Ming 22.01 gmt

[enjoythemusic]

New case, new construction

As the base metal dial is overlaid with sapphire, it exhibits our signature inversion under certain lighting conditions. During inversion, the underlying colour disappears completely, and multiple internal reflections deliver dynamic layering.

The metallic GMT markings are on the top of the sapphire dial to retain legibility, and hour indices are on the underside of the top crystal in HyCeram X1 formulation. Both dials are accompanied by colour-matched GMT hands and the highly legible handset from the 20 Series and 17.09.

The 38mm case draws inspiration from both the 20-series and 37-series and features alternating brushed and polished layers; it is a monobloc construction in grade 5 titanium and without spacers, and water resistant to 100m. The lugs retain our signature flare and feature a continuous twist highlighted by brushing that runs continuously from the case flanks through the underside of the lugs.

Movement on show

All of our watches now feature sapphire display backs and decorated movements; for the 22.01 we have chosen to use the automatic-winding Sellita SW330-2 in a black circular grained finish with a skeletonized rotor. The intermediate crown position adjusts the 24-hour GMT hand unidirectionally in one-hour increments, and the third crown position hacks the movement and adjusts all hands simultaneously.

The 22.01 is assembled by our partners Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne in Switzerland, finished with Barenia leather straps by Manufacture Jean Rousseau and accompanied by a leather travel pouch by Studio Koji Sato. We are also including our keeperless tuck buckle with half-hole micro-adjustment for a sleek, comfortable wearing experience.

The 22.01 is priced at CHF 3,250. This includes insured shipping but excludes VAT or other import duties. Delivery Q4 2022... Q1 2023 for Gilt dial (right).

[yoast]

I was really hoping this to be my first ming purchase, but it is too small for me, doesn't have seconds hand, and I don't like the inner dial texture.
Oh well, there's always the next one...

I'm sure it'll sell out fast.

[Stranger]

i'm looking for a traveller's GMT. this isn't it.

[PBJ1925]

Tough one. I want to like it, but I don't.

[Amateur]

Really ugly to me, I don't like it at all.

[fmc000]

I may even like it but I despise so much their selling process that I don't see myself being interested in Ming watches for the foreseeable future.

I have to say that when I see them on the classified section on various watch fora with high prices and no takers for months it makes my day (same can be said for Kurono watches).

[Cru Jones]

Ming was so exciting when they first appeared.

[joejet]

Well I like it. Just secured the green one.

[madgpol]

Well done JoeJet. Me too.

I know people don't like the buying process but once you are in the "club" access is easier. Bit like the lottery you have to be in it to win it.

Still waiting on my 17.09 Blue

[Bug04]

So true!

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

Ming was so exciting when they first appeared.

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by fmc000

I may even like it but I despise so much their selling process

I'm getting a bit sick of this FOMO mindset they and other companies have created in the past few years. Pushing watches in limited editions (or shoes or jewelry or ...) and making it difficult for anyone to buy. Let alone actually see and feel the watch and decide if you like it.

It's a ridiculous concept in the end.

[thesingularity7]

I got one too. The Kyoto looks beautiful to me.

As for the selling process - it seems like no selling process is perfect (except for watches that aren't very popular w.r.t pieces produced), but I much prefer the MING way of allocating watches (first come, first served) to the direction the rest of the industry is taking. This is the Rolex forum after all, so we're all familiar with how much worse it could be.

2000 pieces of the 22.01 GMT should cater to a huge fraction of the people wanting one.

[enjoythemusic]

Am hemming and hawing, dial is very busy as compared to the purity of their other releases. The payment system bounced me last time with two or three cards... Think I'll sit this one out and wait for a 'pure' simple design.

[Scott_]

I'm amused at the order open time being expressed in GMT for this GMT watch. If I decide to order one, I should probably wear my Yema Superman GMT tomorrow so I won't miss the order window.

[Undefeatable]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

I'm getting a bit sick of this FOMO mindset they and other companies have created in the past few years. Pushing watches in limited editions (or shoes or jewelry or ...) and making it difficult for anyone to buy. Let alone actually see and feel the watch and decide if you like it.

It's a ridiculous concept in the end.

I agree that this trend of small/limited batches sucks, but what would be your suggestions for a watch company that can't or doesn't want to produce an infinite amount of watches? These smaller companies I am sure are just ordering in batches, so what system would be better to sell the small amount of stock to a large buying population?

I am not saying their method is perfect by any means, but they have 4 release dates to try and mitigate all the stock being gone in a single session.

[enjoythemusic]

I understand small producers with small batches. Some don't, and that's cool too. Look at it like knowing you'll get a ____ at around XxYy date.

Look forward to a more minimalist design by Ming with epic lume.

[Jimbo]

They're cool. But Ming's design aesthetic is not my cup of tea.

[uniqueMR]

Bought one :)

[Scott_]

I'm trying to buy one. Both credit cards I've tried have failed their system, they only take visa/mastercard, and I'm reluctant to use a debit card here, so I guess I won't be getting one.

[Racecar001]

Took two try’s but the order went thru. Excited to see it in person

[Scott_]

Originally Posted by Racecar001

Took two try’s but the order went thru. Excited to see it in person

Same card both times, or did you try a different one on the second try?

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Undefeatable

I agree that this trend of small/limited batches sucks, but what would be your suggestions for a watch company that can't or doesn't want to produce an infinite amount of watches? These smaller companies I am sure are just ordering in batches, so what system would be better to sell the small amount of stock to a large buying population?

I am not saying their method is perfect by any means, but they have 4 release dates to try and mitigate all the stock being gone in a single session.

It's difficult. As a customer I'm not a fan of this approach, as a company I completely understand it. But it seems like everyone is doing this, just to be sure they are able to sell all their inventory. And because it's limited they can hike up the price because the customer will think/hope that because it's limited it could go up in the future. So common sense is out the window.

Come with something new, 'spectacular', how will you be able to sell it? Make it limited, hard to get, get the hype, make it bang for buck, get the recognition from Hodinkee etc. and you are good to go and there will be more people willing to buy a watch than there are watches. Furlan Marri did the same thing.

And when the haze is gone then people will realize they are paying 3-4k for a watch with a sellita movement or a meca quartz.

[Scott_]

Their online ordering system is probably the worst I've ever come across. I understand the five minute hold, but surely it should let me retry payment during that 5-minute window if necessary, especially with a payment system as bad as theirs is.

That's the other problem -- I managed to get the 5 minute hold six different times, and payment failed all six times, across three different cards. One card failed due to lack of "3d secure" -- fair enough, they warned about that. Another one failed for no apparent reason. Says the card was "declined", but the usual reason for that (my bank thought it ight be fraud) doesn't seem to apply, as that account did not trigger any fraud alerts. A second attempt with that card also failed. I tried a third card, and it, too was declined, but this time with a fraud alert text, which isn't surprising for this sort of transaction. I responded to the text to indicate that it was a genuine charge from me, which generally means the next one is approved. I tried again with this card, still failed. Thinking that I may have retried it too soon, I tried one more time, also failed (and again, note, no fraud alerts for these last two attempts, so it seems that the problem is on the processor's side).

I guess it's probably just as well that my sixth attempt failed, since if it had succeeded, I might find myself in December unable to pay the last 50% and I'm out my deposit with no watch. I guess I'll have to wait to get a Ming watch until they implement a reliable payment processing system.

[Racecar001]

Originally Posted by Scott_

Same card both times, or did you try a different one on the second try?

Two different cards. First one failed. Second went thru. Both visas

[Racecar001]

Website is sold out now

[enjoythemusic]

Agreed, last time the whole failed payment really turned me off. Ming is well-aware, yet not sure why they refuse to make buying easier like pretty much every other company both physical and online in the world. Huge congrats to those who were able to get a piece.

[Topspin14m]

Originally Posted by Scott_

Their online ordering system is probably the worst I've ever come across. I understand the five minute hold, but surely it should let me retry payment during that 5-minute window if necessary, especially with a payment system as bad as theirs is.

That's the other problem -- I managed to get the 5 minute hold six different times, and payment failed all six times, across three different cards. One card failed due to lack of "3d secure" -- fair enough, they warned about that. Another one failed for no apparent reason. Says the card was "declined", but the usual reason for that (my bank thought it ight be fraud) doesn't seem to apply, as that account did not trigger any fraud alerts. A second attempt with that card also failed. I tried a third card, and it, too was declined, but this time with a fraud alert text, which isn't surprising for this sort of transaction. I responded to the text to indicate that it was a genuine charge from me, which generally means the next one is approved. I tried again with this card, still failed. Thinking that I may have retried it too soon, I tried one more time, also failed (and again, note, no fraud alerts for these last two attempts, so it seems that the problem is on the processor's side).

I guess it's probably just as well that my sixth attempt failed, since if it had succeeded, I might find myself in December unable to pay the last 50% and I'm out my deposit with no watch. I guess I'll have to wait to get a Ming watch until they implement a reliable payment processing system.

I believe they have a Malaysian payment processor. So your card company is seeing that you all of a sudden are trying to process payments in Malaysia and they decline the transaction - you may not get an express fraud alert every time, but that's what is happening. That's why Ming says to call your bank ahead of time. I have done that every release and have 0 issues with Ming. It's way better than Rolex where you have to buy $100K of diamonds to get an OP. The only downside I have with Ming is that I have to wait 6+ months for the watch. I bought 2 Ming watches in 2021 and I'm still waiting for both...

[madgpol]

I struggle to see what the issue is. I see most of the complaints around the payment system are people in the US so maybe things are different.
My experience was faultless. Didn't even warn my credit card company in advance like Ming suggested. Just added my card and authorised it using the code that came through via text.
No system is perfect but I'd rather use this system as an existing client than Rolexes which seems to changed on a whim.
I don't need to be prejudged if I'm worthy of a particular watch thank you.

[Scott_]

Originally Posted by Topspin14m

I believe they have a Malaysian payment processor. So your card company is seeing that you all of a sudden are trying to process payments in Malaysia and they decline the transaction - you may not get an express fraud alert every time, but that's what is happening. That's why Ming says to call your bank ahead of time. I have done that every release and have 0 issues with Ming. It's way better than Rolex where you have to buy $100K of diamonds to get an OP. The only downside I have with Ming is that I have to wait 6+ months for the watch. I bought 2 Ming watches in 2021 and I'm still waiting for both...

So for one of my cards, I got the alert from my bank, and I confirmed that it was me. The response was to try the transaction again and it would go through the next time. I tried, and it didn't, so the problem seems to be somewhat more complicated than that. But you're right -- Rolex isn't any better, they are awful in completely different ways. I have been unable to buy a Rolex recently as well. But there are plenty of watches that I can buy, so I'm not going to stress over this one anymore.

[enjoythemusic]

Hmm, maybe it is a USA payment problem.

Originally Posted by Scott_

But there are plenty of watches that I can buy, so I'm not going to stress over this one anymore.

Exactly

This new environment has really gotten me to rethink the direction of the collection. Am really loving it