Introducing Ming Brings Back The Dive Watch With The 37.09 'Bluefin'

Back in 2020, Ming released the brand's most recent dive watch, the 18.01 H41, with a DLC-coated luminous black stainless steel bezel and a very strong 1,000 meters of water resistance. Still, if you looked back at our coverage, the watch would be recognizable if largely night and day when it comes to finishing and design quality compared to the new Ming 37.09 "Bluefin" released today.

The new 37.09 doesn't reach the 1000m mark of the 18.01 H41, it makes up for it in those aforementioned qualities and some ingenuity. The watch measures 38mm wide by 12.8mm thick with a 316L stainless steel case and 600m of water resistance but uses the refined design language of Ming's 37-series and puts lume on the underside of the double-domed sapphire crystal for indices while moving the dive timer to the dial. Like a rare few dive watches, this uses an inner-rotating dive timer, but instead of doing it on an inner bezel or rehaut, the four o'clock crown rotates a 60-click dial with all the indices needed on a dive watch (all lumed). The crown at two o'clock  screws down, of course, and the whole thing makes one neat, ergonomic package. 

While Ming originally pushed to best the H41's depth rating, the watch got nearly 19mm thick, so they focused on improved ergonomics instead. But the brand also had this to say about its water-resistance testing: "It turned out that by tweaks to the curvature of the front and rear crystals, prototypes achieved a crush depth of 900m after 24h saturation." Very solid. Inside the brushed and polished stainless steel case is the Sellita for MING SW300.M1 with 50 hours of power reserve.

The Ming 37.09 "Bluefin" is available for pre-order on the brand's website at 13:00 GMT on May 24, 2024. Deliveries are expected to start in October 2024. This watch variation will be made in 500 pieces for 2024. The price is CHF 4,950, and a 50% deposit is required for order confirmation. 

I didn't realize how long it has been since Ming created a true dive watch. The brand has grown so massively in the past few years and has produced everything from tourbillons, central-counter chronographs, a set of seven refurbished Venus 140-powered monopushers, and the lightest watch in the world. But the brand is committed to more affordable options like the 37.08 "Sand" I saw at Dubai Watch Week. It was a fantastic take on the Middle Eastern motif without being reductive and the price felt great for the quality of the design.

Ming has undeniably created one of the strongest design languages in the last 10 years and somehow the watches always look fresh to my eye. This uses the same 37-series case shape as the 37.08 I mentioned above, with a double-stepped bezel and flared "blade" lugs, but takes it a step further to be thicker to account for the depth rating necessary to be a dive watch. I've said this every time I've covered a Ming, but I love the design and keep thinking it's time for me to buy one. I've never pulled the trigger but that's a me problem, not a Ming problem. In fact, if there was one watch that was probably best suited to my style and use case, the new 37.09 "Bluefin" is probably it.

That's not to say that I'm ever going to be diving down to 600m, but I'm pretty tough on my watches and despite my love of vintage watches, I like pieces that I can wear, enjoy, but not worry too much about. The technically overbuilt–yet– relatively thin specs of the new Ming diver checks those boxes. The aesthetics are on point, and the lume does exactly what you want from a great Ming watch.

One other thing I'm curious to see is the new molded FKM rubber strap, with curved bars and universal compatibility with all of the brand's other 20mm lug watches. The buckle side of the watch has a pocket where the longer end of the strap can nestle in, just like the brand's "tuck buckle" straps and needs no keeper. It will soon be available as a purchase option for people wanting a rubber strap for their Ming.

Will this be a practical diver for people that actually dive frequently? Probably not. I'm curious to get my hands on one and feel if the internal rotating dial clicks are substantial and not prone to bumps unlike many inner rotating bezels, but the quick legibility of the indices seems like it might be a problem – something you don't want to worry about if you're nervous about your oxygen supply or time left underwater. But that's probably okay – I still need to pick up a dive computer anyway.

Brand: Ming
Model: 37.09 "Bluefin"

Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 12.8mm
Lug-to-Lug: 44.5mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Case Material: 316L stainless steel, with a polished and brushed finish
Dial Color: Blue internally rotating sapphire dial
Indexes: Super-LumiNova X1 indices inside top crystal, and on sapphire dial.
Lume: Super-LumiNova X1 coated hands and indices
Water Resistance: 600m
Strap/Bracelet: New molded FKM rubber strap; 20mm width, curved bars with quick release; Fitted with 'flying blade' tuck buckle with micro adjustment

Caliber: Sellita for MING SW300.M1
Functions: Hours, minutes, central hacking seconds
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Winding: Automatic
Additional Details: Domed sapphire crystals front and rear, with double-sided antireflective coating; Internal 60-click timer scale on the unidirectional rotating dial via the crown at 4 o'clock; anthracite skeletonized bridges and rotor with contrast circular brushing; Made in Switzerland

Price: CHF 4,950, 50% deposit for order confirmation
Availability: Orders open at 13:00 GMT on May 24, 2024; Deliveries are expected to start in October 2024
Limited Edition: 500 pieces to be produced in 2024

For more, click here.