Hands-On: the Ming 37.02 Ghost (and Some Other Mings too)

Last fall (2024), I felt the itch for something new—that hankering one gets when they just need a new watch. I usually resist, but this time, the fates had a different plan for me. You see, sitting on the forums was an unworn Ming 37.07 Monolith just looking for a good home. I had wanted a Ming for a while, but found myself never in the right place at the right time—or with the right amount of watch-budget when they were released. For a while, in those post-COVID bubble days, Ming’s watches sold out really fast. So, you were either ready at the moment… or not.

So, when the 37.07 Monolith, my favorite of the brand’s most recent generation of watches (up until that point), unworn and slightly below retail, was available, I knew I had to go for it. Since its arrival, it has become one of my most frequently worn watches. Not just because it’s new, though that always is a factor, but because there is something wholly different about it from any other watch I’ve owned. It’s modern to the bone—sleek, mysterious, and compelling. The dial defies convention by appearing surfaceless and void-like, without printed or applied markers. It’s minimal yet legible, giving you just enough. And it’s surprisingly comfortable to wear, hugging the wrist with a generously domed profile.

But why am I talking about this watch when this article is intended as a review for a different model, the 37.02 Ghost? While different models, they are both part of the 37-series, as are several other recent Ming releases, including their first general production model, the 37.02 Minimalist. Although different in many ways, these watches share a significant amount of DNA, most notably in their case design. Though wearing one is not precisely like wearing another, as I’ve had prolonged exposure to the Monolith, I can speak to living with its general proportions and the Ming aesthetic. Also, this article gives me an excuse to write about it.