Atelier Wen is a unique proposition in the watch industry. The brainchild of Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the 5-year old company has made its mark by presenting watches inspired by Chinese culture. Its second model line, the Perception, features a true guilloché dial hand-carved by one Chinese Master Cheng Yucai. This model ? and the brand ? have attracted attention for what is considered a rare level of handwork on a dial for its price point. The latest iteration of the Perception comes to us via a collaboration with watch media favorite Revolution. This is the Atelier Wen x Revolution Perception ?Càn?.

The first go around for Atelier Wen and Revolution was a hit. It was called the ?Xi?, meaning ?jubilation? in Mandarin. That Perception was paired with a rubber strap and featured a glorious red dial. All 100 promptly sold out. This latest collaboration is called the ?Càn? (?), meaning ?brightness? or ?splendor?, and looking at the watch, it?s clear why. The Càn?s dial is a champagne sunburst flinqué giolloché, and it is striking.
Story has it that Master Cheng Yucai was intrigued by the technique and art of rose turning pioneered by the English and Swiss but was unable to procure his own machine. Undeterred, he set out to design and build his own machine and filed several patents along the way. On a basic level, the rose turning machine enables a human to carve intricate designs and patterns on a dial. Notable watchmakers like Josh Shapiro a...