MING's Very Big Year – Openwork Episode 94

Plus, What Comes Next

Recorded live at Geneva Watch Days, this episode of Openwork sits down with Ming CEO Praneeth Raj Singh to unpack one of the strongest product runs in independent watchmaking: the Polymesh, Iris, Starfield, Lightning, and Comet. Hosts Gabe Reilly and Blake Buettner ask how much of it was planning versus luck, and Praneeth explains the shift from pandemic-era scramble launches to a more deliberate cadence, plus why Ming's graveyard of killed ideas is bigger than its actual catalog.

Praneeth gets specific on how Ming decides what to build and what to cut, including how a failed 3-kilometer dive watch indirectly produced the Bluefin's case construction and 600-meter water resistance. He talks through the tension between moving fast and giving platforms like the 37 Series more room to breathe, how Ming manages production partners as capacity gets squeezed by larger brands, and why some projects stay dead while others resurface years later in new form.

Praneeth also previews Ming's 10th anniversary in 2026: an expansion of the Superleggera lightweight collection into a chronograph, and the brand's first non-round case.

Openwork is a weekly podcast about how the watch industry actually works. An unfiltered look behind the scenes — no press releases, no hype, and no sponsored takes. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find us online at collectivehorology.com. To get in touch with suggestions, feedback or questions, email podcast@collectivehorology.com.