Awake has always had a taste for graphic watchmaking, but the Son Mai Guilloché Main feels like a more mature statement from the young French brand. It keeps the approachable proportions and contemporary edge that made the name easy to like, then adds a dial programme built around hand craft rather than novelty.
The result is a compact automatic watch with colour, texture and a clear point of view. For collectors who want artisanal work without drifting into unreachable pricing, this is where the new collection becomes interesting.
At a glance
- Awake expands its Son Mai line with three limited Guilloché Main editions named Sunset, Alba and Borealis.
- The watches combine hand guilloché blanks with traditional Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer and a redesigned 38mm steel case.
- Each colourway is limited to 200 numbered pieces and priced at EUR 2,650 excluding VAT.
A craft-led shift for Awake
Founded in 2019 by lifelong watch enthusiast and collector Lilian Thibault, Awake first gained attention with meteorite dials, artist collaborations and a modern, accessible design language.
The Son Mai line marked a change of gear for the brand in 2024, moving the focus toward artisanal dial making and cultural technique.
With the Guilloché Main editions, Awake brings together two crafts that rarely meet at this price level.
The dial blanks are decorated by hand with guilloché by the Renzetti family in Italy, then finished in Vietnam using the traditional Son Mai lacquer technique.
The lacquered dial carries the collection
Sunset, Alba and Borealis each use a saturated gradient treatment across purple, red and green colour families, giving the collection a far more vivid personality than a conventional stamped or painted dial.
The lacquer is built up in multiple layers, with sanding and polishing between stages to create depth and gloss.
Because the guilloché sits beneath that lacquered surface, the pattern doesn’t simply reflect light in a decorative way. It gives the colour a sense of movement, with the dial shifting as the wrist turns.
The hour markers and hands are also more contemporary than traditional dress-watch furniture.
Their bases are made from Super-LumiNova BGW9, then capped with faceted polished steel overlays, so the watch keeps a crisp daytime look while glowing blue in low light.
A revised Awake logo at noon adds a softer calligraphic note, which suits the craft-led direction without making the dial feel old-fashioned.
A cleaner 38mm steel case
The redesigned stainless steel case measures 38mm across, 44.75mm lug to lug and 11.5mm thick including the crystal.
Those dimensions put it in the sweet spot for a modern daily-wear watch, especially for collectors who want presence without excess diameter.
The profile mixes polished and brushed surfaces, with a concave polished bezel, straight brushed flanks and stepped lugs picked out by polished bevels.
The screw-down crown is proportioned neatly and carries the Awake logo in relief, while sapphire crystals sit front and back.
Water resistance is rated to 100 metres, which gives the watch a practical edge that’s sometimes missing from craft-focused independents.
A La Joux-Perret calibre with real endurance
Inside, Awake uses the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, a calibre that has become an increasingly credible alternative to the familiar Swiss workhorses from ETA and Sellita.
It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has 24 jewels and offers a 68-hour power reserve.
The movement provides central hours, minutes and seconds, with hacking for more precise setting.
Through the display back, the customised tungsten rotor carries Awake branding, while the outer ring is engraved with the phrase “Illuminating The Hands And Heritage Behind Rare Crafts”.
Each watch is paired with a handmade Jean Rousseau Alcantara strap with rubberised calfskin lining and quick-release spring bars.
The new Fitwell M1 pin buckle adds around 3mm of micro-adjustment, a small but useful detail when the wrist expands during the day.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Awake |
|---|---|
| Model | Son Mai Guilloché Main |
| Colourways | Sunset, Alba, Borealis |
| Case size | 38mm diameter, 11.5mm thickness with crystal, 44.75mm lug to lug |
| Case material | 316L stainless steel with polished and brushed finishing |
| Crystal | Slightly domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, sapphire display back |
| Crown and caseback | Screw-down crown and screw-down caseback |
| Water resistance | 100 metres |
| Dial | Hand-guilloché base with Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer technique |
| Hands and markers | Super-LumiNova BGW9 bases with faceted polished steel overlays |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret G101 automatic |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour, 4Hz |
| Jewels | 24 |
| Power reserve | 68 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, hacking seconds |
| Rotor | Customised tungsten rotor |
| Strap | Jean Rousseau Alcantara strap with rubberised calfskin lining and quick-release spring bars |
| Buckle | Fitwell M1 stainless steel pin buckle with 3mm micro-adjustment |
| Production | 200 numbered pieces per colourway |
| First deliveries | First batch of 50 pieces scheduled for the end of June 2026 |
| Price | EUR 2,650 excluding VAT |
What makes the Son Mai Guilloché Main compelling is not a single headline detail, but the way its elements meet at a sensible scale.
It’s colourful, mechanically credible and culturally specific, without losing the day-to-day practicality of a steel automatic with 100 metres of water resistance and a strap that can be fine-tuned on the wrist.
