by Sellita for MING SW562.M1, a manually wound movement that drives the hours, minutes, and chronograph functions. It is a cam operated chronograph. Jewels: 25. Frequency: 28,800 vph or 4 Hz. Power reserve: Approximately 60 hours.
Our Thoughts
It feels just like yesterday when a newly launched Horologer MING unveiled its first watch. What could have been a single hit wonder and long forgotten microbrand morphed into a global cult following and among the most impressive case studies in design identity across the watch industry.
Image: If it does not say “MING” on the dial, you will still know it is a “MING.” The 57.04 Iris’s price of CHF 6,250 is a bargain for all that it offers.
In an industry obsessed with terms such as “in-house” and “manufacture,” MING has taught us that overall details matter. Ming Thein (MT) – the brand’s eponymous founder – is obsessed with every little detail – from the design and lume of dials to the polishing and finishing of cases, to the exact shade of the movements base plate and rotor (just to name a few aspects). Every watch unveiled by them – from the simplest to the more complex – has a unique story. In this sense MING acts as a “mirror” for others across the industry to emulate.
The 57.04 is a fitting way to celebrate the brand’s eighth birthday, and we wish them all the best as they continue their journey forward.
Additional Details
Name: 57.04 Iris
Price: Swiss Franc (CHF) 6,250
Limited edition of 100 pieces.
Warranty: 2-years against defects.
Please visit the brand’s website and Instagram page for more information.
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