Guilloche, the Chinese Way: Hands-On with Atelier Wen Perception
If ever there was a watch with the dial as the star of the show, it is the Perception from Atelier Wen. This watch is nearly entirely built around the concept of guilloche, hand-made in China. While most guilloche motifs these days are pressed or cut with a CNC machine, the traditional way is to do so with a rose engine. This complex machine needs to be guided by a very experienced hand as it slowly cuts the desired motif in the dial.
The dial itself is quite spectacular as the guilloche motif cuts deep into the metal. The fact that Atelier Wen also has a knack for the colors they make them in surely helps. The limited edition in purple was stunning but could, in my opinion, not beat the celestial beauty of the light blue one. What is also attractive is that you can see that the dial is handmade. When examining it with a loupe you can see little tell tales of the hand of the master. With the Swiss brands that make dials on the few rose engines that still exist, the result is often cleaner, and while I can see that people prefer that, I enjoyed the charisma of the Atelier Wen dials.
The story behind it also aids this charisma. Cheng Yu Cai, the maker of the dials, is the only one in China who mastered the art of guilloche. To achieve this, he built a rose engine of his own design and is self-taught. His style of guilloche is charismatic, as he cuts deep into the metal. It even has a touch of Kari Voutilainens' dials in it, as they vibrantly reflect the light. The blued, leaf-shaped hands that float above the dial show an elegance and are filled with luminous material, just like the 'huí wén' pattern on the chapter ring, which acts as a minute track.
Atelier Wen opted for 904L stainless steel instead of the more commonly used 316L stainless steel, as it can be polished to a higher degree. The case itself is a matter of taste. While very nicely made and finished, I personally would have loved to see the spectacular dial in a more traditional case, such as Atelier Wen's Porcelain Odyssey. However, even I can't deny that watches with an integrated bracelet are very much in style. I only wish that the crown was more integrated into the design, as I feel that it would benefit both the wearing comfort as well as the aestethic appeal of the watch.
The caseback is a treat featuring a guardian lion, usually made from stone and known in China as Shí shīzi. It is deeply textured, with an opening that portrays its mouth, under which part of the movement is visible. This is, to some extent, a bit disappointing as the caliber SL1588 is an attractive movement to see. It is modified to feature a 41-hour power reserve instead of the regular 38 hours of the base movement, and also, the date function is removed. The finishing is attractive, with circular Côtes de Genève and polished screw and jewel sinks.
The integrated bracelet is also very well done and closely follows the shape of the wrist. The edges feature a polished finish that gives a vibrant play of light, but the true thing of beauty is the clasp. One of the major concerns with most of the watches featuring an integrated bracelet is that they can only be sized through the links, with no micro-adjustment options. The Atelier Wen clasp does offer this option, and it can simply be done by pressing the seal in the middle of the clasp. A thing of beauty that also greatly increases the wearing comfort.
The purple dial version of the Perception was available for a limited time only. The blue dial version, or Piao as Atelier Wen calls this model, is priced at $3,288.
For more info, visit Atelier Wen, here.
