Awake is a brand you may have caught rumblings of on Oracle Time previously as we’ve included them in several guides and compilation articles, such as being among the best independent releases in Geneva earlier this month. However, this is the first article we’ve produced dedicated solely to the brand and one of their new releases, the Awake Sơn Mài Jurassic Watch. Discover the brand in person at Hands On Horology.
Awake is a French brand with their headquarters in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland. The name comes from the belief that 21st century life is too centred on the urban and industrial, that we need to wake-up to reality and re-learn how to appreciate beauty for beauty’s sake. Hence their focus on dynamic lacquer dials using traditional Vietnamese methods. The Awake Sơn Mài Jurassic Watch follows in this tradition with a twist.
It’s the first watch in a brand new series called “A Tribute To The Seventh Art”, the Seventh Art being cinema and moviemaking according to a quote by Ricciotto Canudo in 1921. What that means in practical terms is that each watch in the series will be dedicated to a famous and iconic movie, reigniting that childlike appreciation we all experience the first time we watch these legendary films. Though there’s no prizes for guessing which film inspired the Jurassic Watch… Jurassic Park. The answer is Jurassic Park.
There are two watches in the Jurassic Watch collection, the T-Rex and the Raptors. Each features the Sơn Mài’s signature Vietnamese lacquer dial with a rich and enticing gradient. The colours are based on the irises of their titular dinosaur from the film, though with the saturation turned all the way up. Meaning the T-Rex is a fiery orange while the Raptors is an iridescent lime green.
In isolation those colours could refer to any number of themes and concepts but what ties them to dinosaurs in particular are the claw slash marks at 6 o’clock. Three for the Raptors and two for the T-Rex. Also, the hour markers look somewhat like pointed teeth although they are just the regular style from the rest of the collection. The use of pointed, jagged elements on the display creates a sort of sharp aesthetic that makes it feel like danger is imminent. Lost in the tropical jungle being hunted by a pack of velociraptors that contains at least one clever girl.
Speaking of the jungle, the caseback features a laser engraved jungle motif with fern-like plants. You’ll also find quotes from the film engraved as well. “Life Finds a Way” from Dr. Ian Malcolm on the Raptors and “Spared No Expense” from John Hammond on the T-Rex. The movement that’s on display is the La Joux-Perret G101, the current darling of the watch industry with a 68-hour power reserve.
For the straps, Awake have opted for something slightly unusual in the form of coloured salmon leather from the brand Ictyos. The scaled texture feels reptilian in nature, building on the dinosaur theme. It might be exposing too much about myself but as a child I had a dinosaur costume that I would wear to visit the Natural History Museum so… These watches are right up my street.
In terms of availability and price, there are 50 of each colourway available at a price of €2,075 excl. taxes (approx. £1,780). On top of that, one of the 100 watches will comes with an extra gift in a Wonka golden ticket style giveaway. A genuine Carcharodontosaurus tooth measuring 10cm in length with a certificate of authenticity. The specific tooth comes from a dig site at Kem Kem in Morocco. A really cool extra gift for one lucky collector. Buy a watch, receive a fossil, what’s not to love?
Price and Specs:
More details at Awake.
At last, a watch that actually looks like a watch and allows ease of checking the time. The previous reviews of the same date (the Garrick and the Panerai) makes me wonder if makers are losing the plot and modus operandi relating to watches.
Anyway, to these two new beauties. They are both gorgeous, and choosing between the two is an almost impossible task (but at that price point, why agonize, buy both).
I can normally find a niggle or two with most watches, but not with these. Highly coloured dials are not my thing, but these just ooze elegance with a touch of fun.
Pity about the limited availability (my only negative point to list).