The Atelier Wen Millesime 2025 Perception Featuring a Pietersite Dial

Inspiration for natural stone and landscape design for a community-oriented initiative.

Since its inception, Atelier Wen has established itself as a bridge between modern horology and Chinese cultural heritage. Founded by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the brand has consistently developed its unique design character, influenced by architecture, traditional craftsmanship, and contemporary manufacturing techniques. The Perception collection, including its integrated-bracelet sports watch, has emerged as the quintessential representation.

The Millésime series, designed as a platform for experimentation, incorporates an annual, community-oriented dimension to Perception, enabling Atelier Wen to investigate new materials and concepts within a constrained yet accessible framework. The Millésime 2025 edition, Perception (Xuán), follows the 2024 release featuring a titanium and purple dial, representing the inaugural upgrade to the series and introducing a novel dial material, natural pietersite. Influenced by the mountain-water landscape gardens, the watch prioritises nature in its design.

The Millésime 2025 edition case maintains the established Perception design, constructed from 904L stainless steel, featuring alternating brushed and polished finishes. The casing, with a diameter of 40mm, a lug-to-lug measurement of 47mm, and a thickness of 9.4mm including the crystal, exhibits a slender and well-proportioned silhouette. It features a double-domed sapphire crystal with a comprehensive anti-reflective coating. The semi-transparent caseback, adorned with a hammered texture and Atelier Wen’s distinctive stone lion design, provides a partial glimpse of the mechanism. The water resistance is rated at 100 meters.

The four-layer dial is the primary feature and focal point of the Perception (Xuán) edition. The natural pietersite, characterised by its swirling patterns and rich blue-black hues interspersed with gold and brown, was used to replicate the dynamic essence and stratified structure of traditional mountain-water gardens. Engaging with pietersite is intricate because to its fragility: the twelve openings for the hour markers are meticulously wire-cut by hand in Zhejiang, followed by polishing in Guangdong. The dial presents depth, movement, and a uniquely organic quality, encircled by a chapter ring adorned with a Chinese huiwen motif executed in Super-LumiNova.

The timepiece is driven by a bespoke Dandong Peacock SL1588A automatic movement. The movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has a power reserve of roughly 41 hours, and is regulated to within ±10 seconds per day following adjustment in five positions and temperature testing. The integrated bracelet is crafted from 904L stainless steel and showcases meticulously chamfered links. It narrows from 22mm to 18mm at the clasp and has quick-release spring bars along with a proprietary, on-the-fly micro-adjustment mechanism.

The Atelier Wen Millésime Perception 2025 (Xuán) Pietersite can be ordered over a limited time frame from 28 January to 6 February 2026. The initial 225 units will be delivered in the second quarter of 2026, with more orders planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. Early access has been conferred to the Atelier Wen community. The retail price is USD 3,600, exclusive of taxes and tariffs, with purchases conducted directly via atelierwen.com.