Awake Releases the Son Mai Frosted Leaf Royal Red

An ongoing discourse among civilisations, hues, and artistry.

Awake

AwakeE persists in its endeavour to modernise traditional craftsmanship with the introduction of the Son Mài – Frosted Leaf “Royal Red”, a limited edition including 100 pieces. Drawing inspiration from ancient Asian ritual artefacts, the watch functions as a "vessel of cultures," employing the Vietnamese technique of Sơn Mài lacquerware to produce a dial of remarkable depth. Each dial is a distinctive miniature artwork, meticulously created in the brand’s Hanoi studio, necessitating roughly fifteen hours of precise labour and a “mille-feuille” layering of lacquer and natural colours.

Awake

The "Royal Red" edition signifies a technical advancement of Awake's Frosted Leaf method, employing pure silver leaf infused with copper pigments as the ultimate top layer. This inversion of the conventional method enables light to engage directly with the material, uncovering organic textures and a vivid synergy between the symbolic energy of red and the wisdom of gold. The dial is further augmented by Awake's distinctive “coiffe” luminous signature, a nuanced backlighting effect utilising Super-LumiNova BGW9 that unveils the lacquer’s intricacy in darkness without overshadowing the material.

The clock, encased in a 39mm 316L recycled stainless steel case, is driven by the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, providing a substantial 68-hour power reserve. The mechanism is observable through a sapphire caseback and has a bespoke tungsten rotor with contrasting polished and brushed surfaces. The "Royal Red" model, with a red suede calfskin strap meticulously manufactured in France, is offered by Awake for a price of €2,200 EUR (about $2,576 USD).

For more information and to place an order, visit awakewatches.com.