Founded in 2018, the independent Chinese watch brand Atelier Wen has introduced a new collection — Inflection — featuring three new watches crafted fully in tantalum, a dark bluish-grey material known for its durability, rareness, and highly corrosion-resistant properties. It is also the world's first non-limited, permanent collection of bracelet watches in full-tantalum.
The inflection carry forwards the design cues of its Perception collection, launched in 2022, and in 2024 in collaboration with Grail Watch to introduce it in tantalum. However, it was a 25-piece limited edition, and Inflection released now are non-limited tantalum timepieces.
The three watches in the collection include - Green 幽 (YŌU), which is a limited edition of 30 pieces; Black 墨 (Mò), and Blue 渊 (Yuān), both a part of permanent collection. The watches are highly finished and brushed achieving a mirror like surface. The case and bracelet is more curved, inculcating the prominent Chinese philosophical concepts of 阴 (yīn) and 阳 (yáng), balancing the opposing qualities. For example there is brushed and polished surface, concave and convex design, and weightlessness and lightness at the same time.
The watches in the collection feature a grand feu enamel dial crafted by the workshop of China’s one of the most renowned enamel maisons, Kong Lingjun. The dial of 幽 (Yōu) shows pale green to a rich viridian fume enamel on a hand-hammered silver dial base, while the 墨 (Mò) and 渊 (Yuān) features grand feu enamel dials in obsidian black and midnight blue, respectively. All three models have Arabic hour markers and leaf-shaped hands, which are rhodium plated in 幽 (Yōu) and 渊 (Yuān) and 5N gold-plated in 墨 (Mò).
Visible though the sapphire crystal caseback is the customised 03300 calibre, known for its accuracy and finishing, from Girard Perregaux. The automatic movement is equipped with stop seconds and 48 hours of power reserve.
Crafting watches in full tantalum is difficult and hence the brand will produce the watches in a 100 piece set for the first year. (Yōu), will be produced in just 30 pieces before being discontinued while the other two are split in numbers based on the demands.
“Behind the scenes, this collection has been our first priority since 2022, and is one that proved truly challenging to get over the line,” says the brand’s founder, Robin Tallendier, about the launch. “We are therefore immensely proud to finally present both the launch and permanent editions of this new series — in the form of a high-end, flagship integrated sports watch. This piece represents the next big step in our brand’s evolution, and sets the tone for our pursuit of increasingly ambitious standards of fine watchmaking.”
Images: Courtesy brand
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