Atelier Wen Porcelain Odyssey Collection

When looking for a new watch, most men won’t think about Chinese timepieces right off the bat but there are new brands emerging that are looking to put paid to that mindset and Atelier Wen, with their fantastic debut series, the Porcelain Odyssey Collection, are looking to put paid to that mindset. Atelier Wen is a collaboration between French and Chinese designers with the common vision of redefining the meaning of modern Chinese chic.

Atelier Wen began this journey in the world of watches, driven by their passion for horology and desire to challenge preconceptions about the Chinese watchmaking industry. Indeed, China’s horological tradition goes back over 1000 years and Chinese watchmakers today actually supply many supposedly “Swiss” or Western brands so they are often unfairly tarnished with a perceived lack of quality. The Porcelain Odyssey Collection shows this needn’t be the case and the two watches that form this series are dripping in tradition style and a devilish sense of dapperness.

Fair Price For High Quality

The two watches in the Porcelain Odyssey Collection from Atelier Wen, Hao and Ji, are both priced at $720 and have expert craftsmanship and high quality components throughout which makes their sub-$1000 price tag all the more impressive. This debut range tells a story of Chinese art and tradition through richly-decorated porcelain dials. Their structure takes its design inspiration from the French watches of the 1950s. As such, being the product of varied traditions, the resulting timepieces display a bold blend of novelty and tried-and-tested elegance.

With two equally as classy watches to choose from in the shape of Hao and Ji from Atelier Wen, it comes down to your style tastes when finding the perfect one for you. The Hao Watch has a jasmine white porcelain dial adorned with blue elements in homage to the famed Qinghua Ci (青花瓷) porcelains. Its name, Hao, is used to describe a white that is resplendent and without blemish and when combined with a structure similar to 1950s French and Swiss chronomètre dials, the finished product is effortlessly cool indeed.

The Ji Watch from Atelier Wen uses an unusual blue porcelain for its dial and its name is derived from the Chinese word, Jilan (霁蓝). It indicates a particular kind of blue – said to be similar to that of the sky after a storm – that master potters of the Yuan dynasty first developed. At the intersection between heritage and contemporary, it boasts a stylised “Huiwen” (回纹) pattern along its extremities and an ornate subdial at six o-clock and will add a touch of class to any wrist.

First Class Features Throughout

Thoroughly impressive design and craftsmanship sets the Porcelain Odyssey Collection from Atelier Wen apart from the competition and some of the most eye-catching features include a Peacock SL3006 automatic mechanical movement with bidirectional winding, Côtes de Genève finish on the rotor, perlage on top of the plates, 28,800BPH frequency and Japanese 316L marine-grade steel with step- case design, 39mm diameter and 5 ATM water resistance.

The $720 price tag is certainly a fair one when you look at the attention to detail that has gone into the crafting of this flagship collection from Atelier Wen and we’re sure there will be plenty of timepiece aficionados changing their tune about Chinese watches as a result of these majestic looking timepieces. For those seeking a stylish, affordable and well made watch for their wrist this autumn and winter, look no further than Atelier Wen’s Porcelain Odyssey collection.