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Awake unveils watches with lacquer and mother-of-pearl dials

A mosaic of light: Awake's new Son Mai Fragments collection

By Triston Brewer Published November 9, 2025

The Son Mai Fragments collection — Awake

Awake has taken its design aesthetic to new levels with the unveiling of the Son Mai Fragments collection, a series of three limited editions that transform the dial into a canvas of notable depth and luminosity. This new era masterfully blends the centuries-old Vietnamese technique of Son Mai lacquerwork with the iridescent splendor of mother-of-pearl, producing a contemporary iteration of Raden inlay that is entirely unique. Housed within a refined, yet compact 39mm recycled steel case, these luxury watches present a quiet yet elegant statement of artistic watchmaking, where the case acts as a deliberate stage for the immaculate dial within.

Each dial is a singular handcrafted work of art

The soul of this collection lies in its dials, each a one-of-a-kind mosaic crafted by expert hands. Fragments of luminous nacre are arranged and sealed beneath multiple layers of natural lacquer, sourced from the Rhus verniciflua tree, and lightly tinted with organic pigments. The result is a mesmerizing surface that shifts from a soft matte to a vibrant iridescence as light plays across its topography. Available in three striking hues — Forest Green, Ocean Blue, and Twilight Pink — each dial is accented by faceted applied indices and hands filled with a soft glow, ensuring legibility without overshadowing the intricate artistry.

Powered by Swiss mechanics for ultimate precision

The timepiece is powered by the sophisticated La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement. This Swiss caliber can be viewed through a sapphire case back, operating at a high frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour with 68 hours of power reserve. The watch is presented on a collaborative matte-black calfskin strap from Maison Jean Rousseau, lined in Alcantara and featuring quick-release bars for effortless versatility.

A powerful statement on artistic horology

With the Son Mai Fragments collection, Awake cements its status at the intersection of artisanal craftsmanship and progressive design. Limited to just 100 pieces per color, these watches offer the discerning collector a truly singular and epic expression of luxury.

Triston Brewer is a journalist, creative director, stylist, fashionisto, and jetsetting digital bon vivant. Brace yourself!

Topics

Watches

Fashion & Style

Swatch’s new gold MoonSwatch is priced like it’s 1969

The Mission to the Moon 1969 packs 11 grams of real 18K gold — priced at the 1969 gold rate.

Wristwatch, Arm, Body Part

Guess what? It's another MoonSwatch — but this isn't just another colorway. The new drop from the Switzerland-based watchmaker, the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969, is the first to use real gold across the dial, hands, crown, and pushers.

The watch marks the anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on July 21, 1969.

Fashion & Style

Breitling’s new Top Time is a wearable tribute to the Aston Martin DB5

The new watches rep the iconic Bond car right down to subdials shaped like its dashboard gauges.

Car, Watch, Man

Breitling just released a trio of heaters: the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5, a three-edition collaboration with the British carmaker. The connection between the Swiss watchmaker and the British car company runs back to 1965, when a Top Time ref. 2002 appeared on Sean Connery's wrist in Thunderball, worn alongside the DB5 — the first Q-modified watch in the Bond series. It's a nice bit of trivia that the DB5 and that Top Time shared the screen in the same film, and both went on to outlive the movie by decades.

The car cues go deeper than the "squircle" gauge-shaped subdials: a wooden inner ring nods to the DB5's steering wheel, and each edition rides on a hand-colored gradient calfskin strap meant to read like automotive upholstery. All three run on Breitling's in-house Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified automatic chronograph with a 70-hour power reserve, visible through a sapphire caseback and finished with an Aston Martin-engraved rotor. The case measures 41mm. The editions are divvied up by material and rarity. Stainless steel with a silver dial is limited to 1,022 pieces and sticks closest to the original ref. 2002, while steel with a platinum bezel and black lacquered dial drops to 315 pieces.

Fashion & Style

Look to the sky for these space themed watches

These 5 space themed watches will have you seeing stars

Accessories, Strap, Wristwatch

It was the 1960s. We were in the middle of a Cold War with Russia, and instead of escalating to an actual war with bullets and bombs, we took the conflict to the sky. We created a war of economics, science, and morale in a race to the sky to be the first nation to reach the moon. While the race picked up throughout the decade, it came down to the wire before the USA won the race by landing on the moon (if you believe that sort of thing and don't believe Stanley Kubrick directed the greatest ruse of all time). In any case, no race can be run without a good timekeeper. And watches were a must-have for all involved. Ever since, chronophiles like me have been obsessed with space-themed watches and, in particular, moon mission watches.

That is why I happened to have this list in my head. Five watches that bring the space race and the great beyond to the forefront of thinking to build a collection that is out of this world.