eet the Ancestra 垚 (Yáo), created with Atelier Wen and launching at Dubai Watch Week 2025, a watch that connects worlds that have been in dialogue for centuries: China and the Middle East.

Atelier Wen isn’t trying to be Swiss and that’s the whole point. Founded by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the brand has been building a new definition of “Made in China.” Their watches bring together independent Chinese craftspeople, designers and artists, who specialize in enamel, engraving and case finishing, elevating traditional techniques with modern purpose and underscoring the brand’s deep commitment to Chinese culture and craftsmanship.

While the earliest mechanical clocks arrived in China in the 16th century and sparked an industry creating intricate masterpieces for the Chinese aristocracy, modern Chinese watchmaking in the 1950s took off en masse with state-owned factories, such as Shanghai Watch Factory and Beijing Watch Factory, producing mechanical movements domestically. The 1960s, courtesy of Tianjin Watch Factory, brought the legendary Seagull watches, and China became the world’s largest producer of watch components, supplying much of the global industry.

The past 20 years, however, have seen a new chapter: the rise of independent, design-led marques like Atelier Wen, Celadon and Behrens – redefining “Made in China” as a shorthand for quality and sophistication. Artistic crafts such as enameling, techniques such micro-engraving and, of course, in-house calibers are reasserting a new era of Chinese watchmaking culture. Revolution, for its part, has always gravitated toward brands that speak with their own voice. The idea for Ancestra 垚 (Yáo) came naturally, and the timing was perfect. “We wanted to do something that acknowledged the cultural connection between East Asia and the Arab world,” says Wilfried Buiron, Co-Founder of Atelier Wen.

“2025 has seen a significant increase in interest towards our brand from the Middle East, with a greater proportion of clients and supporters coming from the gulf states than we could ever have expected. Alongside this and our maiden participation in the spectacle that is Dubai Watch Week, we have also established several meaningful retailer partnerships in the region. These developments coincided perfectly with the 20th anniversary of Revolution Media, one of our closest friends and partners in the industry, as well as the launch-year of Revolution Arabia. As such, it felt like the perfect moment to offer up a special piece that commemorated both the heartening support and engagement from the region, as well as celebrated Revolution and this treasured relationship.”

The dial is the heart of this watch. Made by Kong Lingjun’s atelier in Beijing, it uses translucent fumé grand feu enamel that fades from desert sand to dark chocolate. The color alone took months to get right – browns and beiges are notoriously tricky to stabilize in enamel. Beneath it, a 925 silver base carries a gratté finish – a scratched texture that looks almost woven but that has been made entirely by the hands of the artisans. While most gratté artisans use a wooden “cabron” (or wedged stick) with sandpaper on the tip to create the scratches, Master Kong and his team use a specially created 8-bladed engraving tip to create a more pronounced gratté texture. “For the creation of the dial, which is done entirely by hand, the textures, colours and effects all tie back into the Chinese-Middle Eastern connection and the idea of the Silk Road and its role in this relationship, as well as silk itself as a material,” adds Buiron.

“The mimicry of silken/fabric textures through the combination of the two traditional crafts evokes the texture of fabric under glass, a nod to the silk that once traveled those trade routes. Meanwhile the colour of the dial evokes the tones and landscapes of the region, calling to mind the earthy, sandy and rolling dunes.”

Arabic numerals alternate with baguette-cut diamonds around the edge while tri-planed rhodium- plated hands catch the finishing: micro-hammering on the mid-plane, and mirror-polished concaves on the other two, the light dancing off the brushed metal.

“The case design takes its cue from Hongshan jade carvings, jade dragon carvings that represent both the earliest depictions of dragons to mankind, and the origin of jade carving as a craft in China,” says Robin Tallendier, Co-Founder of Atelier Wen. “Atelier Wen reinterprets that form in 904L stainless steel, machining the case with detached lugs that are bolted from the outside. Crafting it in this manner allows Atelier Wen’s artisans to finish the case and lugs to a much higher standard whilst ensuring that all transitions in finishing are executed very crisply.”

At 38mm across and 46mm lug-to-lug, the watch sits snugly on the wrist and the curved profile of the lugs makes the watch feel exceptionally wearable on a variety of wrist sizes. The mix of polished and brushed surfaces gives it definition without flash. The double-domed sapphire crystal has five layers of anti-reflective coating on each side, and the crown screws down to guarantee 100 meters of water resistance.

On the back, the Pequignet EPM03 movement is visible through another double-domed sapphire crystal. Its bridges are micro-etched with lines from 天问 (Tiān Wèn), or Questions to Heaven, a poem that is a contemplation of existence. It’s an unexpectedly introspective detail for a sports- spec watch, but it fits. Horology at its best has always been philosophical.

The Pequignet EPM03 movement is a showcase of precision finishing and horological artistry. The balance-bridge and ratchet-return wheel are executed in full black polish, a notoriously demanding surface that requires flawless metal and painstaking hand-work. The rotor is rendered with multiple techniques: snailing (colimaçonnage) on the raised edges, frosting in the recessed surfaces, and a cultural motif of 回纹 (huí wén) around its perimeter. Further the three-quarter main plate features angled bevelling (anglage) and perlage on the base plate – all machine- assisted and refined by hand to achieve mirror-sharp edges and shimmering textures. Every finishing detail reinforces this is a movement both built and decorated to impress.

Atelier Wen didn’t take shortcuts with the engine, the work of Pequignet, the last French movement maker and the original designer and creator of the EPM03. This fusion neatly echoes the “Paris Meets Beijing” ethos of Atelier Wen. The EPM03 caliber runs at 28,800vph, with a 65-hour power reserve and accuracy that exceeds chronometric standards. It’s regulated in six positions and across three temperatures and uses bi-directional automatic winding – a focus on performance.

Every Revolution collaboration is meant to be wearable. We don’t do safe-queen pieces. Ancestra Yáo follows that philosophy: robust enough for daily wear, detailed enough to reward a close look. The strap, hand-stitched in cream Epsom leather with a Zermatt lining, finishes the picture, light, dry and clean against the warm enamel tones.

What makes this watch interesting isn’t its scarcity, though it will be made in very limited numbers. It’s the dialogue between Chinese craft and Middle Eastern design cues. They share a love of symmetry, texture and symbolic geometry, and those aesthetic and stylistic references meet naturally, without being forced. It’s not a mash-up but a conversation-starter about Eastern influence that feels particularly relevant now.

For Revolution readers, it’s also a reminder that there is exciting independent watchmaking beyond Switzerland. The same desire that fuels Geneva’s ateliers runs through Beijing’s workshops. I think, for me also, as a Middle East-based watch lover, the project symbolizes something about where collecting is going. Watch lovers today care less about brand hierarchy or labels... They want coherent design that feels intentional, authentic and well made. Ancestra Yáo hits all three.

Orders open during Dubai Watch Week, between 18 November 2025, 12noon GST and 27 November 2025, 2359 GST, with delivery scheduled for late 2026. Each piece will be hand built to order, and each dial will vary slightly as befits the nature of enamel.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Atelier Wen × Revolution: Ancestra 垚 (Yáo)

Movement

• Self-winding heavily customized Pequignet Caliber EPM03, featuring 3/4 bridge with circular, deeply micro-etched Chinese manuscript; 65-hour power reserve

Functions

• Hours, minutes and hacking seconds

Case

• 38mm × 11.3mm (including crystal); 904L stainless steel; water resistant to 100m

Dial

• Gratté base in 925 silver, with fumé grand feu enamel in light sand to chocolate gradient; Eastern Arabic numerals for odd hour markers, and lab-grown baguette-cut diamonds for even markers

Strap

• Hand-stitched, full-grain leather with cream Epsom upper and Zermatt lining; stainless steel buckle with hand-applied, mirror-polished bevels and fine brushing

Price

• Availability Orders open between 18 November 2025, 12noon GST and 27 November 2025, 2359 GST; to be delivered in late 2026