Awake's Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf Collection: Capturing Nature's Essence

Awake unveils its latest masterpieces, the Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf series, featuring three captivating designs: Blood Moon, Storm, and Lagoon. These exquisite timepieces showcase a blend of artistic craftsmanship and natural inspiration, continuing Awake's tradition of creating unique and vibrant watch dials. Each dial is a testament to the brand's commitment to traditional Vietnamese lacquering techniques, layering precious materials and pigments to evoke striking natural scenes. These new additions expand upon the award-winning Frosted Leaf technique, offering collectors both aesthetic beauty and horological distinction.

Since its inception in 2024, Awake has cultivated a dedicated following, particularly for its distinctive Sơn Mài dials. These intricate creations involve applying multiple layers of Vietnamese lacquer over silver leaf and natural pigments, a process that demands considerable time and precision. The brand's innovative Frosted Leaf technique, which debuted last year, garnered significant acclaim, securing two awards, including the prestigious first prize in the Jewellery and Artistic Crafts category at the 2025 Timepiece World Awards. This recognition underscored Awake's growing influence and its ability to merge traditional artistry with contemporary watchmaking. The inspiration for the new trio—Blood Moon, Storm, and Lagoon—stems from the ephemeral beauty of various natural spectacles, each meticulously preserved within the watch's dial.

The new Frosted Leaf watches are housed in Awake's recently redesigned 38mm stainless steel case, which was first unveiled in May. This updated case, measuring 38mm in diameter and 44.75mm from lug to lug, with an 11.5mm thickness (including the slightly domed sapphire crystal), offers a more refined and elegant profile compared to its predecessors. Its construction ensures robustness, boasting a water resistance of 100 meters, complemented by a secure screw-down crown. The case design features a polished concave bezel juxtaposed with satin-finished flanks, creating a sophisticated and harmonious aesthetic. Gently curved lugs contribute to enhanced wearability, ensuring the watch conforms comfortably to the wrist.

Each Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf dial represents a pinnacle of artistic expression, requiring approximately 15 hours of dedicated handcraftsmanship. The process begins with the collection of rare sap from the Rhus verniciflua tree, harvested exclusively at dawn in northern Vietnam, with each tree yielding a mere 200 ml annually. After dehydration, this precious sap is transformed into an artistic medium. Artisans meticulously apply successive layers of lacquer, embedding pure silver leaves and natural pigments. The dial is then painstakingly sanded and polished by hand until it achieves a remarkable depth and luminosity, with each piece becoming a unique interplay of light and color.

The "Blood Moon" dial vividly captures the drama of a total lunar eclipse, using deep black and intense red pigments to create a striking contrast. The integrated silver leaf scatters light, producing metallic flashes that mimic the moon's ethereal glow against a dark sky. The "Storm" variant is arguably the most dynamic of the collection, with layers of black and vibrant orange suggesting a sudden, powerful lightning strike. Its luminous quality seems to emanate from within, reflecting the fleeting intensity of a storm. The "Lagoon" model evokes the serene yet mysterious beauty of tropical waters, with translucent greens, turquoises, and cobalt blues layered over silver leaf. Light penetrates these successive coatings, revealing shifting optical effects and hidden depths, causing the dial's appearance to transform with every subtle change in angle.

All three versions integrate Awake’s refined, hand-applied luminous details. Super-LumiNova BGW9 is carefully placed beneath polished, brushed, and faceted steel indexes and hands. During daylight, the luminescence remains subtle, providing a discreet elegance. However, in low-light conditions, this gentle glow illuminates the dial, enhancing its intricate design and ensuring readability.

Powering these watches is the automatic La Joux-Perret G101 movement, known for its reliability and precision. This movement provides a substantial 68-hour power reserve and operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). A custom tungsten rotor, visible through the sapphire display on the case back, complements the bespoke rehaut, featuring polished, brushed, and bead-blasted finishes. The watches are paired with straps handcrafted in France by Maison Bouveret, made from nubuck calfskin in colors matching the dials—orange, red, or blue-green. Tone-on-tone topstitching and a rubberized lining ensure both durability and comfort. Additionally, Awake's new micro-adjustable buckle, with 3mm increments, guarantees a perfect fit for all-day wear.

These new additions are highly anticipated by enthusiasts and collectors alike. The inherent variability and rich texture achievable through the Sơn Mài process mean that each new release offers a fresh and exciting aesthetic. These three models—Blood Moon, Storm, and Lagoon—will be incorporated into Awake’s permanent collection, though their production will be limited to 100 pieces per model annually due to the intensive manual labor involved. Priced at €2,820, including taxes and worldwide shipping, these watches offer accessibility for such artistic craftsmanship. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in the final week of September 2026, with orders available through the official Awake website.