Atelier Wen, one of the most popular Chinese horological brands, has launched their first brand new collection in three years. It’s called the Ancestra collection and the launch model is the 蛟 (JIĀO). The amount of detail and thought that has gone into every single aspect of this watch is frankly daunting, especially as I have it here in front of me and can linger over every tiny aspect.
Let’s start with the brand-new case. It measures 38mm in diameter with a thickness of 11.3mm including crystal, putting it right in the goldilocks zone for a modern dress watch. It combines a good amount of wrist presence with the easy wearability of a slim timepiece that can slip under a cuff without a thought. It’s made from 904L stainless steel with a high polish, concave bezel and brushed flanks.
The most distinctive aspect of the case though is the lugs, which are separate from the case and screwed in. They’re made from a single piece of steel that curves around the circumference of the case before curving back on itself with polished edges to form the lugs. The shape is inspired by an ancient piece of Chinese jade jewellery called the Hongshan dragon. Dragons are actually the central motif of this watch, ‘蛟 (JIĀO)’ being one of the many translations of ‘dragon’ that exist in Chinese mythology.
蛟 (JIĀO) is specifically the type of dragon associated with rivers and waterways, which is why the dial has an aquatic colour scheme in fumé blue that runs from silver-white in the centre to a deep cobalt at the periphery. It’s produced from grand feu enamel on top of a hand-hammered dial plate. It’s executed with extreme precision, as demonstrated by the gentle gradients of colour. It’s made by the workshop of Kong Lingjun, which carries the distinction of being the “China Enamel Watch [Beijing] Manufacturing Centre”, the highest recognition for enamel offered by the China Horloge Association.
On top of the dial are then the brand inscription and hour scale. There are actually two versions of the hour scale being produced. The version I have here has diamond baton hour markers on the even numbers and calligraphy Chinese numerals on the odd hours. The other version instead has the diamond indexes on the odd hours and western Arabic numerals on the evens. It’s nice to see diamond markers presented in a style that isn’t overly feminine, they instead add an extra shine like the frothing of waves of the aquatic dial. They also add an extra level of three-dimensional layering to the display.
The central hour and minute hands of the Ancestra 蛟 (JIĀO) are also new. They’re gently facetted leaf-shape hands with polished edges and frosted centres that adds an extra sparkle that matches the diamonds. It’s worth noting that while the minute hand appears to point towards a peripheral scale, it’s actually just a decorative motif.
Undoing the buckle of the Epsom leather strap and turning the watch over reveals a sapphire exhibition caseback. The exposed movement inside is, if anything, even more finely detailed than the dial. The mainplate is micro-etched with the Chinese manuscript of 天问 (Questions to Heaven), a series of poetic questions dating back to 340–278 BCE, attributed to Qu Yuan.
It’s almost impossible to admire the precision of the etching without a loupe or macro-lens, where even the most complex character is rendered perfectly readable despite being a fraction of a millimetre. Plus, there’s your normal array of finishing on display such as mirror polishing and bevelled edges, alongside the gold-plated tungsten rotor, which is skeletonised to allow you to read the script below.
Then there’s the technical aspects of the movement. It’s a heavily customised Pequignet Calibre EPM03 with 65-hour power reserve and chronometer levels of accuracy with a rate of -4/+6 seconds per day. As Pequignet is a French manufacture it’s not eligible for certifications like COSC, which is strictly Swiss, but it still adheres to all their criteria. It marks Atelier Wen’s first non-Chinese movement, which is not to say the movements in their previous creations were sub-par by any means, instead opening themselves to a much wider range of experience and manufacturing capabilities outside of the country.
On the whole, I think the Perception is a much easier watch to fall in love with at first sight. Between the guilloché and integrated case it has lot more instant visual impact. However, the Ancestra 蛟 (JIĀO) really grows on you over time as you discover and investigate each of the small details, down to the intricate engravings on the lug screws. Not to mention that I’m a sucker for mythology and as soon as I learned this is a dragon watch that doesn’t feel like a teenage boy’s fantasy (unlike watches like the Valimor Caliburnus II that are too on the nose), I was won over.
Much like those Chinese dragons, it’s regal and majestic in its dress watch style, proud and precious without being overbearing. Though admittedly the precious elements such as the diamond indexes, enamel dial and Pequignet calibre do all add up in terms of cost. The Ancestra 蛟 (JIĀO) is $5,850 (approx. £4,350), notably higher than the Perception at £2,500. It’s also available in a made-to-order limited production across a 7-day order period with delivery in 2026.
Price and Specs:
More details at Atelier Wen.
