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Rallying against the smoke and mirrors of the luxury watch industry in a slightly unconventional and indirect way, Atelier Wen is the creation of two friends and business partners looking to celebrate Chinese horology. Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron met while studying in England, and they, along with designers Li Mingliang and Liu Yuguan, have combined their horological passion and business acumen to develop a brand they hope one day will come to represent “the new Chinese chic.”
We’ve seen countless new watch brands aiming to “disrupt the industry” with promises to offer the same luxury Swiss materials at a fraction of the cost by “cutting out the middle-man.” Although Atelier Wen are, in part, waging the same war, they are doing so with refreshing honesty—they aim to source the best components and skills in China, and then couple that with cultural influence and inspiration to match.
Today I’m taking a closer look at one of the two watches that make up the debut “Porcelain Odyssey” series. As you’re right to expect, both watches feature a porcelain dial in either white (the “Hao”) or blue (the “Ji”) as an unmistakably Chinese prominent feature. Let’s dive right in.
