Independent watchmakers Ming and Massena LAB have once again joined forces to introduce a remarkable timepiece, the 57.09 Secret Honey. This latest collaboration builds upon their successful 2021 release, the 17.09 Honey and 17.09 Black, by enhancing the signature honeycomb dial with an innovative dynamic element. As fellow members of the Alternative Horological Alliance, their combined expertise has resulted in a watch that not only captivates with its aesthetic appeal but also pushes the boundaries of traditional watchmaking through intricate mechanical design and material innovation. The Secret Honey promises a visually engaging experience with its perpetually evolving dial, revealing its warm hues as its components interact.
The centerpiece of the 57.09 Secret Honey is undoubtedly its complex dial, a hallmark of Ming's design philosophy. Crafted from multiple layers of metal and sapphire, the dial features a dark brown, circular-brushed base. Above this base are three rotating sapphire disks, each treated with anti-reflective coatings and distinct opening patterns. These disks rotate at varying speeds—24 hours, 12 hours, and 60 minutes—creating a mesmerizing, continuously shifting pattern that Ming refers to as 'dynamic guilloché.' Select elements on these disks are enhanced with orange-emitting Super-LumiNova or MING Polar White, ensuring legibility and an ethereal glow. The honey-colored hour and minute indicators, powered by Super-LumiNova, are integrated into the 12-hour and 60-minute disks, while the brand logos and indices are engraved into the top sapphire crystal, forming a secondary luminous layer.
Beyond its captivating dial, the 57.09 Secret Honey showcases a meticulously engineered case, drawing inspiration from Ming's fifth-generation design language. Fashioned from grade 5 titanium, the 40mm case boasts a slender 10.17mm thickness and a lug-to-lug measurement of 47.8mm, providing a comfortable fit while ensuring a robust 100-meter water resistance. A polished, concave bezel frames the dial, complemented by sapphire crystals on both the front and back. The lugs are particularly noteworthy, featuring a tri-tone, triple-stepped design reminiscent of vintage Rolex models. The outermost step maintains the natural titanium finish, while the middle and innermost steps are coated in TiN (resembling yellow gold) and TiSiN (evoking rose gold), respectively. This sophisticated material treatment extends to the intermediate element beneath the bezel, coated in TiN, harmonizing with the dial's honey tones. The production of these multi-component lugs is a testament to the watch's intricate craftsmanship.
Driving this horological marvel is the Ming 330.M2 movement, a customized version of the reliable Sellita base. This automatic movement, featuring skeletonized bridges, brushed finishes, and an anthracite coating, operates at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and provides an impressive power reserve of approximately 50 hours. The movement's architecture, inspired by the SW330 GMT, enables the unique rotational speeds of the dial's disks. Each 57.09 Secret Honey timepiece is a limited edition of 125 pieces and comes with two straps: a vachetta-colored goat leather strap from Jean Rousseau Paris and a black FKM rubber strap, both equipped with a stainless-steel flying-blade tuck buckle. This collaboration, priced at CHF 7,250 (excluding taxes), represents a harmonious fusion of artistic vision and precision engineering, offering collectors a truly distinctive and animated wearable art piece. Orders for this exclusive watch will commence on October 15, 2026, at 1:00 PM GMT, available solely through the official Ming website.
The Ming x Massena LAB 57.09 Secret Honey stands as a testament to the innovative spirit within independent watchmaking, offering a fresh interpretation of time-telling through its dynamic honeycomb dial and sophisticated tri-tone case. This limited-edition creation exemplifies a blend of meticulous design, advanced material science, and horological artistry, making it a compelling addition for enthusiasts seeking a watch that transcends conventional aesthetics.
