By Dian Pasquinal Kaur
MING 37.06 Royal Selangor.
History has a way of coming full circle. The new Royal Selangor Gallery, housed within Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building, stands at the heart of a city built on tin.
Completed in 1897 during the Klang Valley’s mining boom, the former seat of the colonial administration is only a stone’s throw from where Royal Selangor founder Yong Koon first established his workshop in 1885.
Today, the gallery chronicles the company’s evolution from crafting everyday items for a growing mining town to becoming the world’s largest pewter manufacturer. It is, therefore, a fitting setting for the unveiling of the MING 37.06 Royal Selangor, the first collaboration between Royal Selangor and Horologer MING.
Limited to just 88 pieces, the watch pairs a handcrafted pewter dial made in Kuala Lumpur with MING’s signature brushed grade-2 titanium case. The result is a distinctly Malaysian interpretation of contemporary watchmaking, bringing together Royal Selangor’s mastery of pewter with MING’s reputation for contemporary design and technical experimentation.
REALISING A VISION
(from left) Ming Thein, Founder and Chief Creative of Horologer MING and Datuk Yong Yoon Li Royal Selangor Managing Director.
The idea itself was years in the making. Royal Selangor managing director Datuk Yong Yoon Li first discussed a possible collaboration with Ming Thein, founder and chief creative of Horologer MING over dinner in 2020. The idea then lay dormant until a mutual friend inadvertently revived the conversation.
“He asked me to pass a camera to Yoon Li to reskin in hammered silver. I thought it might be interesting if we did something similar for a watch dial, but in a more traditional Malaysian material like pewter.”
“People gravitate towards design and workmanship. They don’t really care where something comes from, so long as it’s well designed and well made” – Datuk Yong Yoon Li
The concept proved far easier imagined than executed. “We thought we could hammer a dial and put it in the case, but it doesn’t fit,” says Thein. “When you start hammering the metal, it warps and starts to jam.”
Unlike brass or sapphire dials typically used in watchmaking, pewter is considerably softer. The very hand-finishing that gives it character also introduces tiny distortions unacceptable inside a precision mechanical watch.
“It’s surprisingly difficult to make a thin pewter component without warping or distortion,” says Thein. “It means the dials have to be CNC machined from a master for dimensional consistency.”
EXPLORING A NEW AVENUE
For Royal Selangor, the solution lay in marrying traditional craftsmanship with modern manufacturing. After creating and hammering a master surface by hand, it was digitally captured before each dial was individually machined to the tight tolerances MING required. The finished dial catches light differently from every angle, giving each watch its own subtle character while maintaining the precision required of a mechanical timepiece.
“People should give local brands a chance instead of seeking status by association with foreign brands” – Ming Thein
Powered by the Swiss automatic Sellita for MING SW300.M1 movement, each watch is assembled in Kuala Lumpur using infrastructure developed specifically for the collaboration. It was a deliberate step towards bringing more of the watchmaking process home.
For Thein, the engineering challenge was only part of the story. More important was what the collaboration represented: proof that products conceived and crafted in Malaysia can stand alongside the world’s best.
“The message is that it’s possible to do something world class in our country,” says Thein. “People should give local brands a chance instead of seeking status by association with foreign brands. Without a solid domestic ecosystem of suppliers and customers, it’s going to be nearly impossible.”
TIME AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
Yong believes perceptions are already evolving. “Today, people gravitate towards design and workmanship,” he says. “They don’t really care where something comes from, so long as it’s well designed and well made.”
That philosophy has guided Royal Selangor for 141 years. While materials and products continue to evolve, Yong says one principle remains unchanged: “It has to stand the test of time.”
More than a collector’s piece, the MING 37.06 Royal Selangor is a reminder that craftsmanship is as much about ideas as it is about materials.
By pairing centuries-old pewtersmithing with contemporary watchmaking, the collaboration truly demonstrates that Malaysian craftsmanship no longer needs to look abroad for validation. Some of the country’s finest luxury products can begin — and remain — at home.
