The Rolex Forums   The Rolex Watch

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

Old 4 December 2020, 01:53 AM   #1
thesingularity7
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: USA
Posts: 669
Ming 18.01 H41 Arrived!

So my Ming 18.01 H41 arrived a few days ago, and they met their estimate perfectly and I received it on the 30th of Nov, in accordance with their late-Nov/early-Dec estimate. They have been very responsive throughout the process too, which was a refreshing change from most low-end micro-brands I typically deal with.

The watch is fantastic, with excellent build and very good finishing. Unfortunately I'm not too impressed by the bracelet (and how it supplements this watch), but I added a rubber strap to my order and the strap is excellent.

I plan on doing a detailed review over the next 10 days, but here are some pictures!





thesingularity7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 02:04 AM   #2
mongrelnomoad
2024 Pledge Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Here and there...
Posts: 1,900
Gorgeous watch. What don't you like about the bracelet? They made such a song and dance about it...
mongrelnomoad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 04:22 AM   #3
Oyster Sauce
"TRF" Member
 
Oyster Sauce's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 1,866
Very cool - congrats! So elegant, yet somehow retro futuristic looking. Reminds me of the movie Tron, in the very best sense. Wear in good health!
Oyster Sauce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 06:22 AM   #4
p_mcgee
"TRF" Member
 
p_mcgee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,150
wow, very nice - congrats!
p_mcgee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 09:32 AM   #5
athens7
2024 Pledge Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Athens, GA
Posts: 270
I'm also interested in hearing about the bracelet. I have ordered one to go with my 27.01.
athens7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 10:29 AM   #6
thesingularity7
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: USA
Posts: 669
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oyster Sauce View Post
Very cool - congrats! So elegant, yet somehow retro futuristic looking. Reminds me of the movie Tron, in the very best sense. Wear in good health!
Thank you! It is definitely very Tron-like, and as a sci-fi nerd, I love it!

Quote:
Originally Posted by p_mcgee View Post
wow, very nice - congrats!
Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mongrelnomoad View Post
Gorgeous watch. What don't you like about the bracelet? They made such a song and dance about it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by athens7 View Post
I'm also interested in hearing about the bracelet. I have ordered one to go with my 27.01.
I'd like to go into detail in my review, but I'll keep it simple for now:

1. This is supposed to be a dive watch, which indicates (in my opinion) some sort of practical and functional use case. The use of a butterfly clasp, with no micro-adjustment or on-the-go quick adjust on a dive watch that costs upwards of $3.5k is disappointing. I've been going back and forth with all kinds of combinations of half-links and full links to try and get a perfect fit, but it always end up too tight, or with too much slack.

Quote:
The bracelet has both half and 2/3 links that allow for fine adjustment in 2.5mm increments, and the clasp is easily reversible depending on whether you prefer to close the 6 or 12 o’clock ends first.
Also quoting the Ming website - I have no idea what they mean by half and 2/3 links, but there's only two kinds of links on this bracelet.

2. They did make a song and dance about the lack of fitted end links, and all our favorite watch journalists sang and danced to their tune without actually calling it out for what it really is - a shortcut. I don't blame Ming for this, since custom tooling for dedicated bracelets for each watch is going to be extremely expensive, specially on small batches of 10-20 watches. A universal bracelet fixes that problem, but to say that this was done with design and functionality in mind doesn't sound entirely genuine to me.

That said, the build quality of the bracelet is excellent. The links are very well machined, and the actual comfort (if you can get the right fit) is excellent and feels a lot like a well constructed beads of rice bracelet. I put the bracelet on my 17.01 and it feels a lot more appropriate there and I can definitely appreciate it more on that watch. But for this diver, it feels half baked. At $550, and from a brand that takes pride in forward thinking and innovative design, this bracelet doesn't cut it from me. And they should maybe take some cues from Hanhart ($270 - https://shop.hanhart.com/en/straps-a...ap-20-mm?c=125) and Formex ($300 - https://usd.formexwatch.com/products...steel-bracelet), which are two of the best metal bracelets I've experienced on a watch south of $4000.

That said, this watch is absolutely stunning and will eventually cleanse the palette of the poor taste left behind by this bracelet, and it might find a permanent spot on the lugs of the 17.01.
thesingularity7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 11:40 AM   #7
enjoythemusic
2024 Pledge Member
 
enjoythemusic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Real Name: Steven
Location: Glocal
Posts: 21,089
Love the style both lume and daylight. Congrats OP!
__________________
__________________

----> TAMPA Meetup In December 2024 <----
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?p=13450519

Love timepieces and want to become a Watchmaker? Rolex has a sensational school.
www.RolexWatchmakingTrainingCenter.com/

Sent from my Etch A Sketch using String Theory.
enjoythemusic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 01:45 PM   #8
Pw92676
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Georgia
Posts: 6,305
Great lume. Enjoy!
Pw92676 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 December 2020, 02:31 PM   #9
cavalier
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Houston
Posts: 16
Very cool. Congrats!
cavalier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 December 2020, 02:15 AM   #10
thesingularity7
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: USA
Posts: 669
I just published my review of this watch after 3 weeks of ownership here - https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?p=11145647

Long story short - great design, good build quality, disappointing bracelet, excellent bezel action, awesome lume, mediocre movement that developed a common issue less than 1 week in. Now I'm stuck waiting for Schwarz Etienne to get back from their winter break to send it in for service.

Could've been a nicer experience, specially after waiting for 4 months. But the watch is a thing of beauty.
thesingularity7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 9 May 2021, 06:01 AM   #11
christianj
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: CT
Posts: 562
One just sold in the Phillips auction for CHF 13,860!!!!! Some crazy prices in the auction,

https://www.phillips.com/detail/ming/CH080121/90
christianj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 9 May 2021, 07:26 AM   #12
enjoythemusic
2024 Pledge Member
 
enjoythemusic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Real Name: Steven
Location: Glocal
Posts: 21,089
wow, and good for Ming!
__________________
__________________

----> TAMPA Meetup In December 2024 <----
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?p=13450519

Love timepieces and want to become a Watchmaker? Rolex has a sensational school.
www.RolexWatchmakingTrainingCenter.com/

Sent from my Etch A Sketch using String Theory.
enjoythemusic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 9 May 2021, 07:34 AM   #13
ts3
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Europe
Posts: 3,511
Quote:
Originally Posted by christianj View Post
One just sold in the Phillips auction for CHF 13,860!!!!! Some crazy prices in the auction,

https://www.phillips.com/detail/ming/CH080121/90
All the while they go on ebay for less than half but this one was probably just a rounding error for those bidding on the big lots...
ts3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 9 May 2021, 03:03 PM   #14
uniqueMR
2024 Pledge Member
 
uniqueMR's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: USA
Watch: P A T E K
Posts: 4,706
Congrats
__________________
A. Lange & Sohne | Audemars Piguet | F.P.Journe | Omega | Patek Philippe | Rolex | Tudor | ...and Othersss
uniqueMR is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
18.01 , dive , ming , ming watches , watch


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Asset Appeal

Wrist Aficionado

DavidSW Watches

Takuya Watches

OCWatches


*Banners Of The Month*
This space is provided to horological resources.





Copyright ©2004-2024, The Rolex Forums. All Rights Reserved.

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

Rolex is a registered trademark of ROLEX USA. The Rolex Forums is not affiliated with ROLEX USA in any way.