https://atelierwen.com/blogs/journal/say-hello-to-perception-v2?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgGITQ9_qKsdjF8M91TJUOM0JMOjYkbtmlwsNog-hPmACfF2HytPI8hoC2ioQAvD_BwE

The central element of Perception's dial is without a doubt the écailles de poisson guilloché by the workshop of Cheng Yu Cai, China's one and only master guilloché craftsman. The hypnotic interplay between straight and curved lines in the fish scale pattern is a celebration of light and shadow, and each dial has been meticulously hand-turned on a rose engine of Master Cheng's own design, taking a staggering 8 hours to produce.

The age-old intricacies of guilloché mean that there are fewer than 30 known masters of the craft left in the world. In the modern era, the difficulties of true guilloché have seen the vast majority of watch brands turn to more automated avenues such as stamping and CNC-machining, since engine turning requires enormous skill and any momentary slip or loss in concentration necessitates beginning all over again. Yet it is precisely in an unending quest for elusive, human perfection that we hope to preserve and celebrate the immense value of the craft.

Perception's dial is not just about its guilloché element. Its complex 4-part construction is modelled after 榫卯 (sǔn mǎo), an ancient Chinese approach to building assembly. This form of construction features the extraordinary characteristic of being a friction-based assembly without the use of any nails or glue.

Exemplified in Perception, the dial comprises of a base layer upon which the guillochéd plate sits. Its indexes nest precisely into 12 cutouts, and are locked in place by an elevated chapter ring with a beautiful 回纹 (huí wén) pattern printed in Superluminova X1. Far from being merely decorative, this pattern has been specifically segmented to form the functional minute track of the watch.

Perception's hands are leaf-shaped, adhering to the lineage cast by one of the Porcelain Odyssey's defining design features, which suited the continuity of our brand’s design language. They too have been constructed with a voluminous profile, creating greater visual depth to the dial, and have been lumed with Superluminova X1. They have also been broadened slightly to suit the watch's sportier profile. The hands come in two variations: rhodium plated on the 缥 (Piāo) and 霞 (Xiá), and heat-blued on the 影 (Yǐng).

The case of Perception is evocative of shapes found in Chinese architecture. The curved silhouettes of pagodas provide inspiration for its flanks, and the tops of its lugs feature subtler angles reminiscent of roof structures. These characteristics are amplified by the great care taken to accentuate the contrast between the applications of horizontal and vertical brushing, as well as the mirror-polished reliefs and chamfers that frame them. The use of 904L steel lends further emphasis to this visual impression here, possessing a greater lustre than its more common 316L counterpart.

Considering the dial’s depth, Perception's case is impressively thin at just 9.4mm in total height, and thanks to the layering of its profile, it wears even thinner. Despite this, water resistance has not been compromised, withstanding depths of up to 10 ATM/100m.

It also features a double-domed sapphire crystal with 10 layers of anti-reflective coating, ensuring perfect transparency and readability.

The semi-display caseback of Perception features a window that doubles as the mouth of a deeply-embossed 石狮子 (Shí shīzi), or stone guardian lion; these being found at the entrance of most Chinese temples and major buildings.

When the rotor is aligned with the window, forming the lion's mouth, it appears to laugh in a stark contrast against the sobriety and almost brutalist character of the rest of the watch. And when the rotor swings the other way, the lion's mouth opens to reveal the watch's balance wheel as it oscillates away.

With the series inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, these guardian lions form a defining aspect of such structures, and its presence on our case-back is as symbolic as it is decorative. It represents a fitting motif of the protective casing that guards the intricate architecture of the dial, as well as the soul of the watch that is its movement.

This stylised representation of the stone lion was conceptualised by Liu Yuguan using cloud-like strokes to keep with the surreal identity of the watch as a whole. The motif is executed in a deep embossing, and accented by a hammered texture surrounding it to provide a prominent contrast.

The text that lines the perimeter of Perception's case-back has been CNC-machined, requiring unique 3-D files for each individual case-back. It pays homage to a true legend of Chinese independent watchmaking, Kiu Tai Yu, whose watches were often characterised by similarly executed textual reliefs.