Introducing Awake Launches the Sơn Mài Fragments Collection

Since its founding in 2019, AWAKE has stood apart as an independent brand devoted to revealing the beauty of the world through time itself. Based in Switzerland yet inspired by global artistry, the brand bridges cultures, blending ancestral crafts with modern sustainability, as seen in many of its previous releases.

Today, AWAKE unveils the Sơn Mài FRAGMENTS collection, an artistic encounter between Vietnamese lacquer, Japanese craftsmanship, French refinement, and Swiss precision. The result is a mesmerizing interpretation of light, with each dial hand-crafted from a mosaic of mother-of-pearl fragments sealed within layers of lacquer.

One year after the first Sơn Mài release, AWAKE elevates the concept through a new dialogue of textures and light. Inspired by the Japanese art of Raden, the inlaying of mother-of-pearl into lacquer, the FRAGMENTS dials combine Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer with mother-of-pearl and natural pigments. Each of the three models, Green, Blue, and Pink, is limited to 100 pieces and represents a poetic interpretation of nature’s light.

The watch is housed in a recycled 316L stainless-steel case measuring 39 mm in diameter and 11.8 mm in thickness, with a lug-to-lug span of 45.6 mm. The sapphire crystal is treated with an anti-reflective coating to enhance legibility, surrounded by a micro-beaded bezel. A screw-down sapphire caseback reveals the movement within while ensuring a water resistance of 50 meters.

Every dial in the FRAGMENTS collection is a Métiers d’Art creation, handcrafted in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The process requires around fifteen hours of meticulous manual work, during which artisans apply layers of natural lacquer, embed mother-of-pearl fragments, and finish the surface with organic pigments. The Green edition evokes tranquil forests, the Blue recalls the depths of the ocean, and the Pink captures the mystery of twilight. The polished steel hands and indices, coated with Super-LumiNova BGW9, emit a soft luminescence inspired by Japanese chiaroscuro, offering a hypnotic glow in the dark.

At the heart of the watch lies the automatic La Joux-Perret G101 movement, operating at a frequency of 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and offering a 68-hour power reserve. The movement is beautifully decorated, featuring a personalized tungsten rotor engraved “La Joux-Perret for AWAKE,” with alternating sandblasted, polished, and micro-beaded surfaces that reflect light exquisitely.

Each piece is paired with a strap handcrafted by Maison Jean Rousseau in Paris, made from matte black calfskin and lined with colored Alcantara that matches the dial tone. It features a quick-release system and a recycled steel pin buckle. Each color in the FRAGMENTS collection is limited to 100 pieces and priced at EUR 2,250 (approximately AED 9,600).

For more information, visit AWAKE’s official website.