All-Black Watches Are Rarely This Good
MING just quietly dropped the 29.01 Midnight, a stealthy, all-black evolution of its 29-series worldtimer, limited to just 25 pieces. It’s moody, minimal, and brooding in the best way possible. Less spec sheet, more spy film. And even if military reconnaissance isn’t your day job, there’s stuff to be appreciated here.
This isn’t quiet luxury, it’s just quiet.
Coated in inky matte DLC over grade 5 titanium, the Midnight strips the travel-ready architecture of the original 29.01 down to near-invisibility, until the lume kicks in.
And yes, it’s a worldtimer, meaning you can track the time in 24 cities across the globe at once. No mental math, just a quick glance to see if it's a decent hour to text your Tokyo acquaintances.
Flip it over and the back hits just as hard. Through the display case, you’ll find an all-new version of MING’s microrotor movement.
It’s wildly technical and even if you don’t care about micro rotors, MING has always led with design, so no matter how complicated the movement is, the watch still looks incredible.
And at $25,000 on MING's website, it’s not a bad deal for a worldtimer of this caliber — especially when similar complications from bigger brands often cost twice as much.
MING has made a name for itself doing exactly this, balancing serious horology with design-first storytelling. Founded in 2017 by photographer-turned-collector Ming Thein, the Malaysian indie brand has racked up multiple GPHG awards (think Oscars, but for watches), proving it can hold its own among industry giants.
The watches feel like they were made by someone who studied both Philippe Dufour and Dieter Rams.
And let’s be honest, high-quality black watches are still rare. DLC and PVD coatings are notoriously hard to finish well, and traditional collectors have long written them off as too niche or too modern.
But when done right, like with the 29.01, black watches hit different.
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