Awake reached a significant milestone with the launch of its new 38mm collection, combining two centuries-old artistic traditions from different parts of the world: Italian hand guilloché (Guilloché Main) and Vietnamese Son Mài lacquer.
The collection reflects the independent watchmaker’s commitment to preserving and reinterpreting traditional crafts through contemporary watchmaking, with each of the three limited-edition models restricted to just 200 pieces.
Founded in 2019, Awake has built its identity around celebrating Métiers d’Art, or artistic crafts, by reviving rare techniques and showcasing cultural heritage through modern watch design.
The new Son Mài-Guilloché Main collection embodies this philosophy by uniting two exceptional crafts that demand years of expertise, patience and precision.
The collaboration sees a unique alliance between Italian hand guilloché, produced by the renowned Renzetti family, and Vietnam’s traditional Son Mài lacquer technique.
It is a meeting of the arts, fusing European and Asian artistic heritage, blending meticulous mechanical engraving with rich natural lacquer finishes.
The result is a series of dials that offer remarkable visual depth, texture and light reflection while demonstrating the enduring relevance of traditional craftsmanship in contemporary luxury watchmaking.
The art of Guilloché Main
For the guilloché dials, Awake collaborated with the Renzetti family, one of the last workshops in Europe dedicated to hand-operated guilloché.
The family continues a tradition dating back to the late 19th century, preserving techniques passed down through the generations and influenced by legendary craftsmen associated with Peter Carl Fabergé.
Every dial is engraved entirely by hand, using original 19th-century straight-line and rose-engine lathes.
Operating these historic machines requires extraordinary coordination, with the artisan simultaneously controlling both the rotation of the dial and the cutting tool.
Even the slightest mistake means restarting the entire process, making each dial a unique work of art that reflects years of accumulated skill and experience.
The ancestral art of Sơn Mài
The engraved dials are then paired with the Vietnamese art of Son Mài lacquer, created in collaboration with one of Vietnam’s leading lacquer workshops.
Son Mài is a highly specialised craft using natural lacquer harvested from the Rhus Verniciflua tree.
The sap undergoes extensive purification before being mixed with natural pigments to produce rich, vibrant colours.
Multiple ultra-thin layers of lacquer are carefully applied and polished by hand, creating remarkable depth, transparency and reflective qualities.
The lacquer not only protects the engraved surface, but also enhances and permanently preserves the brilliance of the guilloché patterns beneath.
The combination of these two intricate techniques transforms each dial into a miniature work of art requiring exceptional patience, dexterity and artistic judgment.
Three versions
The three distinctive models − inspired by celestial phenomena Sunset, Alba and Borealis − each express a different interpretation of light through unique guilloché patterns and lacquer colour gradients.
The Sunset model captures the colours of an ocean sunset.
Its dial features a rare drapé-moiré guilloché pattern inherited from the 1930s, created using a straight-line engine to produce approximately 100 precisely engraved grooves that evoke the movement of ocean waves.
Layers of Son Mài lacquer in shades of pink, violet and blue create a luminous gradient reminiscent of the evening sky.
Each dial requires roughly 15 hours of skilled craftsmanship, resulting in a sophisticated blend of texture, colour and light.
The Alba edition takes inspiration from the energy of sunrise.
Its hand-engraved helical guilloché pattern symbolises movement and vitality through around 100 perfectly executed grooves.
After engraving in Italy, the dial is finished in Hanoi with multiple layers of pigmented natural lacquer that produce deep gradients and warm reflections inspired by the first light of dawn.
Similar to the Sunset model, the complete finishing process takes approximately 15 hours, highlighting harmony between technical precision and artistic expression.
The Borealis version is inspired by the Northern Lights.
Its radiant guilloché pattern features flowing, dynamic lines engraved with exceptional precision before being enhanced with multiple layers of natural Son Mài lacquer.
The resulting colour gradients and shifting reflections recreate the mesmerising movement of the aurora borealis, giving the dial an almost otherworldly appearance while demonstrating the extraordinary visual effects achieved through the combination of engraving and lacquer.
Beyond the dials, the collection introduces an entirely new 38mm case that represents a major evolution in Awake’s design language.
The refined proportions offer a more elegant and versatile wearing experience while maintaining a contemporary aesthetic.
Features include a polished concave bezel that emphasises the dial, a gently domed sapphire crystal, and downward- curving lugs inspired by 1960s watch design.
Polished and brushed finishes create subtle contrasts across the case, while the redesigned screw-down crown increases water resistance to 10 ATM and bears a new emblem symbolising the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship.
The caseback has also been redesigned with more legible engravings reflecting Awake’s renewed artistic identity.
This evolving identity extends to the brand’s visual presentation through the introduction of a new handwritten logo with fluid, organic lines inspired by the gestures of artisans.
The updated branding reinforces Awake’s mission of preserving traditional craftsmanship while presenting it in a contemporary context.
The collection also marks Awake’s latest exclusive luminous signature.
Rather than relying solely on conventional luminous components, the hands and hour markers combine Super-LumiNova BGW9 with steel caps finished using polished, brushed and engraved textures.
In the day, the lume remains discreet, preserving the aesthetic integrity of the guilloché and lacquer dials.
In darkness, a soft glow enhances the engraved patterns and lacquer surfaces, creating an atmospheric interplay of shadow and light that complements the artistic character of the watches.
The Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101 automatic calibre powers the watches.
Chosen for its reliability and modern performance, the movement offers a generous 68-hour power reserve.
It also features a newly developed custom tungsten oscillating weight with polished, brushed and micro-blasted finishes, combining technical sophistication with refined aesthetics.
The movement is framed by a redesigned ring engraved with Awake’s mission, “Illuminating the hands and heritage behind rare crafts,” alongside the brand slogan “Artisanship, Awakened.”
Completing the watches are handcrafted Alcantara straps produced by the French manufacturer Jean Rousseau.
Available in green, violet or orange, the straps feature coloured stitching, a rubber-lined calfskin underside and curved spring bars designed specifically for the new 38mm case.
They are paired with Awake’s new Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable pin buckle, allowing precise 3mm adjustments for improved comfort throughout the day.
Awake says this watch and its price point reinforce the brand’s mission of making exceptional craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and contemporary watchmaking available to a wider audience.
