Awake

Son Mai - Silver Leaf Classics
NEU - Awake Son Mai Fragments
Son Mai - Year of the Sssnake
Son Mai - Vignette
Son Mai - Frosted Leaf
Son Mai - Jurassic Watch Project - sold out
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Son Mai - Silver Leaf Classics

NEU - Awake Son Mai Fragments

NEU - Awake Son Mai Fragments

Son Mai - Year of the Sssnake

Son Mai - Vignette

Son Mai - Vignette

Son Mai - Frosted Leaf

Son Mai - Jurassic Watch Project - sold out

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The watch brand AWAKE

Since its founding, AWAKE has embodied an approach to watchmaking comparable to " slow fashion " or " slow food ." Naturalness and the creation of lasting value are paramount. Attention is drawn to the beauty that surrounds us—whether formed by nature or created by human hands. AWAKE strives to push the boundaries of modern watchmaking and offer enthusiasts and collectors around the world unique and emotive timepieces with its creations.

AWAKE develops its watches the way one writes a story – with calm and concentration, with inspiration and, above all, with time.
Each creation is an invitation to explore, to pause and lose yourself in the elaborately designed dials.

In an increasingly urbanized and hyper-connected world where life seems to race, AWAKE aims to offer a temporal and philosophical pause – a moment in which we can refocus on what is truly important to us and what we want to preserve.

Son Mai

THE ART OF LAQUERWORK

From tree to timepiece: a ritual of patience

Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer is a complex and demanding technique perfected over centuries. The lacquer is painstakingly extracted from a specific Vietnamese lacquer tree. Only 200 ml of base material is extracted from each tree. The lacquer is polished layer by layer to achieve unparalleled depth and a mirror-like shine. This process is very slow and demanding, requiring tireless attention, great skill, and absolute precision from the artisans.

For the Jurassic T-Rex and Raptor collection, AWAKE's master painter drew inspiration from the cinematic irises of these prehistoric animals, creating unique colors used exclusively for this special edition.

The techniques introduced in the "Sơn Mài" collection give the dials extraordinary depth and reflection thanks to multiple layers of lacquer, natural pigments, and the shimmering effect of silver leaf. A meticulous, artisanal process that captures the gaze of these creatures.

Each Son Mai dial is unique, inviting the eye to linger and lose itself in the light reflections, colors, and textures.

It all begins in the northern forests of Vietnam with the sap of the Rhus verniciflua tree.

This natural lacquer, prized for its exceptional luster, is harvested with care – but only in very small quantities: just 200 ml can be collected from a tree over 10 years old.

The lacquer is collected early in the morning during the humid months of June and July. After extraction, it is refined, filtered, and dried to obtain the precious transparent base for the lacquer.

Natural pigments selected for their depth and vibrancy are blended into this base to create the rich shades that define the Sơn Mài collection.

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Each dial begins with a base coat of pure silver leaf, applied by hand – a luminous canvas for what is to come.

Dozens of layers of lacquer are then applied with elegance and precision.

After each application, the varnish must dry under very specific humidity conditions (80% humidity is ideal) so that it can harden and develop its characteristic durability and luminosity.

Each layer is then carefully sanded and polished to a high shine before the next layer is applied – a meditative process that can take several weeks.

As the layers build up, the lacquer reveals its essence: vibrant, expressive, and constantly evolving. The dial gains depth, luster, and character, literally becoming a landscape of time.