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All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
After the 2024 Perception crafted in tantalum in collaboration with Grail Watch, Chinese watchmaker Atelier Wen has unveiled its second tantalum collection, Inflection. The highlight of the collection lies in its entire body - crafted entirely from 99.9% pure tantalum, it stands as the world’s first serially produced full-tantalum integrated bracelet watch. The watch pairs this challenging metal with a Grand Feu enamel dial made by one of China’s leading enamel ateliers, alongside a customised movement from Swiss watch brand Girard-Perregaux.
Tantalum, a rare bluish-grey metal, is celebrated for its incredible density, corrosion resistance, and difficulty to machine - qualities that make its use in watchmaking exceptionally rare. Every case and bracelet link of the Inflection is sculpted and hand-finished, enhanced with a play of concave and convex curves, brushed planes, polished chamfers, and frosted textures. These forms draw inspiration from the Chinese concept of yīn and yáng, representing the harmony of opposing forces. The metal’s soft, dark lustre subtly reflects light across its curved surfaces, enhancing its distinct character while offering surprising comfort on the wrist despite the material’s weight.
The watch’s 40 mm case measures 45 mm lug-to-lug and includes a double-domed sapphire crystal with five layers of anti-reflective coating, a sapphire exhibition back, and a screw-down crown, offering 100 metres of water resistance.
The collection is offered in three dial variations, one of which is a limited edition and two are permanent. The launch edition, called Yōu, limited to 30 pieces, features a hand-hammered silver base with a fumé enamel gradient from pale mint to deep viridian, white Arabic numerals by designer Lee Yuen-Rapati, and rhodium-plated leaf hands with frosted midplanes and polished edges. The Mò variant presents a black Grand Feu enamel dial with gilt numerals and gold-plated hands, while the Yuān model offers a midnight blue enamel finish with white numerals and rhodium-plated hands.
Each dial is produced by the Beijing workshop of Kong Lingjun, one of China’s foremost master enamellers and designated as the official China Enamel Watch (Beijing) Manufacturing Center. The enamel on the dial is brought to life by firing it between 750°C and 850°C six times, with more than half failing to meet the required perfection. The result is a flawless, glossy surface.
Powering the Inflection line is a customized Girard-Perregaux calibre GP03300, modified in collaboration with Atelier Wen’s Alfred Chan and Sidoine Lescauville. The automatic movement features sweeping dark ruthenium-plated bridges inspired by the flow of wind, decorated with laser-etched wavy côtes, anglage, and black-polished screws. The skeletonised rotor, crafted from rose-gold-plated brass with a tungsten weight, echoes the bridge motif. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour or 4 Hz, the movement offers a 48-hour power reserve, is regulated in five positions and to temperature, and includes hacking seconds.
The integrated tantalum bracelet continues the sculptural language with polished mid-links and concave chamfers, tapering from 22 mm to 18 mm. A patent-pending micro-adjustment clasp allows fine on-the-fly resizing across four settings for a perfect fit.
Due to the immense difficulty of machining tantalum, annual production will be limited to just 100 pieces - with the Yōu edition capped at 30 units, the remaining 70 divided between the Mò and Yuān models. Allocation will be application-based, allowing Atelier Wen’s founders to personally select and connect with each collector.
The Atelier Wen Inflection is priced at approx. INR 26,45,000 for the full-tantalum bracelet (including complimentary sailcloth and FKM rubber straps) or approx. INR 17,56,000 for the strap-only model.
What we think -
Stupendous release by Atelier Wen, the world’s hottest collaborative independent Chinese watchmaking brand. They killed a few birds with one stone (no pun intended), a full Tantalum watch, grand feu enamel dials, terrific revamped movement through a collaboration no one saw coming. The eye watering price aside this is a big feather in the hats of Atelier Wen. Can’t wait to see these watches at Dubai Watch Week.
After the 2024 Perception crafted in tantalum in collaboration with Grail Watch, Chinese watchmaker Atelier Wen has unveiled its second tantalum collection, Inflection. The highlight of the collection lies in its entire body - crafted entirely from 99.9% pure tantalum, it stands as the world’s first serially produced full-tantalum integrated bracelet watch. The watch pairs this challenging metal with a Grand Feu enamel dial made by one of China’s leading enamel ateliers, alongside a customised movement from Swiss watch brand Girard-Perregaux.
Tantalum, a rare bluish-grey metal, is celebrated for its incredible density, corrosion resistance, and difficulty to machine - qualities that make its use in watchmaking exceptionally rare. Every case and bracelet link of the Inflection is sculpted and hand-finished, enhanced with a play of concave and convex curves, brushed planes, polished chamfers, and frosted textures. These forms draw inspiration from the Chinese concept of yīn and yáng, representing the harmony of opposing forces. The metal’s soft, dark lustre subtly reflects light across its curved surfaces, enhancing its distinct character while offering surprising comfort on the wrist despite the material’s weight.
The watch’s 40 mm case measures 45 mm lug-to-lug and includes a double-domed sapphire crystal with five layers of anti-reflective coating, a sapphire exhibition back, and a screw-down crown, offering 100 metres of water resistance.
The collection is offered in three dial variations, one of which is a limited edition and two are permanent. The launch edition, called Yōu, limited to 30 pieces, features a hand-hammered silver base with a fumé enamel gradient from pale mint to deep viridian, white Arabic numerals by designer Lee Yuen-Rapati, and rhodium-plated leaf hands with frosted midplanes and polished edges. The Mò variant presents a black Grand Feu enamel dial with gilt numerals and gold-plated hands, while the Yuān model offers a midnight blue enamel finish with white numerals and rhodium-plated hands.
Each dial is produced by the Beijing workshop of Kong Lingjun, one of China’s foremost master enamellers and designated as the official China Enamel Watch (Beijing) Manufacturing Center. The enamel on the dial is brought to life by firing it between 750°C and 850°C six times, with more than half failing to meet the required perfection. The result is a flawless, glossy surface.
Powering the Inflection line is a customized Girard-Perregaux calibre GP03300, modified in collaboration with Atelier Wen’s Alfred Chan and Sidoine Lescauville. The automatic movement features sweeping dark ruthenium-plated bridges inspired by the flow of wind, decorated with laser-etched wavy côtes, anglage, and black-polished screws. The skeletonised rotor, crafted from rose-gold-plated brass with a tungsten weight, echoes the bridge motif. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour or 4 Hz, the movement offers a 48-hour power reserve, is regulated in five positions and to temperature, and includes hacking seconds.
The integrated tantalum bracelet continues the sculptural language with polished mid-links and concave chamfers, tapering from 22 mm to 18 mm. A patent-pending micro-adjustment clasp allows fine on-the-fly resizing across four settings for a perfect fit.
Due to the immense difficulty of machining tantalum, annual production will be limited to just 100 pieces - with the Yōu edition capped at 30 units, the remaining 70 divided between the Mò and Yuān models. Allocation will be application-based, allowing Atelier Wen’s founders to personally select and connect with each collector.
The Atelier Wen Inflection is priced at approx. INR 26,45,000 for the full-tantalum bracelet (including complimentary sailcloth and FKM rubber straps) or approx. INR 17,56,000 for the strap-only model.
What we think -
Stupendous release by Atelier Wen, the world’s hottest collaborative independent Chinese watchmaking brand. They killed a few birds with one stone (no pun intended), a full Tantalum watch, grand feu enamel dials, terrific revamped movement through a collaboration no one saw coming. The eye watering price aside this is a big feather in the hats of Atelier Wen. Can’t wait to see these watches at Dubai Watch Week.
