AWAKE enriches its Frosted Leaf collection with a new limited edition of 100 pieces: Royal Red. A singular creation, born from the dialogue between two universal colors – red and gold – whose union has transcended civilizations, the arts, and time.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Inspired by Asian ritual objects and crafted through the ancestral gestures of Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquerware, Royal Red unveils a new expression of the Frosted Leaf technique. Red – a timeless symbol of life, energy, and passion – encounters the delicate glow of silver leaf infused with copper-toned pigments, evoking wisdom, transmission, and the mastery of time.
More than a mere aesthetic variation, Royal Red embodies AWAKE’s vision to preserve, modernize, and pass on exceptional craftsmanship, embedding it within contemporary, thoughtful, and conscious watchmaking.
KEY FEATURES OF ROYAL RED
A new iteration of the FROSTED LEAF technique: Royal Red unveils a significant technical, aesthetic, and stylistic evolution of the Frosted Leaf process developed by AWAKE. For the first time, pure silver leaf tinted with copper pigments forms the final layer of the dial. This technical choice reverses the traditional process, allowing light to interact directly with the material and reveal organic, deep, and vibrant textures. Each dial is entirely handcrafted in AWAKE’s Hanoi workshop, through a meticulous “mille-feuille” of lacquer, natural pigments, and silver leaf, making every piece absolutely unique.
A luminous signature that stages the artistry of lacquer: Royal Red features AWAKE’s exclusive “coiffe” luminous signature, conceived as a subtle illumination of the artisan’s gesture. Inspired by the Japanese aesthetic of chiaroscuro, it is not designed to dominate the dial, but rather to delicately reveal the craftsmanship of the lacquer. Discreet by day, the luminescence emerges in depth in the dark, creating a refined backlit effect that highlights the reliefs, reflections, and living vibration of the material.
An unparalleled value and emotional proposition: Handcrafted dials, exclusive ancestral techniques reinterpreted through a modern and creative approach, an innovative luminous signature, a renowned Swiss movement, cases and buckles in recycled stainless steel, straps handmade for AWAKE. All offered at an unprecedented price: €2,200 excluding taxes.
THE STARTING POINT: PRESERVE, MODERNIZE, TRANSMIT
At AWAKE, the vision of the Arts & Crafts extends far beyond the watch itself. Each creation is conceived as a space for cultural expression, an opportunity to highlight ancestral craftsmanship – in this case, Vietnamese – while situating it within a contemporary perspective. Within the tiny canvas of a dial, the brand seeks to transcend boundaries, celebrate cultural identities, and promote a different relationship with time: slower, more conscious, and more respectful of gesture and material. Since the launch of Sơn Mài in 2024, every project has followed this commitment to the living transmission and preservation of exceptional craftsmanship.
ROYAL RED: AN ODE TO THE SLOW ALCHEMY OF TIME…
The dials of the Royal Red limited edition draw their inspiration from ritual objects from the far reaches of Asia, passed down through generations, weathered by time, and steeped in ancient stories. On their vibrant surfaces, red and gold intertwine to reveal deep textures and complex nuances that seem to suspend time itself. Red evokes life, passion, vital energy, and the courage to create. Gold embodies wisdom, transmission, and mastery of light. Together, they form a powerful harmony, reflecting a balance between energy and clarity, emotion and consciousness. Each dial thus becomes the backdrop for a timeless and universal dialogue, making Royal Red a true vessel of culture.
“ ’Royal’ does not refer to power, but to a form of inner nobility… The quiet strength of those who create, transmit, and elevate, transforming every gesture into an act of artistry and every second into a living presence.”
Lilian Thibault – Founder of AWAKE
RED AND GOLD: A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Some colors carry within them the memory of civilizations. For millennia, red and gold have held a sacred place, shaping the history of art and time. The dials of this Royal Red edition, with their luminous surfaces and complex hues, bear profound symbolic significance. They tell intertwined stories of artistic and cultural traditions, of ancestral craftsmanship, safeguarding the memory of civilizations, their heritage, their spirit, and their light.
Across cultures, red and gold are never in opposition: they complement each other, they converse. One symbolizes the warmth of life, the other clarity and wisdom. Together, they embody the balance between energy and light, emotion and consciousness.
“ART IS NOT ABOUT COPYING NATURE…”
“…But about learning to work like it!”. This quote, attributed to P. Picasso, perfectly captures the profound influence of nature and its inexhaustible inspiration for our lacquer artisans. The creation of the Royal Red dials relies on Sơn Mài lacquer, derived from the rare sap of the Rhus verniciflua tree, harvested in Vietnam according to an unchanging ritual. Layering, resting periods, delicate finger sanding, final polishing: each step, carried out by hand, follows the slow rhythm of the material.
This technical and aesthetic evolution of the Frosted Leaf method, applied to Royal Red, takes the complexity of the craft and creative process even further, suspending silver leaf and copper pigments within the lacquer to create depth, relief, and vibrancy. Each dial requires nearly fifteen hours of meticulous work. None are identical. Each bears the trace of a gesture, a breath, and a skill passed down through generations.
MINIATURE WORKS OF ART
The entire process, demanding patience, dexterity, and extreme focus, transforms each dial of the Royal Red edition into a unique, living piece, where light and time seem to pause in order to resonate more vividly.
Born from a fully artisanal process, each dial carries the breath of a craftsman, the ancient gestures of an expert hand linking centuries of know-how to the modern world. Each dial embodies our desire to preserve and transmit these values, and the magic of these stories, to future generations.
REVEAL WITHOUT DOMINATING
AWAKE’s “coiffe” luminous signature departs from traditional constructions. The hands and indices, crafted from a Super-LumiNova® BGW9 base and coated with polished steel, offer subtle legibility by day and a deep backlit effect in the dark. Here, luminescence becomes a narrative tool, revealing the material without ever overshadowing it, allowing the complexity of the lacquer to be appreciated through its nocturnal reflections.
LA JOUX-PERRET FOR AWAKE: MECHANICAL RELIABILITY AND EXCELLENCE
Royal Red is powered by the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, renowned for its reliability, precision, and 68-hour power reserve. Our movement is elevated by an exclusive tungsten rotor, specially designed for AWAKE, featuring contrasts of polished, brushed, and micro-beaded surfaces. The whole is encircled by a ring engraved with the edition’s specifications and the brand’s motto: Artisanship, Awakened.
HANDMADE STRAPS IN FRANCE
To elegantly extend the colors and subtleties of each dial, Royal Red is paired with red suede calfskin straps. Handcrafted by the master saddlers at Maison Bouveret in Franche-Comté, their creation involves over 60 meticulous steps following a strict specification, prioritizing comfort and longevity. Each strap is tone-on-tone stitched and lined with rubberized calfskin, ensuring greater suppleness as well as enhanced resistance to moisture and wear.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Reference : Sơn Mài – Frosted Leaf « Royal Red »: limited edition of 100 pieces.
Case: 316L recycled stainless steel
Diameter: 39 mm
Lug-to-lug: 45.6 mm
Lug width: 20 mm
Thickness: 11.80 mm including crystal / 10.90 mm without crystal
Arts & Crafts Dial: Entirely handcrafted using the exclusive “Frosted” technique, combining polished lacquer and pure silver leaf gilding with natural pigments in an unprecedented way
Indices and Hands: Super-LumiNova® BGW9, AWAKE “coiffe” luminous signature
Water Resistance: 5 ATM (50M)
Crystal: Sapphire glass with anti-reflective treatment
Caseback: Screw-down, sapphire crystal
Movement: La Joux-Perret G101 automatic, 68-hour power reserve
Decoration: Custom tungsten rotor with recessed and raised surfaces, brushed, micro-beaded, and polished finishes; micro-beaded encircling ring engraved by laser
Strap (20-16 mm): Red suede calfskin, rubberized calf lining, tone-on-tone stitching, mounted on a pin buckle
Warranty: 3-year international
Price: €2,200 excl. taxes
Delivery: Batch 1 – 50 pieces in January 2026 / Batch 2 in April 2026
Distribution : https://awakewatches.com
Retailers : https://awakewatches.com/pages/points-of-sale
