telier Wen debut its second new collection of the year: Inflection, the world’s very first non-limited, continuous collection of bracelet watches in full-tantalum.

“Most people would probably associate us with watches that punch above their weight in craft and quality within a lower budget. However, from the earliest days of the brand, Wilfried and I always held onto the pipe dream of creating a watch that was free from any confines, and that could break into the realms of high horology and objectively measure up to the quality of the industry’s best,“said Robin Tallendier, Founder, Atelier Wen.”Behind the scenes, this collection has been our first priority since 2022, and is one that proved truly challenging to get over the line. We are therefore immensely proud to finally present both the launch and permanent editions of this new series — in the form of a high- end, flagship integrated sports watch. This piece represents the next big step in our brand’s evolution, and sets the tone for our pursuit of increasingly ambitious standards of fine- watchmaking.”

The achievement with tantalum is undoubtedly Inflection’s most prominent element, but it is just one of several exceptional features in the series. Inflection’s tantalum construction encases a grand feu enamel dial crafted by the atelier of Kong Lingjun, one of China’s foremost enamel workshops. The brand has also worked with acclaimed watch designer, Lee Yuen-Rapati, to design the numerals on the dial. In addition to this, Inflection debuts the use of an iconic movement from the Girard-Perregaux brand, the manufacture calibre 03300, customized for the occasion.

Inflection therefore represents a new frontier for the brand, and a turning point in its realisation of a watch that has been conceived with no concessions, and elevated in every aspect of its creation. And perhaps more meaningfully, it also serves as the realisation of a dream from two young, passionate founders, and a new dawn of things to come from the brand.

Inflection’s case and each individual link on its bracelet are made entirely of tantalum. A rare, highly corrosion-resistant metal known for its enigmatically dark bluish-grey tone, startling density, inertness and difficulty in machining, the material is rarely employed in the world of watchmaking outside of a handful of superlative brands — and even then, its use is usually confined to the case.

In September 2024, Atelier Wen launched the Perception ’鸿’ (Hóng) in tantalum, in collaboration with Grail Watch. Before this release, no full-tantalum watch on a bracelet had ever been publicly unveiled in an edition of more than a single watch, making this the world’s very first serially produced full tantalum bracelet watch.

Inflection takes this several steps further by not only introducing such a watch as a permanent collection, but executing it to an extremely high-degree of finishing throughout its varied alternations of brushed, frosted and mirror-polished surfaces. This is something made even more intricate by a design that eliminates all exposed flat planes on the case and bracelet, creating a far more complex interplay between countless concave and convex surfaces.

These curves were not a mere aesthetic decision. Instead, they tap into the prominent Chinese philosophical concepts of 阴 (yīn) and 阳 (yáng), and emphasise on a complementary duality and harmonious interplay between opposing qualities that are found throughout the watch. The watch exhibits its various elements in pairs, with each aspect possessing a corresponding, synchronous reflection of the other that echoes this philosophy: 阴 (Yīn) 阳 (Yáng); Brushed Polished; Concave Convex; Weight (Tantalum) Lightness (Wind-inspired bridges).

These surfaces were specifically designed to capture the natural sheen and beauty of the material, with its dark, bluish-grey hue being far more apparent on curved and polished areas. They also translate to a highly comfortable experience on-wrist despite the material’s weight.

Inflection features a grand feu enamel dial crafted by the workshop of Kong Lingjun — one of China’s very finest and most renowned enamel maisons. It launches in two permanent variants, and a third launch edition limited to just 30 pieces:

• (Yōu), our launch edition with a fumé enamel dial ranging radially from a pale green to a rich viridian, with a hand-hammered silver dial base, white Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated hands.
• 墨 (Mò), a permanent variant with an obsidian black grand feu enamel with gilt Arabic numerals and 5N gold-plated hands.
• 渊 (Yuān), our second permanent variation with a midnight blue grand feu enamel with white Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated hands.

The enamel layers begin as a raw and unrefined mix of quartz, feldspar, borax, and other minerals that are first melted in a high-temperature furnace and then rapidly cooled in water to form glass-like fragments. These fragments are ground by hand and sieved into a fine powder that is mixed with water and applied as a paste onto the dial blanks. Extreme care must be taken to ensure that the particle size is consistent and the paste is distributed evenly, or the enamel runs a high risk of cracking.

Once the layer has been left to dry, it is then fired at temperatures between 750 and 850°C, and the entire process is repeated a further 5 times until the right colours are achieved. The process varies extensively depending on the format of the dial base and the colour of the dial, adding even more complexity to the enameling process.

Once the desired colour tone is achieved, the dial is then polished down into the flat, glossy surface that grand feu enamel is revered for. Each dial has a high failure rate of approximately 50%. Kong’s workshop sets itself apart amongst the landscape of Chinese enamelers by focusing almost exclusively on producing enamel dials rather than other, more traditional applications of the craft.

This specialisation — and consequent mastery of the dial — led to his workshop earning the National designation of “中国珐琅手表 (北京) 制造中心” (China Enamel Watch [Beijing] Manufacturing Center) by the China Horologe Association (中国钟表协会, CHA) in 2021 — the official body governing the watchmaking industry in China. This thereby recognised his workshop as the foremost dial enameler in all of China.

Inflection integrates a customised 03300 calibre from the Swiss luxury watch manufacture Girard- Perregaux, a movement famous for its accuracy and impeccable finishing. The bridges of this customised GP03300 incorporate curved, sweeping lines inspired by motifs of wind in historical Chinese paintings — chosen for their symbolic representation of the lofty material achievement that Atelier Wen has realised through our work with tantalum. These dramatic contours are split into arcing, partially skeletonised channels, giving the whole movement a unique and captivating aesthetic.

The bridges are ruthenium-plated and decorated with dramatic anglage, sharp exterior angles and laser-etched waved côtes that emanate radially from the centre of the movement, further accentuating the skeletonised channels and reinforcing the visual impression of the wind. They are held down by black-polished screws, and feature the movement’s testing standards and jewel count, as well as the Atelier Wen logo in deeply etched, rose-gold lettering.

Standing in contrast to the dark bridges, Inflection’s rotor is constructed in two parts, with a tungsten weight that is anchored to the end of five skeletonised brass spokes that have been plated in rose gold. The spokes feature the same waved côtes and anglage as the bridges beneath, and their skeletonised forms have been designed such that they align perfectly at certain positions as the rotor spins.

The calibre 03300 features automatic winding and stop (hacking) seconds, in an extra-thin profile of just 3.36mm. It boasts a power reserve of no less than 48 hours. It is regulated rigorously in 5 positions and to temperature, and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour.

Due to the complex nature of tantalum manufacturing and the difficulties surrounding the achievement of fine levels of polishing and overall finishing with the material, the brand’s annual production capacity of Inflection is extremely small. For the first year of production, the main series of Inflection will be limited to just 100 examples. The limited launch edition, 幽 (Yōu), will produced in just 30 examples before being discontinued, and the remaining capacity of 70 pieces will be split according to demand between the other variants in black, 墨 (Mò), and blue, 渊 (Yuān).

Inflection will retail at US$29,800 (tax and duties exclusive) on the full-tantalum bracelet, and US$19,800 (tax and duties exclusive) on a sailcloth and FKM rubber strap with a tantalum buckle. All customers who purchase the watch on a bracelet will also be given their choice of a sailcloth and rubber strap in the colour of their choosing.