Collection: Atelier Wen Ancestra

The Ancestra marks Atelier Wen's first dress watch collection, and its first watch to look beyond the Chinese watchmaking supply chain that defined the brand's earlier Perception and Porcelain Odyssey collections. The launch edition, 蛟 (Jiāo), takes its design directly from Chinese mythology, with a case inspired by the sinuous forms of the Hongshan jade dragon carvings, among humanity's earliest recorded depictions of dragons, designed by Sifan Guo and Alfred Chan of Toledano & Chan.

The Ancestra's dial is a grand feu enamel piece crafted by the Beijing workshop of Kong Lingjun, built over a hand-hammered 925 silver base and finished in a fumé gradient running from pale silvery blue at the center to deep cobalt at the rim. Hour markers alternate between hand-calligraphed numerals (with a Western-Arabic numeral variant also available) and baguette-cut diamonds, paired with rhodium-plated, leaf-shaped hands. Powering the collection is a heavily customized Pequignet Calibre EPM03, sourced from France's oldest continuously operating watch manufacture, offering 65 hours of power reserve and chronometer-grade accuracy, with the movement's bridge laser-engraved with lines from an ancient Chinese poem tied to the watch's mythological inspiration. The case measures 38mm in a brushed and polished 904L stainless steel, with 100 meters of water resistance.

King Jewelers is an authorized U.S. retailer for Atelier Wen, with the Ancestra collection, including both Chinese and Arabic numeral dial variants, available to pre-order in Nashville. Every Atelier Wen watch purchase includes free shipping, and our team can help you explore the Ancestra collection in person at our Green Hills showroom in Nashville or online at kingjewelers.com.

July 2025: A First Step Beyond China's Borders
The Ancestra, launched in July 2025 with its debut edition 蛟 (Jiāo), marked a genuine turning point for Atelier Wen. Every prior collection, Porcelain Odyssey, Perception, had used movements sourced entirely from within China's watchmaking ecosystem, part of the brand's founding mission to prove that world-class watchmaking didn't require a Swiss supply chain. With Ancestra, Atelier Wen deliberately stepped outside that ecosystem for the first time, partnering with Pequignet, France's oldest continuously operating watch manufacture, for the collection's movement, a strategic choice signaling the brand's confidence in blending genuinely global expertise with its Chinese cultural identity, rather than being defined by "everything made in China" alone.

Design Rooted in the Hongshan Jade Dragon
The launch edition's name and design draw from Chinese mythology dating back millennia. 蛟 (Jiāo) refers to a scaly dragon figure, and the watch's case takes its sinuous form from Hongshan jade dragon carvings (猪龙, zhū lóng), among humanity's earliest recorded depictions of dragons in any culture. The case was designed by Sifan Guo and Alfred Chan of Toledano & Chan, featuring a detached lug construction (a separate element distinct from the midcase) executed in 904L stainless steel with a mix of brushed and polished surfaces.

The Dial: Grand Feu Enamel Meets Calligraphy
The Ancestra's dial is crafted by the Beijing workshop of Kong Lingjun, built over a hand-hammered 925 silver base finished in a fumé grand feu enamel gradient running from pale silvery blue at the center to deep cobalt at the rim. Hour markers alternate between hand-calligraphed numerals by Hong Kong artist Elaine Wong and baguette-cut diamonds, a detail meant to boost legibility while reinforcing the watch's cross-cultural artistic identity. A Western-Arabic numeral variant designed by Lee Yuen-Rapati is also offered alongside the Chinese calligraphy dial.

The Movement: France's Oldest Manufacture
Powering the Ancestra is a heavily customized Pequignet Calibre EPM03, introduced by the French manufacture in 2021, offering 65 hours of power reserve and chronometer-grade accuracy (-4/+6 seconds per day, regulated in six positions and three temperatures), exceeding the COSC's required 10-day testing with Pequignet's own 16-day standard set by the Observatoire Chronométrique de Besançon. The three-quarter bridge is laser-engraved with lines from an ancient Chinese poem tied to the watch's mythological theme.

Key Milestones

July 2025 — Ancestra debuts with 蛟 (Jiāo), Atelier Wen's first watch built outside the Chinese watchmaking ecosystem

November 2025 — Atelier Wen x Revolution Ancestra 垚 (Yáo) launches during Dubai Watch Week, a collaborative "Silk Road" edition bridging Chinese and Middle Eastern design themes, delivery scheduled for late 2026

What Defines the Ancestra Today
The Ancestra's 38mm case (11.3mm thick, 46mm lug-to-lug) sits in 904L stainless steel, water resistant to 100 meters, with sapphire crystals front and back with anti-reflective coating. Every dial is hand-hammered and enameled to order, meaning natural variation between individual pieces is part of the collection's character rather than a flaw.

At King Jewelers
King Jewelers is an authorized U.S. retailer for Atelier Wen, with the Ancestra collection, including both Chinese and Arabic numeral dial variants, available to pre-order in Nashville. Every Atelier Wen watch purchase includes free shipping, and our team can help you explore the Ancestra collection in person at our Green Hills showroom in Nashville or online at kingjewelers.com.

The Atelier Wen Ancestra is available with either hand-calligraphed Chinese numerals or a Western-Arabic numeral dial, both featuring the same grand feu enamel dial work and French Pequignet movement. King Jewelers offers the Ancestra to pre-order for collectors drawn to its distinctive mythological design story.

Ancestra 蛟 (Jiāo) — Launch edition, Hongshan jade dragon-inspired case, fumé enamel dial by Kong Lingjun, Pequignet EPM03 movement.

Ancestra Arabic numeral variant — Same construction with Western-Arabic numerals designed by Lee Yuen-Rapati instead of Chinese calligraphy.

Ancestra x Revolution 垚 (Yáo) — Limited "Silk Road" collaboration edition with a desert-toned enamel gradient.