Son Mài - Guilloché Main « Alba »

Sale price€ 3,180.00

LIMITED EDITION OF 200 PIECES ONLY

Guilloché Main Collection:

"Alba" draws inspiration from the energy of an incandescent sunrise, expressed through a dial featuring a helical pattern, hand-engraved in Italy, then enhanced in Vietnam with traditional Son Mài lacquer and natural pigments applied in multiple layers. A complete process of 15 hours, bringing the dial’s unique patterns to life and embodying the meeting of two crafts and cultures in an exceptional miniature creation.


WATCH DELIVERIES

Batch 1 of 50 pieces: June 30 - Available
Batch 2 of 100 pieces: September 15
Batch 3 of 50 pieces: November 15

Artisanship, Awakened.

Our vision of the Arts and Crafts extends far beyond the realm of watchmaking. 

This new collection embodies a bold and deliberate ambition: to make AWAKE a meeting ground for artisans from around the world, united in a shared pursuit of excellence and harmony.

The artisan’s hand lies at the core of each creation, giving rise to three limited editions of 200 pieces each. Their dials, rich in both technical and aesthetic depth, draw inspiration from the colors and reflections of celestial phenomena.

Two Exceptional Crafts United for the First Time.

At AWAKE, Métiers d’Art transcend the mere function of timekeeping to become a true cultural language, inviting a slower, more conscious perception of time - deeply rooted in gesture and material.

With the Son Mài - Guilloché Main collection, we bring together for the first time in watchmaking two exceptional crafts drawn from rare and demanding traditions: traditional Guilloché Main, perpetuated in Italy by the Renzetti family using historic 19th-century machines entirely guided by human skill, and the ancestral Vietnamese art of Son Mài lacquer, a national heritage requiring patience, dexterity, and a keen eye for detail.

Sharing and Modernizing Exceptional Craftsmanship.

From this encounter emerges a subtle dialogue between heritage and modernity, where precision meets material richness, and the long time of craftsmanship intersects with a contemporary creative vision.

This unique alliance gives rise to singular creations, marked by the authenticity of gestures and the richness of cultures.

More than objects, each dial becomes a work of art - an expression of rare excellence and a deep commitment to transmission and creation.

The Art of Guilloché Main.

For the creation of our dials, we collaborate with the Renzetti family, one of the last European workshops dedicated to Guilloché Main - heirs to an exceptional craft considered one of the most demanding forms of watchmaking artistry, learned from masters such as Peter Carl Fabergé and passed down from generation to generation since the late 19th century.

To create the patterns of our three versions, master guillocheurs operate entirely by hand historic machines such as the straight-line engine and the rose engine, both requiring absolute mastery of gesture.

Authenticity and Craft Excellence.

The artisan simultaneously controls the rotation of the dial with one hand and the cutting tool with the other, sculpting into the metal the fine grooves of the “Alba,” “Sunset,” and “Borealis” versions, ranging from flowing lines to circular forms.

Each dial is unique - the hundreds of engraved grooves varying from one piece and one artisan to another - and reveals patterns of incomparable depth and brilliance, where aesthetics, craftsmanship, and emotion converge. This long and meticulous process, where even the slightest mistake requires starting over, demands many years of practice and reflects an exceptional level of artisanal mastery and quality, unique to fine watchmaking.

The Ancestral Art of Son Mài.

To enhance our Guilloché Main dials, we pair them with the ancestral Vietnamese art of Son Mài lacquer, renowned for its depth and unique reflective qualities. We continue our collaboration with one of Vietnam’s most prestigious workshops, where master lacquerers perpetuate a traditional craft that demands precision, patience, and dexterity, while also opening it up to more contemporary expressions.

Derived from the rare sap of the Rhus Verniciflua tree and carefully harvested, the lacquer is then purified and enriched with natural pigments to create the deep, intense color gradients of our dials.

Unrivaled Depth and Brilliance.

Applied in multiple ultra-thin layers and meticulously polished, this natural lacquer reveals a smooth surface of remarkable visual intensity. This long and demanding process, based on highly controlled gestures, gives the three versions of this collection their exceptional richness and brilliance.

As the work progresses, the lacquer enhances and freezes the brilliance and depth of the guilloché patterns for eternity, turning each dial into a true work of art - captivating, refined, and subtly evolving with the light, reflecting our commitment to craftsmanship and creation.

Exclusive Luminescent Signature.

This new collection features our exclusive luminous signature, designed to combine innovation, elegance, and emotion, while enhancing the depth of both Guilloché Main and Son Mài lacquer dials, by day and by night.

The hands and indices adopt an innovative construction combining Super-LumiNova® BGW9 with steel caps finished in polished, brushed, and finely engraved textures, ensuring a subtle diffusion of light and clear legibility without compromising the dial’s integrity.

In daylight, discretion is prioritized, while in darkness the luminescence fully reveals its intensity. A soft halo then emerges, poetically highlighting the lacquer and guilloché main work, creating an immersive atmosphere between shadow and light, where technique and emotion converge.

A Concentrate of Watchmaking Pleasure.

Unique, hand-crafted dials conceived as true works of art, combining for the first time two ancestral techniques never before united, an exclusive and innovative luminous signature, a renowned Swiss calibre, and straps handcrafted in France. True to our vision, we work relentlessly to deliver, within our price segment, a truly distinctive offering that brings together aesthetic excellence, horological quality, artisanal craftsmanship, and pure emotion.

Technical details

Case:

316L stainless steel, Ø38mm, lug-to-lug 44.75 mm, lug width 20mm

Thickness:

11.50mm with top lens / 10mm without top lens

Métier d'Art dial:

A 15-hour process, entirely handcrafted, combining for the first time in watchmaking two ancestral crafts: Guilloché Main and Vietnamese Son Mài lacquer

Indexes and hands:

Super-LumiNova® BGW9, AWAKE luminous “coiffe” signature

Water resistance:

10 ATM (100m)

New 38 mm Case.

This new collection marks a major evolution, driven by the introduction of a 38 mm case with more refined proportions and a strong sense of elegance. Perfectly balanced, it captivates with its polished concave bezel that gives full prominence to the dial, its gently domed sapphire crystal, and its slightly downward-curving lugs extended by a subtle step, evoking the aesthetics of the 1960s while maintaining a distinctly contemporary presence.

The interplay between polished surfaces and brushed flanks highlights this controlled modernity, while the slightly redesigned screw-down crown - now ensuring water resistance up to 10 ATM - is adorned with a new emblem symbolizing our commitment to craftsmanship. On the case back, a reworked ring, more legible and authentic, engraves this vision into the material.

Refined Identity.

Beyond design, this collection asserts a renewed identity through a handwritten logo with fluid, organic lines, paying tribute to the artisan’s gesture. More than an aesthetic evolution, it reflects a deeper intention: to place tradition, savoir-faire, and Métiers d’Art at the heart of a contemporary expression.

Accompanied by an emblem evoking transmission and intercultural dialogue, this ensemble embodies a sensitive and committed vision, where every detail celebrates the richness of artisanal heritage and our determination to preserve it.

Swiss G101 Caliber by La Joux-Perret.

To ensure reliability and performance for our clients, we have chosen to equip these three versions with the G101 automatic movement from the Swiss manufacture La Joux-Perret. A modern and precise caliber with refined finishing, it offers a 68-hour power reserve and features our newly developed custom oscillating weight. Machined from a solid block of tungsten, it combines recessed and raised surfaces and benefits from a high level of finishing - polished, brushed, and micro-blasted surfaces - giving the whole a presence that is both technical and elegant.

The assembly is framed by a redesigned ring, more legible and more authentic, engraved with our mission: “Illuminating the hands and heritage behind rare crafts” as well as the brand slogan: “Artisanship, Awakened.”

Jean Rousseau Straps and New Adjustable Buckle.

To elevate this collection, we collaborate with the Jean Rousseau manufacture, which shares our exacting standards of quality, comfort, and customer experience.

Each strap, available in green, violet, or orange, is designed for everyday wear and handcrafted in Alcantara - a remarkable material that will develop a unique patina over time, revealing its full character. Meticulously designed down to the finest detail, they combine refined finishing, colored stitching, and a rubber-lined calfskin underside, while integrating curved spring bars tailored to the 38 mm case for a perfect fit.

They are fitted with our new Fitwell M1 micro-adjustable pin buckle, offering precise 3 mm incremental adjustments for optimal comfort throughout the day. A technical yet refined ensemble, designed for discerning enthusiasts, where every detail enhances the everyday wearing experience.