Atelier Wen Perception: fusing contemporary style with timeless artistry

0 0 Monday, 10 March 2025 Edit this post

Atelier Wen, a brand that should be on the radar of watch enthusiasts, was founded by two friends from France who share a passion for Chinese culture and horology. Robin, a collector and industry expert, serves as the creative visionary, while Wilfried, an entrepreneur fluent in Mandarin, manages design and production in Beijing. Together, they bring a thoughtful approach to highlighting Chinese watchmaking.

Atelier Wen’s name reflects its vision, ‘Atelier’ meaning ‘workshop’ in French and ‘Wén’ representing ‘culture’ in Chinese. The brand unites French and Chinese creators to redefine modern Chinese style through timepieces that combine beauty and meaning.

While Chinese watchmaking has long played an important role in the industry, its artistry often remains overlooked. Atelier Wen aims to change this by showcasing the country’s rich horological heritage and craftsmanship, creating timepieces that highlight China’s cultural and technical expertise on a global stage.

Their Perception model, now in its second iteration (V2), is a luxury steel watch that stands out for its meticulous finishes and the hand-turned guilloché dial, blending traditional artistry with modern design.

The Perception features a 40 mm diameter and a 9.4 mm thick case crafted from 904L stainless steel (which is brighter than the more commonly used 316L steel), with alternating satin-brushed and polished surfaces that highlight its lines.

Its flanks are inspired by the curved shapes of pagodas, while the tops of the lugs have subtle angles resembling roof structures.

The screwed-down crown ensures water resistance of up to 100 metres / 330 feet, enhancing the watch’s versatility in various situations.

Protected by a double-domed sapphire crystal with 10 layers of anti-reflective coating, the dial showcases a hand-turned guilloché pattern crafted by China’s first master of the art, Cheng Yu Cai.

The fish scale (écailles de poisson) motif, with its interplay of straight and curved lines, creates a dynamic play of light and shadow. Each dial takes an impressive eight hours to produce.

Atelier Wen’s commitment to quality is reflected in the dial construction, which draws inspiration from sǔn mǎo, an ancient Chinese joinery technique that uses precise, friction-based assembly, without nails or glue.

The dial consists of four intricately arranged layers: a base layer supporting the main guilloché dial, 12 precisely nested indexes fitted into cutouts, and an elevated chapter ring adorned with a traditional huí wén pattern printed in Super-LumiNova. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, this segmented motif serves a functional purpose, doubling as the watch’s minute track.

Three dial variations are available: Piāo (light blue), Xiá (copper), and Yǐng (grey).

Perception's hands are leaf-shaped and filled with Super Lumi-Nova X1 for better legibility in low-light conditions. They are rhodium-plated on the Piāo and Xiá models, and thermally-blued on the Yǐng.

The movement of choice for the Perception is the 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) SL1588A Calibre. Produced by Dandong/Peacock’s new state-of-the-art facility, this extra-thin (3.4 mm) movement has been modified by Atelier Wen to extend its power reserve to 41 hours and remove the default-date function.

Each movement is tested and adjusted to ensure an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds per day, after being drop-tested and observed in hot, cold, and ambient temperatures, as well as measured over 48 hours of continuous running.

They are then further regulated in 5 positions by us, and sent in to China's top national research lab, the Horological Research Institute of Light Industry (HRILI) for further testing following assembly.

Finishes include circular côtes de Genève on the bridges, seamlessly transitioning into the black, rhodium-plated tungsten rotor. Special attention has also been given to the smaller components, including polished jewel and screw sinks, as well as flame-blued screws.

The movement is partially visible through the semi-display caseback of the Perception, with a window that forms the mouth of a deeply embossed stone guardian lion, a traditional motif found at the entrances of Chinese temples and major buildings.

When the rotor aligns with the window, the lion's mouth appears to "laugh”. When it moves, the mouth opens to reveal the oscillating balance wheel.

The integrated 904L steel bracelet is a defining element of the watch, tapering across its width from 22mm at the case to 18mm at the clasp, and thinning out from 3mm at the lugs to 2.6mm.

The bracelet's central links have asymmetrical hexagonal shapes, inspired by elements like rooftops and windows in traditional Chinese architecture. Finishes are flawless, with vertical brushing complemented by sharp, mirror-like chamfers hand-finished on both edges of each link.

The bracelet is equipped with a custom clasp, featuring a micro-adjustment mechanism developed in-house. Made of 32 parts, the clasp is operated by a central pusher hidden behind the logo. This keeps the clasp sleek while remaining easy to use, allowing for length adjustment by up to half a link without removing the bracelet.

Additionally, the deployant system includes a telescoping blade, ensuring comfort while allowing your hand to fit through the bracelet when fully extended.