Key takeaways
• AWAKE has launched the Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection, marking the first time these two ancestral crafts from Europe and Vietnam have been combined in watchmaking.
• The collection features three limited editions—Alba, Sunset, and Borealis—each limited to 200 pieces and inspired by celestial phenomena like the Northern Lights and incandescent dawns.
• The watches introduce a new 38 mm case design powered by the Swiss La Joux-Perret G101 caliber with a 68-hour power reserve, retailing for €2,650 excluding taxes.
AWAKE reaches a new milestone with the introduction of a 38 mm case, at the heart of a new collection that, for the very first time in watchmaking, brings together two exceptional crafts rooted in centuries of tradition and spanning two continents: Guilloché Main and Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer.
In a distinctly contemporary approach true to AWAKE, the artisan’s hand lies at the core of each creation, giving rise to three limited editions of 200 pieces each. Their dials, rich in both technical and aesthetic depth, draw inspiration from the colors and reflections of celestial phenomena.
These two ancestral techniques engage in a powerful dialogue, creating rare depth and harmoniously blending tradition with modernity, making each watch a singular piece designed for enthusiasts seeking emotion and exceptional craftsmanship.
Key Information
Two Métiers d’Art brought together for the first time in watchmaking: Guilloché Main and Sơn Mài lacquer.
3 limited editions: inspired by celestial phenomena, each numbered to 200 pieces.
New 38 mm case: perfectly balanced, with refined proportions and a strong sense of elegance.
New handwritten logo: with fluid, organic lines that pay tribute to the gesture of artisans.
Swiss La Joux-Perret calibers: offering a 68-hour power reserve and fitted with our new oscillating weight.
Jean Rousseau straps: crafted in Alcantara and fitted with our new micro-adjustable pin buckle.
An Unparalleled Value Proposition: that brings together aesthetic excellence, horological quality, artisanal craftsmanship, and pure emotion, all offered at €2,650 (excl. taxes).
Two Exceptional Crafts United for the First Time
At AWAKE, Métiers d’Art transcend the mere function of timekeeping to become a true cultural language, inviting a slower, more conscious perception of time – deeply rooted in gesture and material. With the Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection, AWAKE brings together for the first time in watchmaking two exceptional crafts drawn from rare and demanding traditions: traditional Guilloché Main, perpetuated in Italy by the Renzetti family using historic 19th-century machines entirely guided by human skill, and the ancestral Vietnamese art of Sơn Mài lacquer, a national heritage requiring patience, dexterity, and a keen eye for detail.
From this encounter emerges a subtle dialogue between heritage and modernity, where precision meets material richness, and the long time of craftsmanship intersects with a contemporary creative vision. This unique alliance gives rise to singular creations, marked by the authenticity of gestures and the richness of cultures. More than objects, each dial becomes a work of art – an expression of rare excellence and a deep commitment to transmission and creation.
“This new collection embodies a bold and deliberate ambition: to make AWAKE a meeting ground for artisans from around the world, united in a shared pursuit of excellence and harmony.”
Lilian Thibault – Founder of AWAKE
The Art of Guilloché Main: Authenticity and Craft Excellence
For the creation of our dials, we collaborate with the Renzetti family, one of the last European workshops dedicated to Guilloché Main – heirs to an exceptional craft considered one of the most demanding forms of watchmaking artistry, learned from masters such as Peter Carl Fabergé and passed down from generation to generation since the late 19th century. To create the patterns for our three versions, master guillocheurs operate entirely by hand, using historic machines such as the straight-line engine and the rose engine, both requiring absolute mastery of gesture.
The artisan simultaneously controls the rotation of the dial with one hand and the cutting tool with the other, sculpting fine grooves into the metal for the “Alba,” “Sunset,” and “Borealis” versions, ranging from flowing lines to circular forms. Each dial is unique – the hundreds of engraved grooves varying from one piece and one artisan to another – and reveals patterns of incomparable depth and brilliance, where aesthetics, craftsmanship, and emotion converge. This long, meticulous process, in which even the slightest mistake requires starting over, demands many years of practice and reflects an exceptional level of artisanal mastery and quality unique to fine watchmaking.
The Ancestral Art of Sơn Mài: Unrivaled Depth and Brilliance
To enhance our Guilloché Main dials, we pair them with the ancestral Vietnamese art of Sơn Mài lacquer, renowned for its depth and unique reflective qualities. We continue our collaboration with one of Vietnam’s most prestigious workshops, where master lacquerers perpetuate a traditional craft that demands precision, patience, and dexterity, while also opening it up to more contemporary expressions. Derived from the rare sap of the Rhus Verniciflua tree and carefully harvested, the lacquer is then purified and enriched with natural pigments to create the deep, intense color gradients of our dials.
Applied in multiple ultra-thin layers and meticulously polished, this natural lacquer reveals a smooth surface of remarkable visual intensity. This long and demanding process, based on highly controlled gestures, gives the three versions of this collection their exceptional richness and brilliance. As the work progresses, the lacquer enhances and freezes the brilliance and depth of the guilloché patterns for eternity, turning each dial into a true work of art – captivating, refined, and subtly evolving with the light, reflecting our commitment to craftsmanship and creation.
Three Versions Inspired by Celestial Phenomena
The arts of Guilloché Main and Sơn Mài lacquer require a keen sense of aesthetics and proportion, as well as great creativity to imagine and bring to life the patterns and textures of this collection’s dials. Inspired by the colors and reflections of celestial phenomena, “Sunset,” “Alba,” and “Borealis” reveal refined, elegant, and timeless designs that play with light, embodying an artistic vision and a constant attention to detail shared by our artisans. Each dial bears witness to their ongoing pursuit of beauty and their commitment to preserving tradition by elevating it to the level of art.
“Sunset” – Ocean Sunset: The “Sunset” dial is distinguished by a rare and elegant drapé-moiré Guilloché Main pattern, inherited from the 1930s. Handcrafted in Italy using a straight-line engine lathe, it evokes the undulations of the ocean through approximately 100 precisely engraved grooves. This first stage, requiring strong artistic sensitivity and skill, is followed by a long and meticulous application of Sơn Mài lacquer in Hanoi. Multiple layers of natural lacquer, enriched with pigments, are applied and then polished to reveal depth and transparency. Shades of pink, violet, and blue bring the guilloché pattern to life, forming a gradient inspired by a sunset. Of exceptional finesse and requiring no fewer than 15 hours of work, this dial embodies the meeting of two crafts and cultures in a richly accomplished creation.
“Alba” – Incandescent Dawn: The “Alba” version draws inspiration from the energy of an incandescent sunrise, expressed through a Guilloché Main dial with a helical pattern that symbolizes momentum and vitality. Crafted in Italy on a traditional guilloché lathe, operated and guided by the artisan’s hand, this intricate motif – composed of around one hundred perfect grooves – requires a high level of precision and dexterity. Once guilloché, the dial is sent to Hanoi to be elevated through Sơn Mài lacquer, enriched with natural pigments and applied in multiple layers. This complete process, lasting approximately fifteen hours, brings the dial’s unique patterns to life and enhances them with a deep gradient and vibrant reflections evoking the warmth of the rising sun. Balancing visual intensity with artisanal finesse, each piece embodies the meeting of two crafts and cultures in an exceptional miniature creation.
“Borealis” – Captivating Northern Lights: This version draws inspiration from the Northern Lights, interpreted through a Guilloché Main “radiant” pattern with fluid, vibrant lines, crafted in Italy on a traditional lathe. A work of goldsmith-like precision, it demands subtlety, accuracy, and complete mastery of gesture. The dial is then elevated in Vietnam through multiple layers of pure lacquer enriched with natural pigments, following the ancestral Sơn Mài technique. This entire process, lasting approximately fifteen hours, creates a deeply textured motif enhanced by a unique color gradient and material effect. In the light, the dial comes alive with shifting, almost otherworldly reflections that evoke the magic of the aurora borealis. This exceptional piece embodies the meeting of two cultures and crafts in a miniature creation of remarkable aesthetic richness.
New 38 mm Case and Refined Identity
This new collection marks a major evolution, driven by the introduction of a 38 mm case with more refined proportions and a strong sense of elegance. Perfectly balanced, it captivates with its polished concave bezel that gives the dial full prominence, its gently domed sapphire crystal, and its slightly downward-curving lugs extended by a subtle step, evoking the aesthetics of the 1960s while maintaining a distinctly contemporary presence. The interplay between polished surfaces and brushed flanks highlights this controlled modernity. At the same time, the slightly redesigned screw-down crown – now ensuring water resistance up to 10 ATM – is adorned with a new emblem symbolizing our commitment to craftsmanship. On the case back, a reworked ring, more legible and authentic, engraves this vision into the material.
Beyond design, this collection asserts a renewed identity through a handwritten logo with fluid, organic lines, paying tribute to the artisan’s gesture. More than an aesthetic evolution, it reflects a deeper intention: to place tradition, savoir-faire, and Métiers d’Art at the heart of a contemporary expression. Accompanied by an emblem evoking transmission and intercultural dialogue, this ensemble embodies a sensitive and committed vision, where every detail celebrates the richness of artisanal heritage and our determination to preserve it.
Between Shadow and Light: Exclusive Luminous Signature
This new collection features our exclusive luminous signature, designed to combine innovation, elegance, and emotion, while enhancing the depth of both Guilloché Main and Sơn Mài lacquer dials, by day and by night. The hands and indices feature an innovative construction combining Super-LumiNova® BGW9 with steel caps finished in polished, brushed, and finely engraved textures, ensuring subtle light diffusion and clear legibility without compromising the dial’s integrity. In daylight, discretion is prioritized, while in darkness the luminescence fully reveals its intensity. A soft halo then emerges, poetically highlighting the lacquer and guilloché main work, creating an immersive atmosphere between shadow and light, where technique and emotion converge.
Swiss G101 Caliber by La Joux-Perret
To ensure reliability and performance for our clients, we have chosen to equip these three versions with the G101 automatic movement from the Swiss manufacturer La Joux-Perret. A modern, precise caliber with refined finishing, it offers a 68-hour power reserve and features our newly developed custom oscillating weight. Machined from a solid block of tungsten, it combines recessed and raised surfaces and benefits from a high level of finishing – polished, brushed, and micro-blasted surfaces – giving the whole a presence that is both technical and elegant. The assembly is framed by a redesigned ring, more legible and more authentic, engraved with our mission: “Illuminating the hands and heritage behind rare crafts” as well as the brand slogan: “Artisanship, Awakened.”
Jean Rousseau Straps – New Adjustable Buckle
To elevate this collection, we collaborate with the Jean Rousseau manufacture, which shares our exacting standards of quality, comfort, and customer experience. Each strap, available in green, violet, or orange, is designed for everyday wear and handcrafted in Alcantara – a remarkable material that will develop a unique patina over time, revealing its full character. Meticulously designed down to the finest detail, they combine refined finishing, colored stitching, and a rubber-lined calfskin underside, while integrating curved spring bars tailored to the 38 mm case for a perfect fit. They are fitted with our new Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable pin buckle, offering precise 3 mm incremental adjustments for optimal comfort throughout the day. A technical yet refined ensemble, designed for discerning enthusiasts, where every detail enhances the everyday wearing experience. Dimensions: 115 x 75 – 20/16.
An Unparalleled Value Proposition
Unique, hand-crafted dials conceived as true works of art, combining for the first time two ancestral techniques never before united, an exclusive and innovative luminous signature, a renowned Swiss caliber, and straps handcrafted in France, all offered at €2,650 (excl. taxes). True to our vision, we work relentlessly to deliver, within our price segment, a truly distinctive offering that brings together aesthetic excellence, horological quality, artisanal craftsmanship, and pure emotion.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
3 References:
Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main « Alba », « Sunset », « Borealis » : Limited and numbered editions of 200 pieces per dial
Case: 316L stainless steel
Diameter: 38 mm
Lug-to-lug: 44.75 mm
Lug width: 20 mm
Thickness: 11.50 mm including crystal / 10mm excluding crystal
Métiers d’Art dials: 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, AWAKE’s exclusive “capped” luminous signature
Water resistance: 10 ATM (100m)
Crystal: anti-reflective sapphire
Case back: screw-down with sapphire crystal
Movement: automatic La Joux-Perret G101 – 68-hour power reserve
Finishing: custom tungsten rotor with alternating recessed and raised surfaces, featuring brushed, micro-blasted, and polished finishes; micro-blasted chapter ring engraved in relief
Strap: Jean Rousseau – Alcantara (green, violet, or orange), rubberized calf lining, colored stitching, curved quick-release spring bars, fitted with a new adjustable pin buckle
Warranty: 3-year international warranty
Retail Price (excl. taxes): 2,650 EUROS (€)
Delivery: Batch 1 of 50 pieces, end of June 2026 / Batch 2 of 100 pieces, September 2026…
Distribution: https://awakewatches.com
Retailers: https://awakewatches.com/pages/points-of-sale
