The independent Franco-Chinese watchmaker Atelier Wen has teamed up with New York-based Massena LAB to introduce the Inflection Shuò – a 50-piece limited-edition wristwatch that brings Chinese design influences and traditional handcraft to high-end Swiss watchmaking. Following Atelier Wen’s last year’s launch of its tantalum-made integrated bracelet collection, the watch has been presented for Geneva Watch Days 2026 and features two distinct hand-finished dials, housed in a challenging 99.9% tantalum case and integrated bracelet.

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Also Read: Atelier Wen crafts a full tantalum collection, Inflection

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The collaboration grew from a meeting between Massena LAB’s founder William Massena and Atelier Wen’s co-founders Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron in New York in 2023. After visiting Atelier Wen’s workshops in China, Massena envisioned a watch that could bring the brand’s Chinese design language together with the technical expertise of Switzerland’s specialist dial makers.

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The Inflection Shuò is offered in two dial configurations. Ten pieces feature an all-white-gold dial and are reserved for established clients of either brand, while 40 pieces feature a combination of white and rose gold and are available to the public. The name Shuò comes from the Chinese character “烁”, meaning “sparkling,” “glittering,” or “radiant,” referring to the reflective quality of the dial’s hand-tremblage finish. Both dials are made from solid 18K gold plates and are decorated using hand tremblage by Swiss-based engraving specialist Coralie Mercier, who did it on behalf of GT Cadrans, a Swiss dial-making company. The dial is continuously oscillated while a graver is moved across its surface, creating thousands of tiny, irregular facets that produce a shimmering texture. A radially brushed sector in either white gold or rose gold sits above the main dial plate. The hour layout takes inspiration from the California dial, combining custom hand-engraved serif Arabic numerals from 10 through 2 with hand-calligraphed Chinese numerals from 4 through 8.

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The outer ring receives additional hand tremblage and is framed by an engraved huiwen border, a traditional Chinese decorative pattern inspired by the character “回”. The Arabic and Chinese numerals are blue-filled to match the blued-steel hour, minute, and seconds hands. “Atelier Wen” appears at 12 o’clock in blue, while “Massena” is positioned at 6 o’clock in white gold.

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Also Read: Atelier Wen unveils the first Ancestra launch edition, Jiāo

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The warm gold dials contrast with a case and bracelet made from 99.9% tantalum, a dense, corrosion-resistant metal known for its distinctive dark blue undertones and difficulty to machine and finish. The watch measures 40 mm and uses an entirely curved architecture inspired by Chinese architectural forms, with very few flat surfaces. A concave bezel and ridged middle case complete the design. The screw-down crown is made from tantalum on the white-gold version, while the rose-gold version receives a rose-gold crown.

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Inside is a customised Girard-Perregaux GP03300 automatic movement, featuring bridges whose sweeping curves are inspired by wind motifs found in historical Chinese paintings. These bridges are ruthenium-plated and decorated with pronounced anglage, sharp exterior angles, and laser-etched waved Côtes radiating from the centre. Black-polished screws and a wind-inspired rotor plated in 5N rose gold complete the decoration. The movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and provides a 48-hour power reserve.

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Finally, the integrated bracelet combines multiple finishing techniques. The external bracelet links feature strong vertical brushing, the central links are mirror-polished, and the chamfers receive a concave polished finish. Water resistance is rated at 100 metres.

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The Atelier Wen x Massena LAB Inflection Shuò is priced at approx. INR 39,80,000, with deliveries to begin in small batches in early 2027.

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Images: Atelier Wen

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