If you think diver watch, you are most likely thinking Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster or, if you are on a budget, one of the many excellent options from Seiko. I very much doubt that you are thinking about the Ming 18.01 Diver. Ming is a young micro-brand, named after Ming Thein, one of its six founders and a renowned photographer and writer, who has had a keen interest in horology for many years. I first read about the company in 2019 and quickly saw that the models they had launched in their first two years of existence were simply beautiful.

My first Ming was a 17.06 Copper. When it arrived, I was absolutely thrilled: the design was as good as in the online pictures, the sizing and shape were perfect for me, but most of all, the dial was absolutely stunning.
After such a positive first experience with the brand, when hearing about the new releases, I was ready with my credit card. The Ming 18.01 Diver was made available for sale in August this year and sold out within 5 minutes. I was lucky and managed to be one of those first 150 buyers and at the end of November, my new Ming diver
finally arrived.

First impressions? A very familiar design, but also very different from my other Ming. The company has managed to create a design language that is instantly recognisable, for instance with the sapphire outer ring on the dial, the short flared lugs and the Super-LumiNova. At the same time, the watch is chunky, very black and the case is
made in DLC-coated grade 5 titanium instead of steel. The immediate feeling really is: “What a cool watch!” But it is when taking more time to appreciate it, that you recognise Ming’s attention to detail.

The black DLC coated case has highly polished sides, the upper part of the lugs is brushed, the dial has multiple surfaces that reflect the light in different ways. As Ming Thein himself describes it, there is an inversion effect that happens with the dial when you hold it in a certain way against the light: part of the dial is very bright while the other part is deep black, like positive and negative sides. Move it slightly and the effect disappears. Then there is the fantastic rubber strap, the red gasket to indicate if the crown is screwed down correctly, the 1km depth rating, …

The Ming diver is not just a very cool watch that you are unlikely to see on someone else’s wrist at the pool or beach. It is another design icon that Ming has promised and delivered. Is there a drawback to this watch? Yes: like other past Ming models, you can’t buy it anymore: it is sold out. So you can’t avoid the feeling that it is really special, so special that I’m almost afraid to put it on.