MING × J.N. Shapiro 37.06 Lightning

Description

A New Collaboration

The MING × J.N. Shapiro 37.06 Lightning is a joint project between Horologer MING and J.N.Shapiro, two founding members of the Alternative Horological Alliance (AHA), and the product of a long-running friendship between Ming Thein and Josh Shapiro.

It began with a shared desire to create something together, and a simple question: What happens when two independent makers bring their own forms of handwork to the same dial?

From Los Angeles To Kuala Lumpur

The answer begins in Los Angeles, inside Josh Shapiro’s workshop. Every Lightning dial is crafted from grade-2 titanium and individually engine-turned by hand on a traditional rose-engine lathe using a pattern called “Lightning guilloché.” This marks the first time a wristwatch by Josh Shapiro has used this specific pattern, creating a hypnotic texture that gives the surface a sense of dynamism that feels right at home with MING. The material and pattern both demand precision, and the guilloché process carries a high failure rate. It is slow, precise, tactile work, and it sets the stage for everything that follows.

From California, the dials travel to Kuala Lumpur, where Ming Thein heat-colors each dial with a handheld butane torch. The process transforms the dial into a polychromatic field of deep blue, rich purple, and vibrant orange-yellow. The unique coloration does not depend on paint, lacquer, or any additional surface coating – only heat, timing, restraint, and creative license.

There is very little room for error when heating the dials. Just a few seconds too long or too short with the torch can create uneven color distribution and ruin the dial entirely. Even with perfect control of the torch, the guilloché process can expose variations in the titanium’s crystalline structure that compromise the final result. The failure rate is high, with only about one in every three dials making it into a finished watch. The dials that make the cut are never exactly alike, with each final color gradient unique to that particular dial. Lightning, after all, never strikes twice.

This synergistic process makes the 37.06 Lightning more personal than the typical watch collaboration. Josh Shapiro and his team engine-turn every dial by hand, and Ming Thein personally heat-colors each one by hand. They both leave their creative fingerprints on the Lightning’s most visible element. As a result, production of the 37.06 Lightning is naturally constrained by the craftsmanship involved, even though the watch is not a limited-edition release.

Beyond The Dial

The Lightning dial is housed in MING’s familiar 37-series case, crafted here from 316L stainless steel. Measuring 38mm in diameter, 10.9mm in thickness, and 44.5mm lug-to-lug, the case is designed to maximize dial presence while preserving real-world wearability. Its narrow bezel allows the Lightning to wear visually larger and thinner than the dimensions suggest, while the sculpted lug profile requires multi-axis machining to flow cleanly from the case flanks into the lugs.

The 37.06 Lightning is topped by a domed sapphire crystal with laser-hollowed cavities filled with Super-LumiNova X1® (SLN), which serve as indices. The hour and minute hands receive multiple applications of SLN X1 for a more even, longer-lasting glow. There is no seconds hand, keeping the timekeeping display focused and uninterrupted.

Inside is the manual-wind Sellita for MING calibre SW210.M1, a MING-exclusive execution with skeletonized, rhodium-plated bridges and an anthracite-coated baseplate. The power reserve is approximately 42 hours. The watch is sealed with domed sapphire crystals on the front and back, both with double-sided anti-reflective coating, and offers 100 meters of water resistance.

Supplied by the brand to the GPHG for its entry.