Awake has introduced the Son Mai Guilloché trilogy, a three-watch extension of its lacquer-focused collection that brings traditional Vietnamese Son Mai finishing together with hand-guilloché engraving.
The launch continues the French independent brand’s shift from its earlier space-inspired watches toward craft-led watchmaking, with each colourway limited to 200 numbered pieces.
Vietnamese lacquer over Italian engine turning
The dials are produced with Hanoia, the Vietnamese lacquer atelier responsible for the Son Mai work, then paired with guilloché patterns cut in Italy by the Renzetti family on 19th-century lathes.
That combination gives the dials a layered character, with the engraved metal surface adding movement beneath the translucent lacquer rather than sitting as decoration on top.
Sunset uses a purple, pink and blue gradient over a drape-moiré pattern with vertical wave-like movement.
Alba is the warmest of the three, using orange sunrise tones over a helical motif that radiates from the centre of the dial.
Borealis is the most electric option, combining acid green, light green and yellow lacquer over a flowing radial pattern meant to evoke the Northern Lights.
A smaller case with stronger everyday credentials
The Son Mai Guilloché models arrive in a revised stainless steel case measuring 38mm across, 11.5mm thick including the crystal and 44.75mm from lug to lug.
Compared with the earlier 39mm Son Mai case, the new profile is more compact, with a rounded concave bezel, shorter lugs, brushed flanks and polished upper surfaces.
A screw-down crown helps lift water resistance to 100 metres, which makes the watch feel more practical than its metiers d’art dial might suggest.
The halo-like luminous signature returns
Awake keeps one of its most distinctive details for this trilogy, using hands and indices built from a thin Super-LumiNova BGW9 base capped with faceted polished steel.
The effect is less like conventional lume paint and more like light escaping from beneath the metal components, giving the dial a glowing outline in low light.
A La Joux-Perret movement and Jean Rousseau straps
Inside is the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic calibre, a 4Hz three-hand movement with hacking seconds, 24 jewels and a 68-hour power reserve.
The movement is visible through the sapphire caseback and is fitted with a customised tungsten rotor.
Each watch is delivered on a colour-matched Jean Rousseau Alcantara strap with rubberised calfskin lining, quick-release spring bars and Awake’s new Fitwell M1 pin buckle with 3mm of micro-adjustment.
The Awake Son Mai Guilloché Sunset, Alba and Borealis are priced at EUR 2,650 excluding tax, with the first batch of 50 pieces scheduled for delivery at the end of June 2026.
For collectors drawn to craft but wary of overly precious watches, this trilogy makes a strong case by placing serious dial work in a wearable, water-resistant and comparatively accessible package.
