America’s Most Acclaimed Watchmaker Teams Up with a Cult-Favorite Brand

The new dynamic duo.

Close-up of a wristwatch with a textured purple and orange dial, silver case, and black leather strap against a blue background.

Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

Published June 8, 2026

·

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

One benefit independent watch brands have over their corporate-owned competitors is that they can pretty much do whatever they want.

For example, if two small independent brands want to collaborate on a unique watch, there are no executive boards or shareholders from whom to get approval. Basically, if the two brands’ respective owners want the collab to happen, it’ll happen.

That’s how we end up with incredibly cool releases like the new Ming x J.N. Shapiro 37.06 Lightning, a sports watch featuring a one-of-a-kind dial that’s personally finished by the brands’ two founders.

Wristwatch with a textured blue and orange dial, silver case, and dark blue leather strap worn on a wrist. — Ming and J.N. Shapiro have cooked up a real showstopper.

Lightning flashes

Ming is a Malaysian-based brand (with much of its production happening in Switzerland) that is known for its futuristic, avant-garde designs and its innovative creations. J.N. Shapiro, meanwhile, is based in California and churns out highly traditional watches, with its hand-turned guilloché dials probably being its greatest claim to fame, though it’s also shown serious ambition by crafting a fully American-made watch.

On paper, the two don’t seem like natural partners. But look below the surface, and you’ll see two watchmakers deeply committed to quality and doing things their own way. They’re also both quite popular with enthusiast collectors, and they’ve even collaborated before. The two brands, along with another American indie, Fleming, are the founders of the Alternative Horological Alliance and previously jointly released a universal tantalum bracelet.

Back to their latest collab, the Ming x J.N. Shapiro 37.06 Lightning is essentially a Ming 37-Series sports watch with a special dial.

Close-up of a wristwatch with a blue and orange textured dial, white hour markers, and a blue leather strap. — Each dial is hand-guillochéd by Josh Shapiro, then hand-torched by Ming Thien.

The dial is made of Grade 2 titanium and features a new “lightning” guilloché pattern from J.N. Shapiro. This exclusive new pattern is hand-turned into the dial by J.N. Shapiro founder Josh Shapiro using a traditional rose-engine lathe in his Los Angeles workshop. Although the method used to make the dial is traditional, the funky and dynamic pattern is anything but.

Once engraved, the dials are then sent to Malaysia, where Ming founder Ming Thien heat-treats each one by hand using a blowtorch. The process yields an iridescent effect where the dials reflect brilliant shades of blue, violet and orange, depending on the viewing angle.

Naturally, because the dials have two levels of handcraftsmanship, no two are exactly alike.

Close-up of multiple wristwatch faces with iridescent blue and purple textured dials and silver cases on a dark surface. — Given their handmade nature, no two dials are exactly alike.

Outside of the dial, the watch is nearly indistinguishable from some other 37-Series Mings, namely the 37.08. Like that watch, the Lightning uses a 38mm x 10.9mm 37-Series case in polished and brushed stainless steel (though without DLC coating) and a Sellita for MING SW210.M1 manual-wind movement that’s visible through a sapphire caseback.

It also features the same handset and lume layout as the 37.07, with Super-LumiNova X1 on the hands and Hyceram indices on the underside of the Sapphire crystal to create a floating effect over the dial.

The strap is provided by Ming’s usual strapmaker, France’s Jean Rousseau Paris. In this case, it’s a blue barenia leather strap fitted with curved spring bars and secured via Ming’s excellent keeperless Tuck Buckle in polished steel.

Close-up of a wristwatch face with glowing blue hands and hour markers on a textured dark dial. — It’s a Ming. Of course it has great lume.

Availability and pricing

Welp, this one went lightning fast. Not long after going on sale, the Lightning 37.06 sold out its entire initial drop, which will fulfill orders through the end of 2027.

However, that doesn’t mean you’ll never get one if you missed out. Ming has announced that orders will eventually open back up for the Lightning 37.06, and you can sign up on the brand’s website to get notified by email when that happens. The watch retails for CHF 6,250 (~$7,836).

Round wristwatch with a vibrant purple and orange textured dial, blue leather strap, and silver case.

Ming x J.N. Shapiro 37.06 Lightning

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Sellita for Ming Cal. SW210.M1 manual-wind
Water Resistance	100m

$7,836 at Ming

About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.