Independent watchmaker MING, along with Massena LAB, both members of the Alternative Horological Alliance, have created a new interpretation of the famous honey dial motif. The new MING x Massena LAB 57.09 Secret Honey follows the brands’ first collaboration in 2021, which resulted in the 17.09 Honey and 17.09 Black, offered in two dial options inspired by the honeycomb patterns found on collectable mid-20th-century watches. The new model combines the black and honey colour schemes in a single dial using three rotating sapphire discs that create a changing visual effect.

‍

‍

Also Read: Ming presents the new 29.01 Midnight Worldtimer

‍

The watch features a Grade 5 titanium case that measures 40 mm in diameter, has a thickness of 10.17 mm, a lug-to-lug distance of 47.8 mm, and a lug width of 20 mm. The design draws inspiration from MING’s fifth-generation design language, featuring a large dial, a comparatively thin bezel, and triple-stepped lugs. This construction comprises nine individual components and incorporates brushed and polished surfaces. Each lug step has a different appearance: the outer step has a natural titanium finish, the middle step is coated with titanium nitride (TiN), which gives it a yellow-gold finish, and the innermost step is coated with titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN), which gives it a rose-gold finish. These details connect the case design with the dial’s black and honey colour scheme. The case is topped with a box-shaped sapphire crystal, while the caseback also features a sapphire crystal that provides a view of the movement. Both the front and back sapphire crystals feature double-sided anti-reflective coatings, and the watch offers water resistance of up to 100 metres.

‍

‍

The dial features a dark brown brass base with a lacquered and circular-brushed finish, positioned beneath three stacked rotating sapphire discs. Each disc has a different opening pattern and completes one rotation every 24 hours, 12 hours, or 60 minutes, respectively. A dynamic guilloché pattern is created by the overlapping apertures. The hour and minute indications are presented on the 12-hour and 60-minute discs and appear in a honey colour. The indications use orange-emitting Super-LumiNova, while selected elements on the discs feature either Super-LumiNova or MING Polar White luminous material. The indices and the MING and Massena LAB logos at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively are engraved into the top sapphire crystal and filled with MING Polar White, creating a second luminous layer above the rotating display. This highlights the white elements in low-light conditions while keeping the hours and minutes visible.

‍

‍

Also Read: Ming brings the stealthy version of the Monolith

‍

The watch is powered by the automatic Sellita for MING 330.M2 calibre. The movement operates at a frequency of 4 Hz, offers a power reserve of approximately 50 hours, measures 26.2 mm in diameter and 4.1 mm in thickness, and contains 25 jewels. The movement is adjusted for heat, cold, isochronism, and five positions. Visible through the caseback, the skeletonised bridges have a brushed finish and an anthracite coating and are positioned above an anthracite-coated mainplate.

‍

‍

The model comes with two strap options. The first is a vachetta-coloured goat-leather strap made by French strap manufacturer Jean Rousseau Paris, while the second is a black FKM rubber strap. Both options use curved quick-release spring bars, meaning no special tools are required to change the straps. Each strap is secured with a stainless-steel flying-blade tuck buckle featuring micro-adjustment for a precise fit.

‍

The MING x Massena LAB 57.09 Secret Honey is limited to 125 pieces and is priced at CHF 7,250, excluding applicable taxes and duties.

‍

Images: MING

‍