Awake - Son Mài Guilloché collection
Parisian independent watchmaker AWAKE has reached a new milestone with the launch of the Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection—a watchmaking first that unites two centuries-old artisanal traditions on a single dial. For the very first time in horological history, the Italian art of Guilloché Main and the Vietnamese ancestral technique of Sơn Mài lacquer converge in a series of three limited editions
The Dial: Where Italy Meets Vietnam
The dials begin their journey in Italy, where the Renzetti family—heirs to a tradition learned from masters such as Peter Carl Fabergé—engrave each plate by hand on historic 19th-century straight-line and rose engines. Every dial carries roughly one hundred hand-cut grooves, making each piece subtly unique.
The three motifs draw from celestial phenomena: Alba features a helical sunrise pattern; Sunset displays an elegant drapé-moiré evoking ocean undulations; and Borealis interprets the Northern Lights through fluid, radiant lines.
From Italy, the dials travel to Hanoi, where master lacquerers at one of Vietnam’s most prestigious ateliers apply multiple ultra-thin layers of natural Sơn Mài lacquer derived from the Rhus Verniciflua tree. Enriched with natural pigments and meticulously polished, the lacquer freezes the guilloché’s depth and brilliance for eternity while adding shifting color gradients that evolve with the light. Each dial demands approximately fifteen hours of painstaking work.
Refined Proportions, Swiss Heart
The collection introduces a new 38 mm case (down from the previous 39 mm format), offering refined proportions with a 44.75 mm lug-to-lug span and a slim 11.5 mm overall thickness. The 316L stainless steel case features a polished concave bezel, gently domed sapphire crystal, and 10 ATM water resistance—an upgrade from earlier collections. A new handwritten AWAKE logo with fluid, organic lines pays direct tribute to the artisan’s gesture.
Inside beats the Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101 automatic calibre, delivering a reliable 68-hour power reserve. AWAKE has developed a custom tungsten oscillating weight with alternating recessed and raised surfaces finished in brushed, micro-blasted, and polished textures, visible through a sapphire case back.
Lume, Straps & Wearability
AWAKE’s exclusive “coiffe” luminous signature returns, combining Super-LumiNova BGW9 with polished and brushed steel caps to create a subtle chiaroscuro effect that preserves dial purity by day and reveals captivating depth after dark.
The watches are paired with Jean Rousseau Alcantara straps in green, violet, or orange, lined with rubberized calfskin and fitted with AWAKE’s new Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable pin buckle offering 3 mm incremental adjustments for optimal comfort.
Technical Specification
Case
Material: 316L stainless steel
Diameter: 38 mm
Thickness: 11.50 mm including crystal / 10 mm excluding crystal
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire
Caseback: Screw-down with sapphire crystal
Water Resistance: 10 ATM (100 meters)
Dial
Métiers d'Art: Entirely handcrafted, combining for the first time in watchmaking two ancestral crafts: Guilloché Main and Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer
Hands and Indices
Super-LumiNova BGW9, featuring AWAKE's exclusive "coiffe" luminous signature
Movement
Calibre: Automatic La Joux-Perret G101
Power Reserve: 68 hours
Finishing
Rotor: Custom tungsten with alternating recessed and raised surfaces, featuring brushed, micro-blasted and polished finishes
Chapter Ring: Micro-blasted with engraving in relief
Strap
Jean Rousseau Alcantara in green, violet, or orange
Lining: Rubberized calf
Stitching: Colored
Spring Bars: Curved quick-release
Buckle: New adjustable pin buckle
Warranty
3-year international warranty
Price: HKD $24,380