Awake has rapidly become one of the powerhouses of microbrand design thanks to their distinctive approach to dial design using traditional Vietnamese lacquer. However, like all microbrands known for a niche, they risk becoming stagnant by revisiting the same concepts over and over. Fortunately, they’re being very clever by finding new and interesting ways to explore these lacquer techniques with each collection. For example, while the standard Sơn Mài Silver Leaf and Frosted Leaf editions use similar techniques, they feel very different. That experimentation continues with the new Awake Sơn Mài Fragments.
We were given a quick preview of the Sơn Mài Fragments amid the madness of Geneva Watch Days back in September. Not long enough for a full review but enough to remember some key first impressions. The resounding impression being simply ‘wow’. It might sound cliché or cheesy but it’s true. The Fragments, particularly the purple edition (officially called pink), feel totally unlike any other dial I’ve seen, and I tend to see quite a lot of them.
The three versions, purple, green and blue, are produced using the same technique but with subtle differences. The technique in question comes not from Vietnam but Japan and is called Raden. It means setting fragments of mother-of-pearl, ivory or shell into a lacquer surface. Here Awake have opted for mother-of-pearl set into their signature Vietnamese lacquer, but the key is that they’ve used fragments of different sizes for each edition.
The green has very fine fragments that almost give the impression of scales, the blue then has slightly larger fragments and the purple has big flecks that look almost like crystalline structures that give it an appearance of being a nebula or galaxy rather than simple mother-of-pearl. Of course, as each dial is produced by hand, there will be a huge variance even within a single colour series and these observations are based on those preview models we saw in Geneva. It’s hard not to be in awe of the richness of colour, clarity of lacquer and shine of the mother-of-pearl.
In terms of the overall case design, movement and dial layout it’s a case of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s the standard Sơn Mài design in steel measuring 39mm in diameter housing the La Joux-Perret G101 movement with 68-hour power reserve. The indexes are sharply pointed and backlit by a Super-LumiNova base, as are the central hands. What is a little different to previous collections though is that it’s presented on leather straps from Maison Jean Rousseau with Alcantara linings in colours to match the dials.
Each of the Awake Sơn Mài Fragments colours is a limited edition of 100 pieces priced at €2,250 excl. tax (approx. £1,980). That’s roughly £250 more than the aforementioned Silver Leaf models, which feels like an appropriate increase given the swap to this gorgeous Raden technique.
Price and Specs:
More details at Awake.
