What does modern watchmaking look like when expertise from different cultures is brought together? For Atelier Wen, Perception V3 offers an answer. The latest evolution of the collection combines a French independent calibre with Chinese decorative craftsmanship, making it the clearest expression yet of the brand’s Sino-French identity.
At its heart is a French independent calibre, Pequignet’s EPM03, customised with decorative finishing that incorporates Chinese cultural motifs. Atelier Wen Founder Robin Tallendier (below) explains the origins of the brand’s identity.
“We never set out to make Chinese watches for the sake of it. We set out to make the best watches we could, rooted in Chinese culture and craftsmanship. If the best movement partner for a given project happens to be in France or Switzerland, working with them isn’t a contradiction, it’s an extension of who we are. Atelier Wen has always been Franco-Chinese at its core. That was true on day one.”
It is an approach rooted in Tallendier’s own fascination with Chinese watchmaking, which began when he was 14, during family trips to Shanghai. What began with buying Chinese mechanical watches eventually developed into a collection spanning historical Chinese watches and contemporary independent makers – and, ultimately, the creation of Atelier Wen with his Co-founder, Wilfried Buiron.
The brand was founded, Tallendier says, to address the gap between the reality of Chinese watchmaking and how it was perceived internationally. “Our goal was to build a bridge between cultures and showcase the finest aspects of Chinese craftsmanship through watches designed for an international audience.”
Perception V3 brings that philosophy into the movement itself. The Pequignet EPM03 is decorated with bridges inspired by the traditional Chinese representation of wind, filled with mirror-polished blue aventurine lacquer across three-quarters of their surface. The technique is uncommon in watchmaking and technically challenging, creating the visual effect of a deep, luminous night sky beneath the exhibition caseback.
The movement also brings the French side of the equation into focus. Pequignet is one of the last independent movement manufactures in France, and the EPM03 delivers chronometer-grade accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day, with an average within ±2 seconds per day, alongside 65 hours of power reserve. Perception V3 also introduces hacking seconds to the collection for the first time, meaning the second hand stops completely when you pull out the crown, allowing you to sync your watch to the exact second against a reliable clock.
Chinese craftsmanship, French calibre
But if the movement represents the French half of the equation, the dial is where Atelier Wen’s Chinese craftsmanship comes most clearly into focus.
Every Perception dial is hand-turned by the workshop of Cheng Yucai in Henan, China’s first master guillocheur. A self-taught artisan, Cheng built his own rose engines after pursuing a craft no one in China had previously attempted. Each V3 dial features Atelier Wen’s signature écailles de poisson, or fish-scale, guilloché, created on a hand-operated rose engine.
The result is a surface that changes with the light, but the significance lies in the process as much as the finished dial. Tallendier points to China’s wider ecosystem of specialist craftsmanship as one of the country’s defining advantages.
“China possesses an extraordinary depth of manufacturing expertise and a highly integrated industrial ecosystem. It also offers access to exceptional artisans working in fields such as guilloché, enamel, engraving, and other decorative crafts. More broadly, it provides a unique cultural perspective and design heritage that remains relatively unexplored within contemporary watchmaking.”
That philosophy is reflected in the collection’s latest addition. Perception V3 introduces 筠 (Yún), the first new core variant in four years, alongside updated versions of the established 缥 (Piāo) and 霞 (Xiá).
Piāo returns in ice blue, the cool-toned signature of the Perception collection, while Xiá brings its salmon guilloché. Yún, meanwhile, introduces a bamboo-green dial inspired by the smooth skin of bamboo, and pairs it with a micro-frosted case and bracelet in place of the brushed surfaces used on the other variants. The result is a softer diffusion of light and a more pronounced contrast with the mirror-polished bevels.
Familiar Perception
Across all three, the hallmark Perception design language remains, with the case silhouette inspired by traditional Chinese architecture: curved flanks echo pagoda rooflines, while angular details recall traditional roof structures. The case is crafted from 904L stainless steel, measures 40mm at its widest point and 10.4mm in height, and retains 100-metre water resistance.
It is the combination of these elements that makes Perception V3 more than an exercise in cultural symbolism. The French movement is not there to provide a European stamp of approval, nor are the Chinese decorative elements simply aesthetic flourishes. Each contributes something different to the finished watch.
That distinction matters to Tallendier, particularly as Chinese watchmaking continues to evolve beyond its old associations with mass production.
“Rather than replacing Swiss or Japanese watchmaking, I see it increasingly establishing itself as a respected third voice within global horology.”
Perception V3 makes a case for what that third voice might sound like: not isolated from the traditions that came before it, but confident enough to combine them with its own.
