27.01

Name: Ming 27.01
Brand: Ming

Premium $1,300+

The Ming 27.01 is a limited-production ultra-thin manual-wind dress watch from the Malaysian-Swiss independent brand Ming, introduced in 2020 with an initial 125-piece allotment; a final 150-piece 27.01 batch followed in 2021. Its 38mm stainless steel case measures just 6.9mm thick and houses a heavily reworked ETA Peseux 7001 caliber — rebuilt and finished by Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne under the designation Ming 7001.M1 — offering hours and minutes with deliberate economy.

Compare with another

38mm

Case

50m

Water res.

6.9mm

Thick

42.5mm

Lug-to-lug

Visit Ming →

Overview

Brand	Ming
Collection	27
Category	Dress
Released	2020
Price guide	Premium · $1,300+

Full specification

Specs

Case & dial

Diameter	38 mm
Lug-to-lug	42.5 mm
Thickness	6.9 mm
Lug width	20 mm
Water resistance	50 m
Crystal	sapphire, double-sided AR coating, front and rear
Case material	stainless steel 316L
Bezel	fixed
Case back	exhibition

Movement & furniture

Type	Manual
Caliber	Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne MING 7001.M1 →
Power reserve	42 h
Jewels	17
Strap / bracelet	burgundy calfskin leather by Jean Rousseau Paris, quick-release curved spring bars

On the wrist

At 6.9mm the 27.01 genuinely vanishes under a shirt cuff — not in the marketing sense, but in the literal physical sense that you stop noticing it between wristings. The dark charcoal dial is built in a stepped sandwich arrangement: a sunken, radially brushed centre chapter sits lower than the outer ring, creating unexpected depth within a case thinner than most quartz watches. The flying-blade lugs — open, architecturally resolved, and clearly the product of someone obsessing over gram-counts and sightlines — curve down to meet the wrist without awkwardness at 43mm lug-to-lug.

What Ming does here is edit ruthlessly. No date, no seconds hand, no lume — and the absence of each feels deliberate rather than lazy. The skeletonised polished-steel hands are very slim, catching light cleanly against the dark dial. The movement visible through the exhibition caseback — black-chrome bridges and plates rebuilt by Schwarz-Etienne — rewards the person who inverts their wrist at the dinner table. This is a watch for someone who has already been through the phase of wanting functions and come out the other side.

Bottom line

A benchmark of proportional discipline from an independent that punches above its price class — best for collectors who want a genuinely slim daily dress watch with an original design language and have no need for lume, a date, or a seconds hand.

Highlights

6.9mm ultra-thin profile
38mm / 42.5mm lug-to-lug
Ming 7001.M1 — heavily reworked ETA Peseux base
Exhibition sapphire caseback
Initial 125-piece 2020 allotment; final 150-piece batch followed in 2021

Who it's for

Suited to wrists around 6.5 inches that want a flat, refined dress watch small enough to slide under a shirt cuff. Appeals to independent-watch collectors, minimalism enthusiasts, and anyone stepping up from mainstream dress watches who wants something genuinely unusual at the under-CHF 4,000 mark.

Who should skip it

Skip it if you need legibility in low light, a date complication, water-sport capability beyond rain, or a bracelet option — and bear in mind the 2020 run is long sold out with no announced reissue.

Before you buy

Final 27.01 batch was offered in January 2021; it is now only available on the secondary market
Confirm strap lug width (20mm) before sourcing a replacement strap
Some secondary listings have incorrectly described examples as titanium — the 27.01 case is 316L stainless steel
Check that the original Jean Rousseau Paris burgundy strap and flying-blade buckle are included in any pre-owned listing

FAQ

Is the 27.01 automatic or quartz?

The 27.01 is hand-wound. There is no self-winding rotor, so you turn the crown — usually once a day — to keep it running, and it uses no battery. A full wind holds roughly 42 hours of running time.

What movement does the 27.01 use?

The 27.01 is powered by the Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne MING 7001.M1 from Schwarz-Etienne, a manual caliber with a 42-hour power reserve and a 21,600 bph beat rate. It is hand-wound, so a daily turn of the crown keeps it running.

How water resistant is the 27.01?

The 27.01 is rated to 50 m. That is enough for hand-washing, rain and brief swimming, but not for diving or prolonged submersion. Whatever the rating, avoid operating the crown or pushers underwater, and have the gaskets checked periodically to keep it reliable.

How big does the 27.01 wear?

At 38 mm across with a 42.5 mm lug-to-lug and 6.9 mm thick, the 27.01 wears as a versatile mid-size watch. Lug-to-lug is the measurement that really decides fit, since it sets how far the case spans the wrist — 42.5 mm suits most wrists, and smaller wrists especially should check that figure.

Is the Ming 27.01 genuinely Swiss Made given that Ming is a Malaysian brand?

MING is a Malaysian-founded independent brand with Swiss production and assembly. The 27.01 was produced with Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne; MING's official materials state production and assembly are in Switzerland, while design, engineering and final quality control are in Malaysia.

How does the 27.01 compare to mass-market ultra-thins at a similar price?

At CHF 3,950 launch it sat alongside entry Frederique Constant Slimlines and basic Longines Records, but offered a far more distinctive case design, a custom-finished movement you can admire through the caseback, and independent provenance — with much thinner secondary-market liquidity than those mainstream names.

Is there a follow-up model to the 27.01?

Yes — Ming followed the 27.01 with the 27.02, which uses the same ultra-thin platform but swaps in a gradient sapphire dial over a guilloche ring. The 27.01 itself will not be produced again according to Ming's own product page.

Compare with