Introducing: The New Atelier Wen × Revolution Ancestra Yáo

Atelier Wen has spent the last few years building a very different picture of Chinese watchmaking. After the recent launch of its flagship Inflection collection, the brand has shifted attention back to the Ancestra line, which was always meant to serve as the more artisanal counterpoint. That timing feels deliberate. The Inflection models reintroduced Atelier Wen’s modern design language, and now the new Ancestra Yáo shows how far the brand can push the craft-driven side of its identity. Created with our friends at Revolution to celebrate the publication’s 20th anniversary and unveiled at Dubai Watch Week, it arrives positioned as a meeting point between Chinese heritage and Middle Eastern influence.

I have not seen the Yáo in person yet, but having spent time with the original Ancestra Jiāo, I can immediately feel the shift in mood. The Jiāo leaned into deep blues and crisp contrast. The Yáo trades that coolness for a warmer, more tactile presence. Even through press images, the palette built around sand, silk, and aged earth feels softer and more atmospheric. It already looks like the direction that makes the most sense for a follow-up. Color me impressed.

A dial that anchors the concept

The dial has always been the emotional center of the Ancestra line, and that continues here. Atelier Wen kept the gratté foundation from the original model, but the execution for the Yáo has more texture and depth. The workshop of Kong Lingjun in Beijing created the sand-to-chocolate gradient using translucent Grand Feu enamel. Browns are unpredictable during firing, and the color apparently took many months to perfect.

You can already see why. The enamel has a warm, almost smoky quality that pairs naturally with the underlying texture. Even in photos, it looks like the type of surface that changes personality depending on the light. The Jiāo’s enamel was already one of the most impressive elements of that watch, so the Yáo feels like a continuation of a story Atelier Wen knows how to tell well.

The gratté texture brings the dial to life

What sets this dial apart is the hand-engraved gratté on a 925 silver base. Atelier Wen’s artisans used a custom eight-bladed tip rather than the traditional wood cabron to achieve a sharper, more fabric-like result. That choice pays off. The texture is meant to echo silk, and it does. It sits just beneath the enamel and gives the surface a gentle woven character.

The craftsmanship was my favorite part of the original Jiāo, and it looks even more refined here. It is the kind of dial treatment that rewards careful attention. I tend to be drawn to dials anyway, but this one feels like the defining feature of the watch. That seems to be a common theme with Atelier Wen. In photos, it already hints at the same slow-burn appeal that made the earlier Ancestra so satisfying in person.

Eastern Arabic numerals mark the odd hours, while baguette-cut lab-grown diamonds sit at the even ones. I usually do not lean toward diamonds on a watch, but they seem understated here. They catch the light quietly and sit within the flow of the gradient rather than interrupting it. Had they been too bold, the balance of the dial would have shifted. Instead, they serve as clean, reflective accents. I would still love an Ancestra without diamonds, but that’s just me.

A case rooted in old forms

The case design continues Atelier Wen’s habit of drawing from cultural reference without losing modern clarity. The form takes inspiration from Hongshan jade dragon carvings, which explains the flowing geometry and stepped contours. The 904L steel case is machined with detached lugs that bolt in from the side. This allows sharper finishing transitions and gives the brand more control over the alternating brushed and polished surfaces.

With a 38mm diameter and 46mm lug-to-lug, the case remains within that sweet spot that worked so well on the Jiāo. The double-domed sapphire crystal receives five layers of antireflective coating on each side, which should help the enamel show its full depth. The Ancestra case keeps the collection’s signature intact, only with a slightly warmer attitude that suits the dial.

Inside, the Pequignet EPM03 holds its own

Turning to the movement, the Pequignet EPM03 remains an interesting choice. Atelier Wen used it for the OG Ancestra Jiāo, and we see it again here. The movement sits under a sapphire crystal and features micro-etched bridges decorated with lines from the poem Tiān Wèn (meaning Questions to Heaven), along with black-polished elements and a rotor finished with brushing, frosting, and a huí wén motif.

Beyond decoration, the technical performance is solid. The EPM03 operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, features a 65-hour power reserve, and is regulated in six positions. Atelier Wen’s Paris-meets-Beijing relationship with Pequignet gives the caliber a bit of narrative weight, but the specifications stand firmly on their own. I applaud the movement upgrade compared to the brand’s Perception collection.

The Ancestra Yáo finds its voice

The Ancestra Yáo continues the familiar DNA of the series while nudging it toward a richer and more tactile expression. The shift in color palette gives it a different voice from the Jiāo, and the gratté-under-enamel combination seems to be the defining feature once again. The cultural dialogue is there, but quietly. It rests in the materials and the choices rather than in overt motifs.

For me, the dial is the highlight. The gradient looks full of character, and the manual gratté work adds a depth that feels unlike most dials at this watch’s US$5,850 price point. The diamonds are subtle enough not to distract, which helps maintain the rhythm of the design. Based on the strength of the Jiāo, I have no trouble imagining that this new dial will be even more engaging in person.

Orders for the Atelier Wen × Revolution Ancestra Yáo will be open until November 27th, 2025, with deliveries scheduled for late 2026. Production will be limited, and each dial will vary slightly due to the nature of the craft. Given how important the dial is to the watch’s appeal, those variations might be one of the most rewarding aspects of owning one. Either way, in my opinion, this is the best Ancestra yet.

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