Atelier Wen x Massena LAB Inflection Shuò (White Gold)

Massena LAB is proud to launch the Atelier Wen x Massena LAB Inflection Shuò, a limited edition of 50 pieces built around two hand-finished, Swiss-made dials featuring intricate, hand tremblage. The limited-edition is split between two variants: White Gold and Rose Gold. Both are housed in a 99.9% tantalum case and integrated bracelet.

The collaboration takes the name 'Shuò,' from the Chinese character 烁, which can be translated as 'sparkling,' or 'radiant,' poetically evoking the shimmering, reflective qualities of hand tremblage on its dial. The technique behind this subtle finishing, however, is anything but straightforward.

The dials for both variants are first crafted from solid 18k gold, with a base plate finished with one of the rarest and most demanding decorative crafts in watchmaking: hand tremblage. The technique is executed entirely by hand engraving specialist Coralie Mercier on behalf of GT Cadrans, who pushes a graver across the 18k gold surface while continuously oscillating the dial, slowly transforming its texture into thousands of tiny, irregular facets. A time-consuming and unforgiving process, a single mistake can ruin an entire dial.

On top of this main dial plate is a radially brushed sector of white gold. Arranged in a California-dial-inspired layout, another design element inspired by the exchange between East and West at the heart of this collaboration, the hour sector combines hand-engraved, custom serif Arabic numerals for hours 10 through 2, with hand-calligraphed Chinese numerals commissioned by Atelier Wen for hours 4 to 8. The outer sector ring is finished with more hand tremblage and framed by a finely engraved huiwen border, a classic Chinese decorative motif named for its resemblance to the Chinese character 回.

Both the engraved, custom, Arabic numerals, and the hand-calligraphed Chinese numerals are blue-filled to match the blued-steel hour, minute, and second hands hovering above the hand-finished dial. At 12 o’clock, the dial is signed “Atelier Wen”, also in blue, while “Massena” is found near  6 o’clock in white gold, subtly marking the collaboration.

In contrast to the inherent warmth of the gold dial: the cold blue hue of a 99.9% tantalum case and its integrated bracelet. Notoriously difficult metal to work, and harder yet to finish, tantalum is prized not just for its inky blue undertones but instead for its density, weight, anti-corrosive properties. 

The difficulty of working with tantalum is only heightened by the design language of the Atelier Wen x Massena LAB Inflection Shuò, whose 40mm tantalum case and bracelet embrace an all-curved architecture, which is inspired by Chinese architectural forms and features almost no flat planes whatsoever in its construction. A concave bezel and ridged midcase lend further depth and dimension to the case, while the bracelet's curved links play brushed and mirror-polished surfaces against one another. External links are finished with strong vertical brushing, middle links mirror-polished, and chamfers polished to a concave finish throughout. The case is water-resistant to 100m and features a screw-down crown in tantalum.

The Atelier Wen x Massena LAB Inflection Shuò is powered by a customized caliber GP03300 from Girard-Perregaux, one of Switzerland's oldest and most storied manufactures of haute horlogerie. The curved, sweeping lines of the bridges take their inspiration from motifs of wind found in historical Chinese paintings, a symbolic contrast between lightness and the immense weight of tantalum itself. The bridges are ruthenium-plated and finished with dramatic anglage, sharp exterior angles, and laser-etched waved côtes that emanate radially from the movement's center, complemented by black-polished screws and a similarly wind-inspired rotor, plated in 5N rose gold. Fitted with 27 jewels and beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the automatic caliber offers a 48-hour power reserve.

Limited edition of only 10 pieces in White Gold.  

Price: CHF 33,800 excluding taxes. Deliveries in small batches starting in early 2027.