Ming’s Latest, the 37.07 Monolith, is a Subdued Update of Last Year’s Mosaic

Ming’s latest, the 37.07 Monolith, is a more restrained take on the 37.07 Mosaic released last year to celebrate the brand’s fifth anniversary. That Mosaic, like so many of Ming’s watches, is all about how different elements of the watch play with light. We see this is the watch’s key components, particularly with the lume on the dial and the meticulous finishing of Ming’s cases. The 37.07 Monolith, like the 17.06 Monolith before it, is effectively an inversion of these ideas. The case is blacked out and doesn’t feature a hint of high polish, and the dial is, almost literally, a shadow of last year’s watch. It’s a different vibe for Ming, and a reminder that the brand’s canvas can accommodate a range of styles and textures. 

The idea with the 37.07, according to Ming, was to carry their design language into a more utilitarian state. They call it a “palate cleanser” in their press materials – a watch that can be worn without having to worry about it too much. This is largely achieved through a total transformation of the case, giving the lug tops, bezel, and crown a bead blasting treatment, while the case flanks the the case back retain the brushing that is common to most Ming references. Because there are still multiple finishes employed on the case, we don’t completely lose the sense of drama and feeling that every detail has been accounted for – everything is just an order of magnitude more subtle and reserved. 

If you recall last year’s Mosaic, you’ll remember that the dial had a mosaic pattern that extended all the way out to the dial’s perimeter. On the 37.07 Monolith, that pattern is found only in the dial’s central section, which has a gradient effect applied, making the outer portions appear as an inky black. Typical of recent Mings, the dial is still made up of multiple layers, with a brass base and sapphire upper dial used in concert to create one-of-a-kind depth effects, and a “reflective inversion” of the repeating mosaic pattern. 

The case remains 38mm in diameter, 10.9mm tall, and 44.5mm from lug to lug. With the 37 series cases, Ming has minimized the visible bezel and created more space for their intricate dial work, which they say was done in part as a response to the desire of their customers for larger watches. The 37.07 Monolith has 100 meters of water resistance, and runs on the Sellita SW210 manually wound movement, which has once again been customized for Ming special anthracite skeletonized bridges and other embellishments that make the caliber almost unrecognizable compared to a stock Sellita. 

In what might be the most welcome news of all related to the 37.07, Ming has promised delivery in, believe or not, this calendar year. Up until now, it has been extremely common for Ming lead times to extend many months. Last year’s 37.07 Mosaic, for example, was announced in July, with an expectation that deliveries would not commence until May of this year. This time around, it appears that Ming has some Monoliths nearly ready to go, with deliveries slated to begin in early November. 

The retail price of the 37.07 Monolith is CHF 3,500, and it’s a limited edition of 250 pieces. Orders open tomorrow, and a 50% deposit is required at the time the order is placed. Ming