Atelier Wen Launches Inflection, an Integrated Bracelet Watch in Full-Tantalum

A Chinese brand created by two Frenchmen, Atelier Wen has come a long way since the introduction of its first watches in 2018. After a break to redefine what to do with their brand, the founders launched Perception, a unique combination of a guilloché dial inside an integrated sporty-chic watch proudly made in China. This collection has given the brand quite some visibility. It’s time now for Atelier Wen to move up not by one but several steps, with the launch of the new Inflection collection. And it’s the first, non-limited, continuous collection of integrated bracelet watches in full-tantalum – something the brand teased a few months ago, with this very limited run of tantalum Perception watches.

Tantalum… This is the main talking point here with the Atelier Wen Inflection. Something mostly known by watch collectors thanks to the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu or several editions of the Royal Oak, tantalum is a rare, highly corrosion-resistant metal known for its handsome dark bluish-grey tone, startling density, inertness and difficulty in machining. Its use in watchmaking remains rare and, due to its nature, reserved for high-end brands. And for now, excluding a handful of ultra-limited watches or semi-prototypes, it’s been mostly used for cases and smaller parts of the bracelet. Recently, an alliance between Ming, Fleming, and J.N. Shapiro presented a tantalum bracelet compatible with all three brands, with a price tag that was well in the 5-digit bracket.

Inflection, a full-tantalum case and bracelet

This might be one of the many features of this new Inflection collection (there are many others, and the watch certainly plays on maximalist notes rather than minimalism…), but the use of tantalum in a serially-produced watch’s case and bracelet is not a small achievement, for Atelier Wen or for watchmaking as a whole. Tantalum is a spectacular metal, thanks to its dark, blueish colour but also its weight – it is approximately as dense as 18k gold. Now, a full-tantalum watch, case and bracelet (and more parts), is released as a permanent collection.

The Atelier Wen Inflection is a strong design evolution of the Perception, bringing much more fluid and organic lines to the initial concept. Perception was sharp and angular. Inflection adds curves to the equation, but also a much more advanced finish. The watch retains a classic 40mm diameter, a relatively short lug-to-lug of 45mm and a thickness of about 10mm. Familiar design traits, such as the polished concave bezel and the lateral “ears” have been retained, but now all surfaces have been softened and rounded. This is mostly visible for the connection between the case and the bracelet, with a highly organic curve.

Looking at the case closely, you’ll see an impressive attention to detail, with a combination of vertically brushed surfaces and strong polished accents, but applied on concave surfaces and thus much more difficult to obtain. Except for smaller components (screws and connectors, for instance), all elements of the case and bracelet are made in tantalum, including the crown, the clasp and even the push-buttons of the clasp and the quick-adjust release with the brand’s logo. The watch has sapphire crystals on both sides, a screw-down crown and is water-resistant to 100m.

On the wrist, this full-tantalum Atelier Wen Inflection is heavy and intriguing. It certainly can’t hide its weight, but the mass is nicely distributed around the wrist, making it fairly comfortable. This comfort is reinforced by the presence of a short clasp that integrates a 4-position micro-adjustment system actuated on-the-fly by pressing the embossed logo of the clasp. There’s also a quick-release system, so you can switch to a rubber and sailcloth strap – an option that Atelier Wen offers as an alternative to the full tantalum bracelet, in order to lower the price of this Inflection model.

Grand Feu enamel dials

As said, Inflection isn’t only about its tantalum case and bracelet. Three versions are offered, all made using a grand feu enamel technique. These are crafted by the workshop of Kong Lingjun, one of China’s most renowned enamelers, who was also responsible for the dial of the Atelier Wen Ancestra. While we’re on the topic of the Ancestra, the Launch Edition of the Inflection, the You, relies on the same style of dial, with a hand-hammered silver dial base coated in gradient, translucent enamel, ranging from pale green to viridian. This edition, limited to 30 pieces, has white Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated hands.

Then are two models from the permanent collection, with less demonstrative, sleeker dials. The Mò model has an obsidian black grand feu enamel dial (very deep, almost feels like ink…) with gilt Arabic numerals and 5N gold-plated hands. It is, to me, the most achieved version, with its nice combination of colours and contrast between the case and dial. It also benefits from its simpler style compared to the highly demonstrative You launch edition.

Last is the Yuan version, also part of the permanent collection. Again, the dial is made using grand feu enamel over a 925 silver base, here in midnight blue with white Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated hands. There are relatively discreet references to the watch’s country of origin, visible for instance, on the minute track and the custom fonts of the numerals. One particularly notable detail is the design of the hands, which are leaf-shaped with a frosted mid-plane and high-polished, deeply concave side planes – resulting in a triangular profile when seen from the side.

A GP-based movement

Atelier Wen isn’t a manufacturer of movements and has been relying on third parties ever since its inception. The Odyssey and Perception used movements by Peacock, while the Ancestra moved to a French-made movement by Pequignet. For the higher-end, full-tantalum Atelier Wen Inflection, we now have a Swiss-made movement by Girard-Perregaux. And not just an off-the-shelf calibre, but a highly reworked version of the GP03300.

Redesigned by Atelier Wen and Girard-Perregaux, the Calibre GP03300 has been transformed with new bridges, incorporating curved, sweeping lines inspired by motifs of wind in historical Chinese paintings. The bridges, which have been entirely reshaped, are ruthenium-plated and decorated with polished bevels, sharp exterior angles, and laser-etched waved stripes that emanate radially from the centre of the movement, reinforcing the openworked “channels” within the bridges. This 4Hz, automatic movement with 48h power reserve, is wound by a customised rotor with tungsten weight and five skeletonised brass spokes plated in rose gold. The decoration techniques used on the rotor are the same as for the bridges, resulting in a charismatic movement.

Availability & Price

Due to the complex nature of tantalum manufacturing and its decoration, the annual production capacity of the Atelier Wen Inflection is, for now, limited to 100 pieces – with the wish to increase the production gradually. For the first year of production, 30 pieces of the launch edition with gradient hammered dial will be produced (non-repeatable), with the remaining capacity of 70 pieces will be split according to demand between the black and blue editions.

Allocations of the Atelier Wen Inflection will be done on a by-application basis, and each application will be vetted internally. The full-titanium Inflection (on bracelet) will be priced at USD 29,800 (excl. taxes). A slightly more accessible version on a sailcloth and FKM rubber strap with a tantalum buckle will also be available at USD 19,800 (excl. taxes). This strap is also included with the full-tantalum version, in the colour of choice of the future owner.

While there is no doubt that this price range is a whole new world for the brand (the Perception is priced below 3k dollars), there are undeniable qualities to this watch to explain its price, such as the higher-end, Swiss-made movement, the enamel dials and, of course, the complex case and bracelet in tantalum. For more details and orders, please visit atelierwen.com.