Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Ming 51.01 Halo, a Contemporary Dress Watch in Crystallised Titanium
A golden marbled case and a black lacquered dial interpret the dress watch in Ming’s distinctive, contemporary key.
The dress watch is enjoying a grand comeback, marking a return to more compact, elegant wrist companions. While a strict definition of the dress watch will always spark controversy, dress watches tend to have clean, often minimalist dials, slim profiles and an understated but refined appeal that speaks to the other prevailing trend of ‘quiet luxury’. The latest brand to jump on the dress watch bandwagon is Ming with the launch of the new 51.01 Halo. Interpreted in Ming’s contemporary, design-led style, the 51.01 Halo is an attractive black-and-gold dress watch with a slim profile, a manual-winding movement and a striking crystallised titanium case.
Ming classifies all its models with four numbers. In this case, the first two numbers assigned to the dress watch – 51 – indicate that it is a brand-new family, while the second two numbers – 01 – tell us that it is the first base model of the series.
A compact, crystallised titanium case
While the 51.01 Halo does not break the brand’s record for the slimmest watch in its catalogue – that title belongs to the 27.01 and 27.02 references with their 6.9mm silhouette – the case measures a compact 37mm, coupled with a thickness of just 8mm and a modest 43mm lug-to-lug span. The case does not mark a radical departure from Ming’s signature design tenets, but there are changes to report. The lugs appear more fluid, and the bezel framing the pronounced box-shaped sapphire crystal is thinner.
The standout feature of the Halo is its surprising, mottled case. With its warm tones, the case might be mistaken for bronze or even rose gold, but as Ming explains, it’s actually crystallised grade 5 titanium. The marbled texture on its surface, which might also remind you of Damascus steel, is the result of a precisely controlled chemical heat treatment that enlarges the metal’s crystalline grains. The titanium is heated in a vacuum chamber (1,200°C), then cooled before the surface is etched with acid to create the mottled effect. To warm up the metal, the case is coated in a 5N rose gold colour.
Minimalistic Black Dial
The black lacquered dial has a polished centre and circular-brushed periphery to produce an opaline effect. Coated in 5N rose gold to match the case’s warm tones, the new handset features brushed and sandblasted finishes with polished surfaces. A distinctive feature of Ming’s watches is the indices engraved on the underside of the sapphire crystal, in this case filled with rose gold-coloured lacquer. To underscore the watch’s dressier character, there is no trace of luminescence.
A thin movement by La Joux-Perret
The manual-winding movement is another talking point. Powered by the La Joux-Perret calibre 7380.M1, with a razor-thin height of 2.7mm, the movement delivers a massive 90-hour power reserve. This same base movement is used by Arnold & Son (sister company of La Joux-Perret) and has been substantially customised for Ming with skeletonised anthracite-coated bridges, a matte black-coated mainplate and hand-finished anglage. In addition, Ming’s recognisable spoke pattern is featured on the ratchet and barrel wheels.
Availability & Price
The 51.01 Halo is paired with a black goatskin strap by Jean Rousseau Paris with 20mm curved quick-release spring bars and a crystallised titanium flying-blade buckle with micro-adjustment. It is a limited edition of 150 pieces and retails for CHF 10,900 (excl. tax). Orders open on 10 November, 2026 at 1:00 PM GMT at ming.watch and authorised retail partners.
