The many visible and invisible layers of the Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf are a sight to behold
Borna BošnjakHow do you immediately incite interest as a budding watch brand? Sure, you can talk about great value for money, or a uniquely decorated movement, but the one thing that most potential buyers will gravitate towards is the dial. It’s the component that will catch the eye scrolling through an Instagram feed, and the one that can make or break one’s purchasing decision, even if all the other components are just right. Awake has been looking for its own space in the watchmaking game, and found it in sơn mài – Vietnamese lacquer painting. The third iteration of this exercise is Awake’s new Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf, which adds another layer of complexity to the dial execution, and quite literally so.
The dials
Let’s get right into what makes the Frosted Leaf so special. As its name may suggest, the French brand took the learnings from the Sơn Mài Silver Leaf and Jurassic Watch Project, and is now adding layers of silver leaf to the dial manufacturing process. Atop a layer of black-coloured lacquer, Awake’s artisans first add and then sand a silver leaf before painting it with dark pigments. To really accentuate the texture, more layers of silver are added and coloured with lighter pigment, before the entire dial is sanded to unveil its intricacies. Finally, making the surface smooth, the dial-makers add additional coats of lacquer for shine, with Awake quoting 15 hours of work per dial.
Getting into the design of the dial itself, at first glance, it seems like there’s really not much here to talk about. This is a good thing, and let me tell you why. First of all, I wouldn’t want to see this dial marred by unnecessary lines of text – one line for the brand name, and “hand made” squeezed in on either side of the 6 o’clock index is just the right amount. And second, it’s not like Awake didn’t pay any attention to the little design that is there.
The hands and indices almost look like renders, floating ethereally above the sơn mài dial. Awake achieves this effect by applying faceted, polished indices and hands atop three-dimensional blocks of lume. It’s really quite a neat effect, which means that, during the day, the appliques are subtly highlighted, and after dark, the lume will softly glow around their edges.
That said, with so much work going into the dials and their small elements like the design of the lume, I wish awake paid more attention to the brand logo. I appreciate the minimalism of the text generally, but the default typeface of “AWAKE” at 12 does the watch an unnecessary disservice.
The case
You could have the best dial in the world, but without a well-designed case to provide a good fit on the wrist, you may as well be making a desk clock. Thankfully, Awake’s designers were aware of this when making the Frosted Leaf, resulting in a mostly polished affair, except for a horizontal brush along the case flanks. Looking at the design more closely, you’ll notice that the lugs have small protrusions, instead of neatly following the case lines, subtly evoking an angular cornes de vache style. Interestingly, the wide, polished bezel simply slopes down without a faceted edge, and continues to an equally shiny top part of the main case. The result matches the dial indices and is very reflective, but I do think the effect would be better with alternating surface treatments that could help add some well-defined lines.
At 39.5mm in diameter and 45.6mm lug-to-lug, the Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf hits the sweet spot for a modern daily wearer, and same goes for the 50 metres of water-resistance. In regards to thickness, 11.8mm is a little thick for a time-only watch, but it is so for good reason. In speaking with the brand, we learned that the dial base needs to be at least a millimetre thick, which is significantly more than on a basic dial. It’s a pretty small trade-off if you ask me.
The strap
Remember how I spoke about small details? The strap, or buckle, more specifically, is yet another example that Awake gives a damn about good design. I’d suggest you take a close look at the photo above rather than having me explain the buckle in detail, as it’s actually quite complex in shape. I appreciate that its sides slope down to more closely align with the thickness of the strap, with a thin part that actually stays on top of the strap for a sleeker look.
And speaking of the strap, Awake chose a neutral, grey nubuck from Delugs to pair with the Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf. It’s a thoroughly inoffensive, neutral choice that really lets the dials shine. If it’s a bit too muted for your tastes, quick-release spring bars and a 20mm lug width should make getting something funkier on that much easier.
The movement
The La Joux-Perret G101 is not the biggest of movements, with the potential of looking somewhat undersized even in a mid-size, 39mm case. Awake does something really clever to rectify this, with a laser-engraved ring that surrounds the movement and sits under the sapphire crystal. The movement itself is very simply adorned with a customised rotor, but if you have to go with an open caseback, I’d much rather look at this than bare (or spec sheet-engraved) metal.
As for the movement itself, the G101 has established itself as not just a competitor, but the preferred option over the ETA 2824/Sellita SW200 counterparts for its improved power reserve of 68 hours (vs the 40-ish of the ETA), as well as arguably better looks. In essence, it shares much of its design with the Miyota 9000 – an excellent movement that often doesn’t get the praise it deserves – but moves production to Switzerland and upgrades key components like the regulator.
The verdict
With numerous microbrands beginning to dominate the entry-level and entry-level luxury space, Awake has understandably tried to establish itself by carving out a specific niche. Sơn mài lacquer is most certainly obscure, but Awake has fully accepted it and evolved it, which should be applauded. The Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf in particular successfully continues certain brand design signatures, of which the floating indices and hands are my favourite, and as its bottom line, has a pretty spectacular dial. The price is indicative of the increased attention to detail in more than just the dial, as I’d bundle in the nicer movement touches with that too, resulting in a package that punches above its weight. It’s certainly not as affordable as your entry-level microbrand, but it also offers something that no run-of-the-mill micros can, and for that, it’s worthy of your attention.
Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf pricing and availability
The Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf collection is limited to 50 pieces per colourway. Price: €2,150 (exc. VAT)
| Brand | Awake |
| Model | Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 11.8mm (T) x 45.6mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Sơn mài lacquer in green, blue, and brown |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Delugs nubuck leather, steel pin buckle |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret G101, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 68 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | 50 pieces per colour |
| Price | €2,150 (exc. VAT) |