Identity
A horological celebration of
Chinese culture and craftsmanship
- 21/F, CMA Building 64
- Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
- +33 7 80 91 22 72
- hello@atelierwen.com
- M-F 8:00am - 10:00 pm GMT+8
- Business Registration: 69879773-000-09-24-3
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Breaking new ground, revelling in tradition
Our identity is embodied in our name, Atelier Wen. Translating directly to “culture workshop”, it combines the
French word for workshop, Atelier, and the Chinese word for culture, 文 (Wén) . Ours is a project that unites
French and Chinese creatives on a mission to re-define the meaning of modern Chinese style—and to display it
in novel forms that speak to all who appreciate objects of beauty and meaning.
The feats of Chinese watchmaking and artisanship often go unnoticed in a world preoccupied with European
luxury. Yet the country’s roots in the field of horology extend deeply, and its array of traditional crafts
abound in both variety and intricacy.
Atelier Wen seeks to renew the current perspective of Chinese watchmaking and propel it to the forefront of an
industry already reliant on its manufacturing capabilities. In creating some of the best watches originating
from the Middle Kingdom, we endeavour to reimagine, showcase and celebrate China’s extensive culture and
craftsmanship with the rest of the world.
A commitment to culture, and to perfection
Here at Atelier Wen, we have made it our mission to celebrate and elevate the global perception of Chinese
culture and craftsmanship has been in our DNA since our brand’s incipience. Through our partnerships with some
of the finest artisans in all of China and our refusal to compromise on quality, we push the boundaries of
what a modern identity of Chinese style might look like — and of what Chinese craftsmanship could be.
Our pieces blend exceptional materials and traditional crafts with the mastery of artisans. Through their
expertise, we seek to shine a spotlight on China as a timeless cultural epicenter of the world.
Drawn from the breadth of Chinese heritage
The watches we produce contain the unmistakeable cues found within Chinese cultural traditions. They extend
back into the centuries, from the grandest of architectures to the smallest of emblems, from well-established
crafts to historical anecdotes, and continue on to this day, in the present landscape of modern China. These
priceless hallmarks provide us with infinite inspiration, and a malleable essence that we seek to carry on
into the future as we re-envision the meaning of a contemporary Chinese aesthetic, in-keeping with tradition.
In doing so, Atelier Wen aligns itself with the country’s rich past whilst seeking to shape the style of its
future, breathing new life into forgotten crafts, and inspiring a new generation of undeniably Chinese
artistry.
The Founders: A French duo, steeped in Chinese culture
Atelier Wen is the brainchild of two close friends from France, who were brought together by their shared
passions for Chinese culture, watches and a desire to create novel, innovative projects:
Robin began his horological journey at age 14, and has previously worked for the French Chamber of Watchmaking
in Shanghai and at Christie’s in London. In his early collecting years, he began purchasing Chinese mechanical
timepieces on trips to Shanghai with his parents. Since then, he has built up an extensive portfolio of both
historical and independent Chinese watches. In March 2016, he was appointed advisor and “Execution Expert” in
the 中国钟表协会 (China Horologe Association), a Chinese national-level government organization that oversees
and promotes the watch industry in China. He is a graduate of the University of Warwick, Peking University and
London Business School.
Born in Hong Kong, Wilfried is a graduate from China's top two institutes of higher education - Peking
University and Tsinghua University. A tireless entrepreneur at heart, he has experience in numerous startups and
possesses a perfect command of Mandarin. Possessing a deep attachment and fondness to Chinese culture and craft,
Wilfried has coordinated both our design and manufacturing from Beijing since the very beginning. Outside of
Atelier Wen, he is the founder and CEO of Zaapi, a start-up building digital commerce infrastructure for
Southeast Asian MSNEs.
Together, they form the yin and yang of our atelier — Robin being the creative visionary, and Wilfried the
executional extraordinaire — and combine in a perfect storm prepared to fly the flag of Chinese heritage
craftmanship into the future.
The journey thus far
The pair grew close back in 2016 whilst studying in Beijing, and upon their return to Europe, grew
disillusioned with the often dismissive reception towards Chinese craftsmanship by their peers. Their shared
passion towards the nation’s culture and its craftsmanship potential fed their resolve to change this, and
they founded Atelier Wen in 2018 with the initial goal of creating a “high quality timepiece” with a “Chinese
soul”.
Most of the planning and development for Atelier Wen’s debut release was done in 2017, working with designers
Li Ming Liang and Liu Yu Guan throughout the next year and a half to conceive the foundation that would become
the Porcelain Odyssey. The campaign launched on Kickstarter in October 2018 to much fanfare, meeting its
funding goal in under 30 minutes for our two initial models, 皓 (Hao) and 霁 (Ji). Once the first series had
sold out, a long hiatus ensued with several tough but valuable lessons learnt along the way. Development on
the second line resumed in 2020, and ambitious as ever, Robin and Wilfried made the decision to raise the
stakes, with a clearer idea of how to achieve their lofty aim of creating the very best Chinese watches. They
vowed to make less compromises than ever before, seeking to pushing the limits of what could be achieved in
Chinese craftsmanship, and committing without reservations to the most exciting means of getting there. The
first step towards this new goal would finally see the light of day with an initial pre-order for Perception
going live on the 18th of April 2022. The initial batch sold out in 16 hours, and the brand has not looked
back since, growing from strength to strength as we prepare to move ever-upward in pursuit of fine
craftmanship. We can confidently say that Perception is only the beginning.
