Awake Shrinks the Son Mai Silver Leaf to 38mm and Gives It Four Gradient Lacquer Dials

The Son Mai Silver Leaf is the most interesting thing Awake makes. Which says a lot when you consider the fact that everything they make is extremely interesting. The dial is real Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer laid over silver leaf, done by hand, at a price where most brands give you a printed sunburst. The collection now moves into the 38mm case Awake introduced with its Guilloché models earlier this year, and it gets four new gradient dials modeled on the fading “vignette” dials of the 1970s and 1980s.

The case is made out of 316L steel, now 38mm wide and 11.5mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 44.75mm. Take away the AR-coated sapphire crystal and the case itself is 10mm, so the proportions are quite sensible. The caseback screws down and has its own sapphire window. Water resistance is 100 meters. Around the caseback ring, Awake engraves its mission statement.

Each dial starts with a lacquer base. Silver leaf goes on top, then colored pigment, then roughly 12 layers of natural lacquer, each one sanded and polished before the next. The silver is what gives the color its glow. The four options are Indian Red, Java Green, Gentian Blue and Purple Viola. I will note that those are all very famous car color names, and I believe all are available on Porsche 911 models. The first three join the regular collection, but Awake caps each at 100 dials a year. Purple Viola is the boldest of the group and is limited to 200 numbered examples in total. The hands and applied markers use BGW9 lume bases covered by small sculpted steel caps, so you see polished steel during the day and a ring of light around each marker at night. I adore this backlighting trick.

Inside is the La Joux-Perret calibre G101, a reliable and well tested automatic. It beats at 4Hz and has a 68-hour power reserve. Through the caseback you see a tungsten rotor machined from solid, finished with a mix of brushed, blasted and polished surfaces. Straps come from French leather makers Maison Jean Rousseau and Bouveret, in Alcantara or nubuck with a rubberized calfskin lining. They use curved quick-release spring bars and a Fitwell M1 pin buckle that adjusts by up to 3mm. Colors are green, grey, blue and red, matched to the dial.

The Awake Son Mai Silver Leaf 38mm is available to order now, priced at €2,750 including VAT. See more on the Awake website.