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All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
Founded in 2017, the Japanese independent watch brand Horologer Ming quickly gained recognition for its distinctive timepieces. This time, ahead of Watches and Wonders 2025, the brand has unveiled an extra-flat dress watch with a tantalum case. The timepiece, named Project 21, is released in two versions—a blue souscription dial and a 15-piece limited-edition copper dial (also referred to as salmon). The former has already sold out.
For its smallest-ever watch, measuring 35mm x 6.9mm, the watchmaker revives the vintage Frédéric Piguet 21, one of the thinnest and most historically significant movements ever made.
The idea behind the creation of Project 21 stemmed from a challenge posed to founder Ming Thein during a 2023 dinner with watch collectors in Singapore: what would a watch designed solely for himself, free from commercial constraints, look like? The project was joined by ten collectors on an ‘Omakase’ basis, meaning “I’ll leave it up to you” or “chef’s choice”, a common term in Japanese restaurants where you ask the chef to select and prepare your meal. The timepiece was entrusted to Thein solely on his vision, without knowing the price, delivery date, and the inclusion of movement.
The watch is crafted from tantalum, a rare material known for its extreme corrosion resistance. Beating inside, the Frederic Piguet Calibre 21 was originally developed in 1925 and has earlier been used by brands like Audemars Piguet, Cartier, IWC, Rolex, Zenith, and Patek Philippe, among others. The movement fits in the thin case at 1.75mm thickness and offers a power reserve of about 38 hours. For Project 21, Horologer Ming collaborated with TitAl SA and Mathis Horlogerie to make improvements in the vintage movement. The movement has been reworked, incorporating a titanium bridge colour-matched with the dial, skeletonisation to reveal the gears and jewels, and anglage (bevelling or chamfering) and fine sablage (sandblasting for matte effect) finishes can be seen from the caseback.
Despite being extra-flat, the dial has two layers. Created by FEMTOprint (a Swiss manufacturer specialising in glass micro-fabrication), the first layer features a multilayered strake pattern fused within borosilicate glass, suspended over a 400-micron-thick CVD-coated brass plate with milling mirroring the pattern above. The indices are etched into the outer crystal, and the skeletonised hands have polished, angled edges. Ming has omitted the use of lume on the dial, as seen in most watches by the brand, because of its ultra-thin architecture.
Project 21 comes with a Jean Rousseau Paris calf leather strap with "flying blade" titanium tuck buckle, an additional strap of choice, and an optional matching tantalum bracelet by J.N. Shapiro for Alternative Horological Alliance (AHA). After delivering the initial ten souscription pieces for collectors, Ming has released a 15-piece limited edition with a 5N pink gold-coated dial and matching movement bridges in 5N rose gold. Priced at approximately INR 31,80,000, it is available on Ming’s official website and authorised retailers.
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What we think -
When you have the liberty to create something without restrictions, it should be more of a passion project than a commercial endeavour. For Ming, it was a passion, and this opportunity became a catalyst for innovation. The revival of the vintage Frédéric Piguet 21 movement is impressive, with Ming adding a personal touch to its design. However, the dial’s intricate 3D etching may impact legibility.
Founded in 2017, the Japanese independent watch brand Horologer Ming quickly gained recognition for its distinctive timepieces. This time, ahead of Watches and Wonders 2025, the brand has unveiled an extra-flat dress watch with a tantalum case. The timepiece, named Project 21, is released in two versions—a blue souscription dial and a 15-piece limited-edition copper dial (also referred to as salmon). The former has already sold out.
For its smallest-ever watch, measuring 35mm x 6.9mm, the watchmaker revives the vintage Frédéric Piguet 21, one of the thinnest and most historically significant movements ever made.
The idea behind the creation of Project 21 stemmed from a challenge posed to founder Ming Thein during a 2023 dinner with watch collectors in Singapore: what would a watch designed solely for himself, free from commercial constraints, look like? The project was joined by ten collectors on an ‘Omakase’ basis, meaning “I’ll leave it up to you” or “chef’s choice”, a common term in Japanese restaurants where you ask the chef to select and prepare your meal. The timepiece was entrusted to Thein solely on his vision, without knowing the price, delivery date, and the inclusion of movement.
The watch is crafted from tantalum, a rare material known for its extreme corrosion resistance. Beating inside, the Frederic Piguet Calibre 21 was originally developed in 1925 and has earlier been used by brands like Audemars Piguet, Cartier, IWC, Rolex, Zenith, and Patek Philippe, among others. The movement fits in the thin case at 1.75mm thickness and offers a power reserve of about 38 hours. For Project 21, Horologer Ming collaborated with TitAl SA and Mathis Horlogerie to make improvements in the vintage movement. The movement has been reworked, incorporating a titanium bridge colour-matched with the dial, skeletonisation to reveal the gears and jewels, and anglage (bevelling or chamfering) and fine sablage (sandblasting for matte effect) finishes can be seen from the caseback.
Despite being extra-flat, the dial has two layers. Created by FEMTOprint (a Swiss manufacturer specialising in glass micro-fabrication), the first layer features a multilayered strake pattern fused within borosilicate glass, suspended over a 400-micron-thick CVD-coated brass plate with milling mirroring the pattern above. The indices are etched into the outer crystal, and the skeletonised hands have polished, angled edges. Ming has omitted the use of lume on the dial, as seen in most watches by the brand, because of its ultra-thin architecture.
Project 21 comes with a Jean Rousseau Paris calf leather strap with "flying blade" titanium tuck buckle, an additional strap of choice, and an optional matching tantalum bracelet by J.N. Shapiro for Alternative Horological Alliance (AHA). After delivering the initial ten souscription pieces for collectors, Ming has released a 15-piece limited edition with a 5N pink gold-coated dial and matching movement bridges in 5N rose gold. Priced at approximately INR 31,80,000, it is available on Ming’s official website and authorised retailers.
__________________
What we think -
When you have the liberty to create something without restrictions, it should be more of a passion project than a commercial endeavour. For Ming, it was a passion, and this opportunity became a catalyst for innovation. The revival of the vintage Frédéric Piguet 21 movement is impressive, with Ming adding a personal touch to its design. However, the dial’s intricate 3D etching may impact legibility.
