Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Atelier Wen Ancestra Launch Edition, Jiāo
The French-Chinese brand dips its toes into grand feu enamel with the first new design in three years.
68 articles · 33 videos found · page 2 of 4
Hodinkee
The French-Chinese brand dips its toes into grand feu enamel with the first new design in three years.
Revolution
Monochrome
Are you ready to immerse yourself in Chinese culture and tradition? Atelier Wen was founded in 2018 by two young Frenchmen looking to remove the stigma of Chinese watches being cheap and poorly made. The inaugural collection captured the essence of traditional Chinese porcelain, but it wasn’t until the release of acclaimed Perception that things […]
Worn & Wound
Since 2022, you could be forgiven for thinking of Atelier Wen as “the Perception company.” The brand didn’t start with their popular integrated bracelet sports watch, but as the demand for these types of watches grew, Atelier Wen has done their best to keep the Perception at the forefront of the conversation. They’ve done this through small runs of new dial colors and limited editions with various partners that allow them to play not just with color but the guilloche work that is the Perception’s calling card. But it was never Atelier Wen’s goal to make the Perception their own version of the Royal Oak, a watch that completely defines the brand to the point that other collections are barely playing second fiddle. The conceit of the brand has always been to celebrate traditional craft techniques through the lens of Chinese culture. Look at their first release, the porcelain dialed Odyssey, alongside the Perception and you begin to see the brand’s vision more clearly. Now, a new collection has been unveiled, that will hopefully continue to broaden the brand’s appeal. The Ancestra is a rather ambitious dress watch that’s quite complex in its design, but in a somewhat under the radar way. The centerpiece of the watch is the 925 silver dial which incorporates two traditional artistic crafts: hand hammering and grand feu enamel. The dial is produced by Kong Lingjun, a master Chinese enameler. After the dial is hammered, Lingjun gets to work on the enamel pr...
Fratello
Atelier Wen has created some of my favorite watches over the past several years. The brand’s Perception series fits like a dream and is beautifully finished. Plus, the company is never content to leave well enough alone. Once a model has been released, the team continues to make minor updates to improve fit and quality. […] Visit Hands-On With The New Atelier Wen Ancestra Jiāo to read the full article.
Video
Time+Tide
A perceptible leap, if you will.The post The Atelier Wen Ancestra Jiāo goes all out with grand feu enamel, diamonds, and a high-end Pequignet movement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Worn & Wound
If there’s a single area of the watch world that feels truly exciting and vibrant right now, it’s the small, approachable, independent brands. I like to call them “micro-indies,” because they take elements of what made the microbrand boom so fruitful to many (direct to consumer sales, lots of creativity) and match it up with real watchmaking craft in ways you might not expect. When I got into this hobby years ago, it was common to hear various voices on the watch forums telling you that finding “real” guilloche under five figures is straight up impossible. But new brands, and new ideas, allow for all kinds of new possibilities. Atelier Wen’s Perception integrated bracelet sports watch has become an enthusiast favorite since its inception thanks to their impressive guilloche dials made by a self-taught master of his craft, all at a cost under $4,000. Atelier Wen achieves this, in large part, by embracing Chinese manufacturing, something other brands that approach this segment run away from. But that’s the beauty of the micro-indie landscape: when you rethink how to solve common watchmaking problems, you wind up with uncommon watches that are truly unique. Atelier Wen has launched their latest Perception, the Millesime 2024 Perception “Mù” at an unusual time in the brand’s history. There is more attention on watches of this ilk than ever before, and frankly it feels like there are parts of the community that are looking to shoot holes in the story At...
Worn & Wound
Atelier Wen is launching a new version of their popular Perception integrated bracelet sports watch, now bearing the “Millesime” label. This is a limited edition release, but unlike many recent releases from their past, they’ve decided to forego any kind of associated collaboration with an outside brand, instead choosing to focus on fulfilling specific desires from their dedicated client base. Many of the updates that you see on this watch are a reflection of the watch community, very much in line with recent limited releases from other enthusiast focused brands that depend on customer feedback. This new Millesime edition will be part of a community driven yearly release for Atelier Wen, and its name even represents the ideology of kinship or closeness, again prioritizing feedback from watch enthusiasts to design the watch. Some of the main community driven transformations that have been implemented on this watch include a purple dial that went through 3-4 testing rounds to find the perfect hue, as well as a full grade 5 titanium construction for both the case and bracelet. In addition to this regular titanium version, a special release full Tantalum variant will be awarded to 3 random customers as a lucky draw contest. You may be expecting the regular version, but you could open the box to find you’ve been awarded the upgraded (and much, much heavier) Tantalum version, Willy Wonka syle! Atelier Wen has been teasing a tantalum Perception for some time, showin...
Monochrome
Chinese watchmaker Atelier Wen, led by two Frenchmen, is launching the first timepiece in its annual “Millésime” series, designed to provide greater access for enthusiasts who previously missed out on owning a limited edition Perception watch due to fixed production runs as agreed with collaborative partners. In contrast with earlier limited editions released as partnerships, […]
Video
At the time of recording, the exchange rate was 1 GBP = 1.33 USD. Please note that exchange rates fluctuate, so the conversion may differ when you view this video. Always check current exchange rates for the most accu...
Time+Tide
A non-limited Perception in titanium may also prove to be lucky for some.The post The Atelier Wen Perception Millésime Mù sports a purple dial and titanium case, and a potential tantalum ticket appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Atelier Wen has enjoyed a meteoric increase in popularity over the past two years. The independent brand has shed a positive light on Chinese watchmaking while producing attractive watches with finishes and materials normally found on more expensive pieces. To celebrate the fans who have brought so much success to the company, a limited-edition Perception […] Visit Hands-On: The Atelier Wen Perception Titanium Millésime Mù to read the full article.
Revolution
Time+Tide
While Geneva Watch Days 2024 is not too far off, some very cool watches debuted this week.The post New releases from Atelier Wen, Vacheron Constantin, Longines and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Video
At the time of recording, the exchange rate was 1 GBP = 1.33 USD. Please note that exchange rates fluctuate, so the conversion may differ when you view this video. Always check current exchange rates for the most accu...
Fratello
Atelier Wen has taken up the mantle of providing insightful looks at Chinese watchmaking. With the Inside The Atelier video series, we are treated to an inside view of different suppliers of the brand’s end product. Today’s video focuses on movement-making with a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the Liaoning Peacock Watch Company in Dandong. Back […] Visit Atelier Wen Releases The Second “Inside The Atelier” Video to read the full article.
Time+Tide
The Franco-Chinese brand's latest documentary offers a rare glimpse inside one of China's top watch factories.The post Atelier Wen shares an exclusive look inside one the of world’s biggest movement manufacturers appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Atelier Wen proudly makes its watches in China, but Andrew takes a look at a special one-of-three piece that was made, in part, in Geneva.The post Atelier Wen and Andrew rendezvous in Paris with a special Perception watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Atelier Wen was present in Geneva at the Beau-Rivage Hotel during Watches and Wonders 2024. However, the brand wasn’t content with a small booth and a handful of watches on display. Master Cheng, the only master guillocher in Asia, made the trip and was accompanied by one of his rose engines. The young brand also […] Visit Atelier Wen Makes Watches In Geneva And Shows Off Tantalum to read the full article.
Revolution
Wei chats with Robin Tallendier, co-founder of Atelier Wen, as we discover their new 2024 novelties, the Perception in full tantalum with a purple guilloche dial.
Video
At the time of recording, the exchange rate was 1 GBP = 1.33 USD. Please note that exchange rates fluctuate, so the conversion may differ when you view this video. Always check current exchange rates for the most accu...
Revolution
We have a chat with Master Cheng Yu Cai on his craft of Guilloché using the rose engine machine he built himself to create Atelier Wen’s beautiful dials.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A look at the origins of Atelier Wen and the story of the Atelier Wen Perception, a watch that promotes and emphasizes Chinese craftsmanship.
Time+Tide
The Franco-Chinese brand has revamped their popular Perception model, more than justifying their recent price increases.The post Atelier Wen makes the Perception worth it again with a more refined V2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Meet Cheng Yucai: the artisan that's responsible for Atelier Wen's stunning guilloché dials.The post Atelier Wen’s mini-documentary shares the story of China’s sole guilloché master craftsman appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Today, we won’t talk about the latest release from Atelier Wen. We will briefly discuss a new venture from the Chinese marque called Inside the Atelier. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the various suppliers supporting the brand’s watches. It focuses on the people, their inspiration, and where they work. The first episode is out, […] Visit Atelier Wen Kicks Off Its “Inside The Atelier” Video Series to read the full article.
Video
At the time of recording, the exchange rate was 1 GBP = 1.33 USD. Please note that exchange rates fluctuate, so the conversion may differ when you view this video. Always check current exchange rates for the most accu...
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