This Affordable Everyday Watch Brings a High-End Hallmark to the Masses

It’s like a literal work of art for your wrist.

Published October 28, 2024

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

We’re truly living in the Golden Age of independent watch brands. Whether you have a budget of $500 or $500,000, there is an indie brand out there with the perfect watch for your wrist.

For consumers, this immense level of choice is wonderful, but it can be a challenge for brands. After all, with so many boutique watch brands kicking around these days, how can an unknown brand get its name out there?

One way brands can stand out is to do something that no other watchmaker is doing. That’s the route French indie brand Awake took with its new collection, Son Mai, which brings a high-end watchmaking tradition to the masses via a very special dial technique.

an Awake Watch on a tale — French microbrand Awake is taking a big swing with its first permanent collection.

Works of Art

Founded five years ago by Lilian Thibault, Awake is a French microbrand that, until now, has exclusively released limited-edition watches. Most have been quirky, and some have been collaborations with partners as varied as NASA and absurdist street artist Nicolas Barrome Forgues.

Now, Awake has launched its first permanent collection, and in doing so, it kind of swung for the fences. If you follow high-end watchmaking — and I’m talking the highest of the high here — then you may have come across the French term “Métiers d’Art.”

In watch speak, Métiers d’Art refers to tiny, handcrafted works of art executed on a dial. Several different disciplines can be involved in Métiers d’Art, such as enameling, engraving, miniature painting, and gem-setting, all of which are performed by master craftsmen.

paint is applied to a louis vuitton watch dial — Métiers d’Art dials, like this one from Louis Vuitton, are true works of art. They’re priced like it, too.

Given the amount of professional skill and the lengthy time required to create these literal masterpieces, Métiers d’Art watches tend to be very, very expensive. Brands like Vacheron Constantin, Blancpain and Louis Vuitton are noted for their collections of such watches, with prices that often start in the six-figure range.

Métiers d’Art for the Rest of Us

Awake had the idea of creating Métiers d’Art watches but at a price that normal humans could afford — around two grand. To do so, the brand had to get creative. Obviously, they weren’t going to be cranking out comparable Métiers d’Art watches to Vacheron at that low price point. So Awake had to get creative.

Come to think of it, “creative” is perhaps the best word to describe Awake’s Métiers d’Art watches. The new collection features a Métiers d’Art disciplines never before combined on a watch dial: silver-leaf gilding and Vietnamese Son Mai lacquering.

a person examines an Awake Watch dial — Awake is democratizing Métiers d’Art with its new lacquered, silver-gilded dials.

Awake says each dial in the new collection takes around 10 – 12 hours to create through a painstaking process undertaken by Vietnamese lacquer artisans. Each dial is first coated with a base layer of lacquer and sanded. Then, silver leaf is applied and brushed onto the dial to create texture. Natural color is then airbrushed onto the dial before a dozen more layers of lacquer are applied and polished.

The resultant dial is truly a work of art worthy of the Métiers d’Art title. I’ve seen the watches in person, and the amount of texture and sheen exhibited by the dials is spectacular. The appearance is similar to enamel at first glance but offers a bit more shimmer and depth. The dials are truly quite stunning in the metal.

The fancy dials aren’t all the Awake Son Mai collection has going for it, either. The watches are also Awake’s first Swiss-made collection and are the brand’s first to be powered by a Swiss movement: the La Joux-Perret Cal. G101 automatic movement, which boasts a 68-hour power reserve and a tungsten rotor.

The straps are surprisingly nice for a $2,000 watch, too. They are rubber-lined, suede-like nubuck leather straps made exclusively for Awake by luxury strap-maker Delugs.

an awake watch on a table — A unique backlit lume signature adds even more visual interest to the dial.

Finally, there’s the lume treatment. Awake opted for an inverse lume signature, with the hands and indices being made of solid pieces of Super-LumiNova BGW9 with polished pieces of steel applied on top of them. This creates a backlit lume effect that looks very cool against the dramatic dial, even if it’s not the most legible lume in the world.

Pricing and Availability

The Awake Son Mai Silver Leaf collection consists of four colors: Emerald, Lava, Amethyst and Outre Bleu, all of which are available exclusively in a 39mm case made of recycled 316L stainless steel on a gray nubuck leather strap.

The watches retail for $2,150, which means they’ll face some stiff competition from more established brands like Nomos. Nevertheless, I still think they offer good value on account of the unique Métiers d’Art dials. The watches are available to order now directly from Awake, with the first deliveries expected in December.