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French watch brand Awake has entered a new phase with the Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection, introducing a new 38 mm case architecture and combining two traditional crafts never before united in watchmaking – hand guilloché and Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer. The collection consists of three limited editions – Sunset, Alba, and Borealis – each capped at 200 pieces and inspired by natural atmospheric light phenomena.
For the guilloché work, Awake collaborated with Italy’s historic Renzetti workshop, one of the last ateliers still practising true hand guilloché using original 19th-century straight-line and rose-engine lathes. Artisans manually engrave hundreds of microscopic grooves into the dial surface, with each pattern developed specifically for its theme – the Sunset features a flowing drapé-moiré motif inspired by ocean waves, Alba uses a helical structure symbolising rising energy, and Borealis incorporates radiant lines evoking the northern lights.
After engraving in Italy, the dials travel to Vietnam for the traditional Sơn Mài lacquer process using lacquer derived from the Rhus verniciflua tree. Multiple ultra-thin pigmented lacquer layers are applied and polished entirely by hand, with each dial requiring roughly 15 hours of work. The lacquer preserves and amplifies the guilloché textures beneath, creating changing reflections and depth under different lighting conditions. Additionally, the dial includes the brand's proprietary capped Super-LumiNova BGW9 hands and indices, designed to remain discreet in daylight while softly illuminating the dial textures at night.
The watches are crafted in redesigned stainless steel cases with polished and brushed finishes, completed with a concave bezel, domed sapphire crystal, stepped lugs, and 100-metre water resistance.
Powering the collection is the Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101 automatic calibre with a 68-hour power reserve, fitted with a custom tungsten rotor featuring brushed, polished, and micro-blasted finishing.
The watches are paired with handcrafted Jean Rousseau Alcantara straps closed with the new Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable buckle.
Each model of the Awake Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection is priced at approx. INR 3,55,000.
Images: Courtesy Awake
French watch brand Awake has entered a new phase with the Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection, introducing a new 38 mm case architecture and combining two traditional crafts never before united in watchmaking – hand guilloché and Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer. The collection consists of three limited editions – Sunset, Alba, and Borealis – each capped at 200 pieces and inspired by natural atmospheric light phenomena.
For the guilloché work, Awake collaborated with Italy’s historic Renzetti workshop, one of the last ateliers still practising true hand guilloché using original 19th-century straight-line and rose-engine lathes. Artisans manually engrave hundreds of microscopic grooves into the dial surface, with each pattern developed specifically for its theme – the Sunset features a flowing drapé-moiré motif inspired by ocean waves, Alba uses a helical structure symbolising rising energy, and Borealis incorporates radiant lines evoking the northern lights.
After engraving in Italy, the dials travel to Vietnam for the traditional Sơn Mài lacquer process using lacquer derived from the Rhus verniciflua tree. Multiple ultra-thin pigmented lacquer layers are applied and polished entirely by hand, with each dial requiring roughly 15 hours of work. The lacquer preserves and amplifies the guilloché textures beneath, creating changing reflections and depth under different lighting conditions. Additionally, the dial includes the brand's proprietary capped Super-LumiNova BGW9 hands and indices, designed to remain discreet in daylight while softly illuminating the dial textures at night.
The watches are crafted in redesigned stainless steel cases with polished and brushed finishes, completed with a concave bezel, domed sapphire crystal, stepped lugs, and 100-metre water resistance.
Powering the collection is the Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101 automatic calibre with a 68-hour power reserve, fitted with a custom tungsten rotor featuring brushed, polished, and micro-blasted finishing.
The watches are paired with handcrafted Jean Rousseau Alcantara straps closed with the new Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable buckle.
Each model of the Awake Sơn Mài – Guilloché Main collection is priced at approx. INR 3,55,000.
Images: Courtesy Awake
