Is the new Atelier Wen Perception V3 worth its near US$5K price tag?

This week, the Atelier Wen Perception V3 made its debut – and it's nearly US$5,000. So, what's new? Well, first, let's recap for those less familiar.. Atelier Wen came on the scene in 2018, but really broke through with its Perception design in 2022, catching the eye of watch collectors by bringing handcrafted dials into a daily-wearer spec'd design at a more approachable price point. For a Kickstarter price of just above US$2,000 and a standard retail price of just above US$2,500, buyers were able to get a watch billed with an engine-turned dial, guilloché performed by a master artisan in China, inside of a 100-metre water-resistant stainless steel watch with an integrated design and a Chinese movement inside to keep the retail price down. The Chinese calibre made complete sense, one, from a cost-effective perspective, and two, from the perspective of the brand's mission to blend Chinese artistry and handcraft into contemporary watch design. V2 came a year later in 2023, subtly refined based on the brand's community outreach and a survey with 400 responses identifying what Atelier Wen buyers would like to see revised – a more pronounced bracelet taper, a smaller folding arm on the clasp, and more. I love the fact that, in proper microbrand-besting-big-box-brand fashion, Atelier Wen made the effort to collect feedback and, moreover, implement it. And this V2 made the jump up to a retail price of US$3,288. Now, a natural progression for watch brands, typically speaking, is to move upmarket. The question becomes: what will the brand do to justify it? What new developments will the brand bring to the table? This Atelier Wen Perception V3 has a retail price of US$4,850, around twice the price of the design's initial retail price. So, what is Atelier Wen now bringing to the table? Watch the full video to find out and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. ------------------------------- https://us.atelierwen.com/products/perception ------------------------------- BRAND - ATELIER WEN MODEL - PERCEPTION V3 REFERENCE - 筠 YÚN (BAMBOO GREEN) 缥 PIĀO (ICE-BLUE) 霞 XIÁ (SALMON) CASE DIMENSIONS - 40MM (D) X 10.4MM (T) X 47MM (LTL) CASE MATERIAL - 904L STAINLESS STEEL, BRUSHED AND MIRROR POLISHED (缥 PIĀO/霞 XIÁ) 904L STAINLESS STEEL, MICROBLASTED AND MIRROR POLISHED 筠 YÚN (BAMBOO GREEN) WATER RESISTANCE - 100 METRES CRYSTAL(S) - DOUBLE-DOMED SAPPHIRE FRONT, FLAT SAPPHIRE BACK DIAL - 筠 YÚN (BAMBOO GREEN) 缥 PIĀO (ICE-BLUE) 霞 XIÁ (SALMON) STRAP - CASE-MATCHING INTEGRATED 904L STAINLESS STEEL BRACELET, MICRO-ADJUST FOLDING CLASP MOVEMENT - PEQUIGNET CALIBRE EPM03, CUSTOMISED, AUTOMATIC POWER RESERVE - 65 HOURS FUNCTIONS - HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS AVAILABILITY - AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER, DELIVERIES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 2026 PRICE - US$4,850 ------------------------------- Read more articles: https://timeandtidewatches.com Shop: https://shop.timeandtidewatches.com ------------------------------- MB01OTIXZLPJ5VH INSTAGRAM @timetidewatches TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=timeandtidewatches T+T Shop Instagram https://www.instagram.com/timetideshop/