British manufacturers get loads of protection nowadays, however the French are pushing simply as laborious and delivering unimaginable timepieces. AWAKE, launched in 2019, has simply introduced a watch that reveals a real evolution of the model. AWAKE’s first few collections all used the identical case and featured meteorite, NASA, and doodles. Add an Alain Silberstein collab and also you’ve obtained a model that’s having loads of enjoyable however maybe not taking issues critically. The latest Summetria releases with stamped guilloche steered the start of an evolution right into a extra severe model. Now, now we have the proof: the AWAKE Sơn Mài the model’s first everlasting assortment, with a completely new case and a home made lacquer dial with silver leaf gilding.
As is true of all AWAKE watches, the case is constructed from recycled supplies. Whereas earlier fashions have relied on titanium, the Sơn Màiuses recycled 316L metal, which is polished all through apart from the case band, which incorporates a crisp brushed end. The case measures a really wearable 39mm with an 11.8mm thickness and a really modest 45.6mm lug-to-lug. 39mm, I feel, is quick changing into the gold normal of wearability. Some will bemoan this, nevertheless it’s a contented center floor between too huge and too small, and we’re seeing it because the go-to sizing for brand new releases from small manufacturers. Whether or not you’re on board or not, my 7-inch wrist had no downside with the match. The watch is accomplished with a sapphire crystal with AR coating and a pull-out crown with the AWAKE emblem. The case gives 50m of water resistance, which I really feel is completely sufficient for this fashion of watch.
The silhouette of the case has a comparatively flat line to it, however most notable are the refined protuberances that type the beginnings of the lugs. These are suggestive of welded lugs you may see on a way more costly product, they usually telegraph such luxurious with out commanding the identical worth. It’s a pleasant refined design component that provides each character and refinement to the watch. Relating to the aspects and ending, I feel the transition between the polished high and polished chamfer might have been extra well-defined, and that these small bumps may’ve been made a bit sharper as they appear comfortable from the highest down.
For the straps, AWAKE has enlisted fanatic darling Delugs, geared up with customized tang buckles with cutout sides and a mixture of brushed and polished surfaces. For those who’ve skilled Delugs straps, you realize they’re top of the range, and that’s actually the case right here. The 20mm pale gray nubuck leather-based strap included on the AWAKE Son Mai Amethyst permits the dial to shine and has a rubber lining that permits all-day consolation. I’ve half a thoughts to choose up some extra after sporting this for a bit.
Whereas I’m actually glad to see AWAKE introduce a brand new case design, the Sơn Mài is undoubtedly all concerning the dial. Supplied within the Amethyst seen right here in addition to inexperienced Emerald, pink Laval, and Outre Blue, the dials mix two artisanal strategies to realize their shade and texture. The dial incorporates a particular sort of Vietnamese lacquer referred to as Sơn Mài, which sees the bottom coat of lacquer dried then sanded and polished to realize clean surfaces. A layer of silver leaves is then positioned and stuck with a brush, adopted by the addition of the pure shade pigments and extra coats of lacquer. AWAKE informs that that is an “historical artwork” and one in all Vietnam’s most prized conventional inventive practices. That’s all good and properly, however what issues is the top end result, and right here I feel AWAKE delivers one thing fairly lovely, with a pink-purple dial with a various texture that captures the sunshine for a wide selection of hues.
There are primarily two different components to the dial: the indices and palms and the emblem. I’ll discuss concerning the emblem first. After I reviewed the Tissot PRX Carbon a number of weeks in the past, some commenters talked about the utilized polished emblem and the way it appeared low cost. I feel the identical is true right here of the “AWAKE” on the dial. It simply doesn’t jibe with the sophistication of the Sơn Mài, and I feel it will’ve been an incredible alternative to make use of the AWAKE graphic emblem, which is already used on the crown. However the extra intriguing half is the palms and indices. AWAKE has taken a novel strategy that sees the palms and indices backlit by lume. What’s happening is that polished indices and palms are resting on molded Tremendous-LumiNova, creating the phantasm that the indices themselves are glowing. You do lose among the brightness that you just’d get from a standard lume software, however I feel the impact is properly price it. To make sure, I discovered myself going out of my strategy to see the lume glowing from beneath.
For the brand new Sơn Mài collection, Awake has made the soar to Swiss actions. After releasing three collections that used Miyota’s 9000 collection actions, Awake has pushed upmarket to La Joux-Perret. Whereas LJP actions are a part of the identical household as Miyota, they’ve higher specs and the vaunted Swiss Made label. Right here, Awake has used the La Joux-Perret G101, the no-date model of the manufacture’s base G100 motion. The G101 gives hand-winding, hacking, and a 68-hour energy reserve at 28,800 vph. These conversant in the whir Miyota actions can count on a little bit of the identical right here, because the G101 additionally options unidirectional winding. Personally, I didn’t thoughts it. Whereas the model isn’t clear, it seems that it has gone for the upgraded soignée execution of the G101, which brings Côtes de Genève striping on the plates and tungsten rotor, in addition to upgraded accuracy adjusted in 4 positions to -/+7 seconds per day.
I don’t suppose there’s ever a time after I don’t wish to see manufacturers evolving. I don’t need AWAKE to cease having enjoyable, and I don’t suppose the Sơn Mài represents a model pivot in direction of extra “severe” watches. However I do wish to see this progress, and I see a chance for the model to create two distinct silos for its watches: refined and informal. With the Sơn Mài, the groundwork has been set to construct out a household of polished, engaging timepieces that may act as a counterpoint to the watches that preceded it. The AWAKE Sơn Mài is priced at $2,150 USD. For extra data, please go to the AWAKE web site.
