This Watch Brand Has Made a Completely New Kind of Strap Using Lasers

"The one strap to rule them all has been dubbed the Polymesh, and is 3D-printed from grade five titanium, and comprises 1,693 interconnected pieces (including the buckle) held together without any pins or screws. The only additional parts requiring assembly are the quick-release spring bars at each end that attach it to the watch-the articulated pin buckle is also formed in the same process."

"Ming says that the strap, which is made up from rows of 15 equilateral triangles, meshed together and bookended by larger end pieces, "has more motion engineered into the radial axis than the lateral one," leading to a supple end result that drapes like fabric yet retains the strength of titanium."

"It has taken the company seven years to develop, working with partners Sisma S.p.A in Italy and ProMotion SA in Switzerland. Ming says notable challenges included the risk of components fusing together, and the fact that powdered titanium-the raw material from which the strap is laser sintered-is highly explosive. The straps each take several hours to produce, requiring hundreds of layers of additive manufacturing in an inert gas environment."

"The company is not the first to use 3D-printing techniques for final products in watchmaking (as opposed to prototyping), but it is the only one using it for straps or bracelets. British start-up Apiar has debuted a 3D-printed watch case, as has Dutch brand Holthinrichs, which has created versions of its Ornament 1 in both 18k gold as well as stainless steel."

Ming developed the Polymesh strap using 3D-printed grade five titanium composed of 1,693 interconnected pieces, including an articulated pin buckle printed as part of the assembly. The design uses rows of 15 equilateral triangles meshed and bookended by larger end pieces to engineer greater radial than lateral motion, producing a supple drape similar to fabric while preserving titanium strength. Development took seven years with Sisma S.p.A and ProMotion SA, overcoming challenges such as component fusion risk and explosive powdered titanium. Each strap requires several hours and hundreds of additive-manufacturing layers produced in an inert gas environment.

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