Since its debut in 2024, Awake has carved a distinct niche in the horological world with its Sæn Mãi dials, intricate works of art that blend traditional Vietnamese lacquer techniques with precious materials. These time-intensive creations, featuring layers of lacquer over silver leaf and natural pigments, have captivated collectors and earned significant acclaim. Last year, the brand’s innovative Frosted Leaf technique garnered two prestigious awards, including the coveted first prize in the Jewellery and Artistic Crafts category at the Timepiece World Awards 2025, cementing its reputation for unparalleled craftsmanship and aesthetic innovation. Now, Awake returns with three breathtaking new iterations: Blood Moon, Storm, and Lagoon, each meticulously designed to capture and preserve a transient spectacle of nature in a durable, wearable form.
The genesis of Awake’s Sæn Mãi collection, as recalled by industry observers, traces back to a pivotal unveiling in 2024, reportedly held in a discreet London setting. This event marked a significant turning point for the brand, propelling it from an emerging independent watchmaker to a recognized purveyor of uniquely vibrant and artistically rendered timepieces. The subsequent success and strong following that Awake has cultivated are a testament to the enduring appeal of its distinctive dials, with pieces often finding appreciative homes among discerning collectors. The introduction of these three new Frosted Leaf models is anticipated to continue this trend, offering collectors new opportunities to own a piece of wearable art.
Evolution of the Case Design: Elegance in a Refined Silhouette
The latest Frosted Leaf trio debuts within Awake’s recently redesigned 38mm stainless steel case. This updated housing, measuring 38mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug span of 44.75mm, presents a more refined and elegant profile compared to its predecessors. The case boasts a slender 11.5mm thickness, inclusive of the gently convex sapphire crystal, which features an anti-reflective coating to enhance legibility and visual depth. Engineered for resilience and practicality, the watch offers a robust 100-meter water resistance rating, facilitated by a secure screw-down crown.
The aesthetic of the case is characterized by a harmonious interplay of finishes. A polished, concave bezel encircles the dial, offering a subtle yet sophisticated contrast to the satin-finished flanks of the case. This combination of textures imparts a clean and contemporary look. The lugs have been gently rounded, a design choice that not only contributes to the watch’s overall visual appeal but also significantly enhances wearer comfort by ensuring a more ergonomic fit against the wrist. This thoughtful evolution in case design underscores Awake’s commitment to balancing artistic expression with functional wearability.
The Artistry of the Sæn Mãi Frosted Leaf Dials: A Symphony of Nature
At the heart of each Awake Sæn Mãi Frosted Leaf timepiece lies its extraordinary dial, a testament to hours of meticulous handcraftsmanship. Each dial requires approximately 15 hours of dedicated work by master lacquerers. The process begins with the harvesting of the rare sap from the Rhus verniciflua tree, a delicate operation that takes place only at dawn in the northern regions of Vietnam. This precious sap, from which only about 200 ml can be collected annually per tree, is then dehydrated and prepared as an artistic medium.
The creation of the dial involves a painstaking layering process. Between successive coats of lacquer, artisans carefully insert pure silver leaves and natural pigments. This is followed by meticulous hand-sanding and polishing, a technique that imbues the surface with a remarkable sense of depth and translucency. The result is a dial that is not merely colored but alive with light and dimension, making every single piece a unique expression of natural beauty. The Frosted Leaf technique, which earned Awake accolades, further enhances this by creating a subtly textured, almost frosted appearance on the lacquer, allowing the silver leaf and pigments beneath to shimmer with an ethereal glow.
The brand’s commitment to this ancient craft, combined with contemporary design sensibilities, has positioned Awake as a leader in the niche of artisanal watch dials. The time-intensive nature of this production, while limiting output, ensures that each watch remains a highly sought-after object of art and engineering.
Capturing Nature’s Ephemeral Moments: The New Trio
This latest release introduces three distinct dial themes, each inspired by powerful and evocative natural phenomena:
The Blood Moon: An Ethereal Lunar Eclipse
Drawing its chromatic inspiration from the dramatic spectacle of a total lunar eclipse, the Blood Moon dial is a study in stark contrast and deep resonance. Intense red and profound black pigments are layered to create a visually arresting composition. The embedded silver leaf strategically catches the light, producing metallic flashes that mimic the unexpected, otherworldly glow of the Moon against the deep canvas of the night sky during such an event. The overall effect is one of profound celestial beauty, frozen in time.
The Storm: The Fierce Energy of a Lightning Strike
The Storm model stands as the most dynamically charged of the new trio. Its design evokes the raw, instantaneous power of a thunderstorm. Layers of black and vivid orange lacquer are employed to capture the fleeting brilliance of a lightning strike. The dial possesses a luminous quality, appearing to glow even in ambient light, effectively mirroring the electric energy and ephemeral nature of a storm that flashes across the sky in mere seconds. This dial embodies the untamed forces of nature, translated into a wearable masterpiece.
The Lagoon: The Mysterious Depths of Tropical Waters
The Lagoon timepiece offers a captivating and enigmatic aesthetic, inspired by the serene yet profound beauty of tropical waters. Translucent layers of greens, turquoises, and cobalt blues are artfully applied over the silver leaf base. This combination creates dynamic optical effects, reminiscent of clear, sun-dappled ocean waters. Light penetrates the successive coats of lacquer, revealing hidden depths and subtle shifts in color and tone. Consequently, the dial appears to transform and evolve with every subtle change in viewing angle, offering a continuously mesmerizing display.
Enhanced Legibility and Luminescence
All three new Frosted Leaf models feature Awake’s thoughtfully revised, hand-applied luminous signature. The Super-LumiNova BGW9 is strategically placed on the polished, brushed, and faceted steel indexes and hands. During daylight hours, the lume remains discreet, preserving the integrity of the dial’s artistic design. However, as darkness falls, this soft luminescence provides excellent legibility, enhancing the brilliance of the dial’s intricate artwork without overwhelming its natural beauty.
The Engine Under the Hood: Performance and Craftsmanship
The reliable La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement continues to power the latest Frosted Leaf collection. This high-performance calibre offers a substantial 68-hour power reserve, ensuring extended autonomy, and operates at a precise frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (vph). Beneath the exhibition sapphire case back, a custom-designed tungsten rotor is visible. This rotor is meticulously finished with a combination of polished, brushed, and bead-blasted surfaces, designed to complement the bespoke rehaut of the watch. The movement’s robust engineering and refined finishing reflect Awake’s commitment to both aesthetic and mechanical excellence.
Comfort and Style: Bespoke Straps and Innovative Buckle
Wearability is a key consideration for Awake, and the new Frosted Leaf models are fitted with exquisite, handmade straps from Maison Bouveret. These straps are crafted from nubuck calfskin in colors precisely matched to each dial – red for the Blood Moon, orange for the Storm, and blue-green for the Lagoon. Further enhancing durability and comfort, the straps feature a rubberized lining and tone-on-tone stitching. A significant innovation is Awake’s new micro-adjustable buckle, which allows for precise 3mm increments. This feature ensures a personalized and exceptionally comfortable fit for the wearer throughout the day, adapting seamlessly to wrist size fluctuations.
Availability and Pricing: Accessible Luxury
The introduction of the Blood Moon, Storm, and Lagoon models signifies a strategic expansion of Awake’s core offerings. These timepieces are slated to become permanent additions to the brand’s regular catalog, ensuring ongoing availability for enthusiasts. However, due to the specialized nature of their production, each new Frosted Leaf model will be limited to 100 pieces produced annually.
This controlled production ensures exclusivity while maintaining the brand’s ability to deliver exceptional quality. The pricing for these exquisite timepieces is set at €2,820, inclusive of taxes and worldwide shipping. This represents a competitive price point for a watch featuring such intricate hand-finished artisanal dials and high-quality components. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in the last week of September 2026, and interested buyers can place their orders directly through the official Awake website.
The enduring appeal of the Sæn Mãi process lies in its inherent versatility, allowing for an almost infinite array of new variants, color combinations, and underlying textures. This inherent adaptability ensures that each subsequent release from Awake is met with fresh anticipation and excitement from the watch-collecting community. The continued success of the Frosted Leaf series underscores Awake’s ability to blend traditional artistry with contemporary horological design, creating timepieces that are not merely functional instruments but also wearable works of art.
Watch Specifications
- Model: Sæn Mãi Frosted Leaf Blood Moon, Storm, and Lagoon
- Dial: Handcrafted with red, orange, or green and blue Vietnamese sæn mãi lacquer and pure silver leaf, applied polished indexes with 3D luminous frames.
- Case Material: 316L stainless steel.
- Case Dimensions: 38mm (diameter) × 44.75mm (lug-to-lug) × 11.5mm (thickness with crystal, 10mm without).
- Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
- Case Back: Stainless steel and sapphire crystal, laser-decorated ring, screw-in.
- Movement: La Joux-Perret G101: automatic with manual winding and hacking seconds, 28,800vph (4Hz) frequency, 68-hour power reserve, 24 jewels, tungsten rotor.
- Water Resistance: 10 atm (100 meters).
- Strap: Red, orange, or blue-green nubuck calfskin (20/16mm) from Maison Bouveret with rubberized lining, tone-on-tone stitching, curved quick-release spring bars, and stainless steel micro-adjustable pin buckle.
- Functions: Time only (hours, minutes, seconds).
- Special Note(s): Limited to 100 pieces per model annually.
