When conceptualising the 37.02 Ghost, we didn’t set out to make an especially light or water resistant watch. Those particular challenges were met with the LW.01 (probably the lightest mechanical wristwatch ever at 8.8 grams) and 37.09 Bluefin (good to 600m plus 50% safety factor). However, thanks to the choice of material, pressure balanced domed crystals and optimized internal engineering, the 37.02 Ghost weighs just 35 grams, and blew through our water resistance target by 2.6 times.

The Ghost started with the idea of ethereal light playing off a forest of architecturally finished (i.e. not polished) metallic surfaces – claddings, buttresses, pillars, struts, baffles. What if we could somehow translate that into wrist presence? Given how many of our design inspirations are architectural it would be remiss of us not to try.

Modern watchmaking primarily uses grade 5 titanium; which is an alloy with aluminium and vanadium. It was originally developed for aerospace applications and for easy machining, milling and cold working. In fact, it is only marginally harder to machine than the common aluminium alloys which allowed for much wider adoption of the material and advancements in various industries. It also happens to be ‘whiter’ and ‘brighter’ in appearance – pure titanium has a warmth that’s missing from the grade 5 alloy.

Pure titanium – known as grade 2 (confusing, we know) – is difficult to machine as it’s highly ductile and has a low elastic modulus, meaning the material can deflect instead of cutting, but at the same time, it tends to also work harden through heat cycling and impact making it change character during machining and become increasingly harder to cut. As a bonus, grade 2 titanium shavings and dust are also highly flammable – even though the bulk material is incredibly inert. Prior to commercial availability of grade 5, titanium watches were all grade 2, rare, and expensive due to all the aforementioned challenges.

We, however, like to make our lives harder than necessary and so decided to make as much of our watch out of grade 2 titanium as possible.

This means that the entirety of the case, and even the dial and buckle are made of grade 2 titanium. As a material that cannot be polished, it allowed Ming Thein to translate the architectural inspiration and get creative with the brushing directions and pitch. The result is a surprisingly shiny and bright dial thanks to contrasting circular and radial brushing. The dial retains our signature inversion despite having no sapphire elements thanks to its concavity and the concentration of internal reflections.

The result of this extensive use of titanium? A watch that is lighter and looks thinner and more ethereal on the wrist than its dimensions suggest, and is far more durable than it feels for its weight. It is a testament to our engineering that the Ghost proved water resistant up to 260m, far deeper than our initial 100m calculations* and better than some dedicated dive and sport watches. At 38x11mm with an extremely slim bezel, it has great wrist presence but remains wearable for a large range of wrist sizes. It is powered by an all-anthracite Sellita SW300 for MING with custom skeletonized bridges and plates. At night, the Ghost upholds our reputation for brightness with ample deposits of blue Super-LumiNova X1 on the hands and crystal for contrast. Finally, the Ghost is finished off with a matching grey coloured goat leather strap fitted with a grade 2 titanium tuck buckle.

*We decided to leave it as 100m on the caseback as an inside joke to our engineering paranoia.