Across nine years Ming has developed a distinct visual identity that blends elements of Art Deco influence with modern, industrial design. At all times they seek to push the boundaries of watch design both visually and mechanically, and nowhere is that clearer than the Ming 57.05 Comet, the watch they’ve built in honour of their 9th anniversary. It’s a gloriously overengineered travel watch with a patent-pending daylight saving time (DST) worldtimer bezel and rotating dial disks.
Let’s cut straight to that patent-pending DST worldtimer bezel. It’s designed to tackle the problems posed by DST where only certain countries move forward an hour in the summer, changing their relative position in relation to the rest of the world’s time zones. In order to overcome this discrepancy, the 57.05 Comet’s worldtime bezel is comprised of two sections, a static inner ring with non-DST countries on it and a rotating outer ring with DST countries. That means when you rotate the bezel between its two lockable positions, it displays standard time and DST respectively. Now the watch keeps track of that pesky moving hour instead of you having to remember it and which countries use it as well.
Because the inner ring of the bezel is static, the 24-hour ring with day/night indication rotates around the edge of the dial so that the hours line up with the relevant cities. But that’s not the only rotating dial element. The central section of the dial is made from multiple disks that rotate with a geometric motif cut into them so that the pattern is constantly shifting across the course of a day. While the 57.05 Comet looks like a fairly conventional worldtimer in static pictures, in motion it’s an ever evolving ballet of movement.
While it feels very modern in its complexity there are multiple vintage references to be found. The overall layout of the display is inspired by the watches of Louis Cottier, the father of worldtime watches who helped to establish the concept of a cities scale surrounding a 24-hour scale. The name of the watch is also a vintage reference with ‘Comet’ being a direct lift from the de Havilland Comet – the world’s first commercial jet airliner that revolutionised long-distance travel.
With travel in mind, the 57.05 Comet is a robust but practical 40mm x 10.33mm in stainless steel with 100m water resistance. It uses what Ming describe as their fifth-generation design language, with the key detail of that being the triple-stepped lugs that add to the Art Deco, sculptural vibe of the piece.
Powering the watch is the Sellita calibre 330.M2 produced specifically for Ming. It has a 50-hour power reserve and is visible through the exhibition caseback that reveals its skeletonised bridges and anthracite finishing. It looks super industrial which is again at odds with that Art Deco style of the case. It’s honestly impressive how many juxtaposed elements Ming has introduced in the design of a single watch without creating violent disharmony.
The Ming 57.05 Comet is limited to 200 pieces at a price of CHF 6,950 (approx. £6,370) on Jean Rousseau cobalt blue goat leather strap or CHF 7,950 (approx. £7,280) on Ming’s Polymesh bracelet. The Polymesh is cool but personally it’s no contest, the leather strap is the better option to pair with the blue of the dial. An intriguing watch that manages to bridge the gap between retro and modern travel watch design.
Price and Specs:
More details at MING.
