Awake has built much of its recent identity around dial craft, and the Son Mai Frosted Leaf Royal Blue pushes that idea into warmer, richer territory.
The new limited edition brings pure gold leaf into the brand’s Vietnamese lacquer work for the first time, pairing it with deep blue pigments and a restrained 38mm steel case.
It’s a watch that leans into texture without losing sight of wearability.
At a glance
- Awake has introduced the Son Mai Frosted Leaf Royal Blue as a 200-piece limited edition.
- The dial combines Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer, natural blue pigments and pure gold leaf in a layered frosted finish.
- The watch is priced at EUR 3,000, with deliveries scheduled from September 2026.
A Royal Blue Son Mai dial with gold leaf
The centrepiece here is the dial, which uses Awake’s Son Mai lacquer approach in a new layered construction.
Vietnamese lacquer and natural blue pigments are built up with pure gold leaf, then sealed, brushed and gently sanded by hand to create a frosted surface with visible depth.
Awake describes the construction as a kind of mille-feuille, and that idea makes sense visually.
Rather than sitting flat under the crystal, the blue seems to shift through layers, with the gold leaf giving the finish a warmer shimmer than the silver leaf treatments seen on earlier Frosted Leaf pieces.
The technique also gives the watch a more decorative character without making the dial feel crowded.
That balance matters, because textured dials can quickly become too theatrical when paired with overly elaborate hands or markers.
Clean legibility around a textured surface
Awake has kept the furniture relatively calm, using steel-capped hands and indexes with luminous inserts.
The Super-LumiNova BGW9 brings a blue glow in low light, which suits the lacquer tone rather than fighting against it.
The dial also carries Awake’s updated handwritten logo, a softer branding choice that feels more in tune with the artisanal surface beneath it.
It’s a small detail, but on a watch where the dial does most of the talking, the typography needs to stay quiet.
A compact steel case and an upgraded strap
The Son Mai Frosted Leaf Royal Blue is housed in a 38mm stainless-steel case measuring 11.5mm thick.
Polished and brushed surfaces give the case a conventional but neatly finished frame, while the domed sapphire crystal and downward-curving lugs help keep the profile balanced.
A slimmer screw-down crown adds to the cleaner impression, and the sapphire caseback shows the automatic La Joux-Perret G101 inside.
The movement runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a useful 68-hour power reserve, making it more practical than many decorative independents in this price band.
Awake pairs the watch with a blue Alcantara strap made by Jean Rousseau, finished with tone-on-tone stitching, a rubberised calfskin lining and curved quick-release spring bars.
The brand’s Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable pin buckle is a practical touch, allowing small sizing changes without swapping holes or reaching for a tool.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Awake |
|---|---|
| Model | Son Mai Frosted Leaf Royal Blue |
| Case size | 38mm |
| Case thickness | 11.5mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire crystal |
| Dial | Handcrafted Vietnamese Son Mai blue lacquer with pure gold leaf gilding and frosted Glacis finish |
| Lume | Super-LumiNova BGW9 on hands and indexes |
| Movement | Automatic La Joux-Perret G101 |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | 68 hours |
| Caseback | Sapphire, displaying tungsten rotor with polished, brushed and micro-blasted finishes |
| Strap | Blue Alcantara by Jean Rousseau with rubberised calfskin lining and quick-release spring bars |
| Buckle | Awake Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable pin buckle |
| Edition | Limited to 200 pieces |
| Availability | Deliveries from September 2026 |
| Price | EUR 3,000, including taxes and shipping |
The Son Mai Frosted Leaf Royal Blue feels aimed at collectors who like artisanal dial work but still want a watch that’s modest in size and easy to wear.
At EUR 3,000, its appeal rests less on spectacle alone and more on the way Awake has folded a traditional lacquer craft into a modern independent watch with credible everyday mechanics.
