Atelier Wen Perception V3

A French independent calibre with high-end finishing now beats at the heart of Perception, the fullest expression yet of Atelier Wen’s Sino-French identity. The collection now welcomes its first new dial variant in four years: 筠 (Yún), in bamboo green.

When Perception launched in 2022, it set out to prove that Chinese craftsmanship could stand alongside the world’s finest. The hand-turned guilloché dials from the workshop of Cheng Yucai gave the collection its identity. With V2, the case and bracelet found their definitive proportions.

Perception V3 takes the next step. The focus this time: what’s inside. The collection is now powered by a high-performance French calibre, Pequignet’s EPM03, customised with decorative finishing that incorporates Chinese cultural motifs into the movement itself. This creates our most authentic expression of our Sino-French identity yet.

Atelier Wen Perception V3 筠 Yún (Bamboo Green)

Three variants are offered. Two returning favourites include, 缥 (Piāo) in ice-blue and 霞 (Xiá) in salmon, and a first: 筠 (Yún) in bamboo green, the collection’s first new reference since its original launch four years ago.

Pequignet EPM03: A French Calibre, Finished with Chinese Motifs

Pequignet is one of the last independent movement manufactures in France, a small, self-reliant operation based in Morteau, near the Swiss border, that designs, develops, and assembles its own calibres in-house. In a watchmaking landscape increasingly consolidated around a handful of major suppliers, Pequignet represents something rare: a manufacture with the autonomy and know-how to build a movement on its own terms.

The EPM03 delivers where it matters most. It achieves chronometer-grade accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day, with an average within ±2 seconds per day, comfortably meeting the standards of the Observatoire Chronométrique de Besançon, and offers 65 hours of power reserve. Hacking seconds have also been introduced to the Perception collection for the first time, as well as a bidirectional pawl-based winding system with a patented tooth profile that improves efficiency and reduces long-term wear.

What sets this calibre apart is its decoration. Working closely with Pequignet, we implemented a finishing programme that brings Chinese cultural design language into the movement. The bridges are shaped in the traditional Chinese representation of wind and filled with mirror-polished blue aventurine lacquer across three-quarters of their surface. The visual effect is that of a deep, luminous night sky. This technique is technically challenging, which is why it remains uncommon in watchmaking.

The finishing extends throughout: Côtes de Genève on the escapement bridge, a laser-etched inscription on the ratchet return wheel, black-polished screws, machine-made anglage, perlage, a snailed mainspring barrel, and a rotor decorated with both snailing and frosting.

To let all of this be seen, Perception V3 features a full exhibition caseback, replacing the quarter-view of previous generations.

The Dial: Eight Hours on a Rose Engine in Henan

Every Perception dial is hand-turned by the workshop of Cheng Yucai (程玉才), China’s first guilloché master craftsman. A self-taught artisan who left a stable career in his mid-thirties to pursue a craft no one in China had ever attempted, Cheng built his own rose engines from scratch in a cave workshop in Xinmi, Henan province, chosen for its absolute absence of vibration. He failed numerous times before his fourth machine finally worked. Today, his workshop trains the next generation of Chinese guillocheurs, a craft tradition he started from nothing but a pipe dream.

Atelier Wen Perception V3 筠 Yún (Bamboo Green)

Each Perception V3 dial features our signature écailles de poisson (fish-scale) guilloché: curved lines crossing and radiating outward from the centre, catching light differently at every angle. The pattern is engraved using a diamond-tipped chisel on a hand-operated rose engine. Each dial demands hours of uninterrupted concentration. A single lapse in pressure or timing renders the dial scrap, and failure rates on complex patterns can be significant.

Atelier Wen Perception V3 缥 Piāo (Ice-Blue)

The dial construction draws on 榫卯 (sǔn mǎo), the ancient Chinese principle of building assembly through friction alone, without nails or glue. Applied indices nestle into precise cutouts in the dial and are locked in place by an elevated chapter ring. This ring carries a 回纹 (huí wén) pattern, a traditional Chinese geometric motif, printed in Super-LumiNova. The pattern is not merely decorative: it has been specifically segmented to form the functional minute track.

Three Variants, Including a First

缥 (Piāo): Ice-Blue

The returning signature. Piāo’s cool tonality has defined Perception since the beginning. The name evokes the blue of distant mountains at dawn. For V3, the dial is paired with brushed and mirrorpolished case surfaces and rhodium-plated feuille (leaf-shaped) hands.

霞 (Xiá): Salmon

Named for the afterglow, that moment when the sky turns copper before dusk. Xiá’s salmon guilloché reveals different tones depending on light angle, from warm copper in direct light to a soft blush in shade, and embodies the same brushed and polished finishing as seen in Piāo.

筠 (Yún): Bamboo Green (New)

The first new Perception variant in four years. 筠 refers to the smooth skin of bamboo, a symbol of resilience in Chinese culture. The green guilloché is paired with a micro-frosted case and bracelet finish, replacing the brushed surfaces of Piāo and Xiá. The result is a distinctly different character: a softer light diffusion, stronger contrast against the mirror-polished bevels, and a matte tactile quality.

The Case: Architecture in Steel

Perception’s case silhouette is drawn from traditional Chinese architecture. Viewed in profile, the curved flanks echo the sweep of pagoda rooflines, while the tops of the lugs feature subtle angles and sharp lines inspired by traditional roof structures.

Atelier Wen Perception V3 霞 Xiá (Salmon)

In V3, the surface finishing offers a step up. Piāo and Xiá features more directional brushing and more extensive handmade mirror polishing achieved through a lap machine, resulting in sharper transitions and more clearly defined angles throughout the case and bracelet. Yún replaces all brushed surfaces with micro-frosting, amplifying the contrast between matte and polished planes.

The case is crafted from 904L stainless steel, chosen for its superior lustre, corrosion resistance, and ability to hold a polish. Dimensions remain largely unchanged from V2: 40 mm at the widest point, 47 mm lug-to-lug, except V3 now stands at 10.4 mm in height. A double-domed sapphire box crystal sits on top, treated with 10 internal layers of anti-reflective coating.

Atelier Wen Perception V3 缥 Piāo (Ice-Blue)

The knurled winding crown features the same 回纹 (huí wén) pattern, found on the minute track, creating visual continuity across the watch while providing enhanced grip for operation.

Engineered for daily wear, Perception V3 maintains the collection's 100-metre water resistance rating, reinforcing its position as a robust integrated-bracelet sports watch designed to accompany life's everyday moments.

The Bracelet: Finishing and Comfort

The 904L stainless steel bracelet continues Perception’s architectural language through its signature hexagonal centre links, inspired by the angular window openings found throughout traditional Chinese architecture. Surface finishing matches the case: brushed and polished for Piāo and Xiá, micro-frosted and polished for Yún. Each link is individually chamfered, with polished bevels running between them.

The bracelet's proportions taper from 22mm at the lugs to 18mm at the clasp, while reducing its thickness from 3mm to 2.6mm, creating an elegant sense of lightness that flows naturally away from the case.

The custom clasp incorporates two proprietary systems designed for both comfort and convenience: a patent-pending micro-adjustment mechanism accessed through a button discreetly integrated into the Atelier Wen logo, allowing for precise on-the-fly sizing adjustments, and a telescopic deployant blade that minimizes the clasp's folded profile while maintaining full opening capability.

For those seeking versatility, the bracelet features quick-release functionality, with additional strap options available separately to suit different occasions and preferences.