For those that like their watches to look great but not weigh you down, you’ll want to sit up and take notice of a rather extraordinary offering from MING. Namely, the LW.01 Manual/Automatic Watch which is just about as lightweight as a timepiece can get and weighs in at a mere 8.8g and 10.8g which is so light that you’ll barely know that you’ve got anything on your wrist at all and, were it not for all the admiring glances you’re likely to get, you might even forgot you’re wearing a watch. The LW.01 Manual Watch from MING doesn’t come cheap, of course, and will set you back CHF 19,500, which equates to around $21.5k, but this will be one of the classiest and most unusual watches in any collector’s lineup.

The MING LW.01 Manual Watch ($21.5k) is available for pre-ordering now (with a 50% down payment) and it falls under the watchmaker’s Special Projects Cave umbrella and it has been several years in the making. As such, MING is rightly proud to present what they firmly believe are the world’s lightest mechanical wristwatches: the MING LW.01 Manual and LW.01 Automatic. They are a featherweight 8.8 and 10.8 grams respectively and for the watch head only and if you’re after the cornerstone of your watch collection, this might just be it.

For this amazing release, MING wanted to create a watch that was both wearable and practical, with the tactile qualities of metal. They also didn’t want to compromise on the technical aspects of the LW.01 Watch, even if it meant taking longer to develop. To this end, it took the watchmaker a couple of years and a lot of testing to get it right but, as you can plainly see, it was definitely worth the wait.

The MING LW.01 is a unique watch that differs from traditional watches in several ways. First, the dial is not fixed to the movement, but rather to a separate ring that is shaped like a hat. This ring is only 0.5mm thick in some places, but it is ribbed for strength. Second, the movement is held in place by a cage with 3D struts that extend from the rear of the watch. This cage helps to protect the dial and movement from damage. Finally, the bezel is hollowed out to save weight, even though it is very narrow.

These stylish and innovative watches are made with lightweight and durable materials, such as PEEK composite screws, hollowed bezels, and an anodised aluminium crown. The watch case is also very rigid, courtesy of the finite element simulation and fixed integral bars. The final weight of the watch is only 8.8 grams with manual winding, 10.8 grams with automatic winding, and 12.6 grams with the Alcantara strap.

MING’s LW.01 Watches come with a variety of straps to suit your taste. They have also included a second buckle by DBMF, made of aluminium and designed to tuck neatly under the strap. Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne carefully selected which components of the ETA2000 movement could be removed or lightened to reduce weight, while maintaining reliability. Final assembly and testing are carried out by Schwarz-Etienne. Looking for a watch to turn heads? You’ve just found the ideal candidate.