{"id":958450,"date":"2026-11-09T18:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T18:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/958450\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T18:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T18:20:23","slug":"awake-son-mai-silver-leaf-new-dials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/958450\/","title":{"rendered":"Awake S\u01a1n M\u00e0i Silver Leaf – New Dials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meighan Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n

With four brand-new dials added to the collection, Awake has officially updated the entire catalogue to its new 38mm case and logo.
\nThe new collection features vintage vignetting and a unique dial decoration called S\u01a1n M\u00e0i, an ancient Vietnamese decoration technique based on the art of sanded lacquer.
\nAvailable in four variations, the new S\u01a1n M\u00e0i Silver Leaf dials come in Gentian Blue, Java Green, Indian Red, and the limited edition Purple Viola.<\/p>\n

Awake\u2019s growth in the microbrand space, surprising to none, has been a journey I have personally enjoyed. From being stunned into silence by their lume-surrounded indices at the Indies NYC event at Hudson Yards in 2025, to having the pleasure of selling them at the Time+Tide NYC Discovery Studio six months later. Brilliant proof that watch fashion doesn\u2019t have to be understated; Awake is a prime example<\/a> of how exhilarating the microbrand space can be. These four fresh dials are no exception.<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

When I got to try on their updated 38mm case<\/a> this past April at Chronopolis in Geneva, it struck me how impressive a brand they have been, and continue to become. Lillian and Thibaut handle their success with the ease of weathered sailors. Part of that success is their willingness to adjust. \u201cUs as brand owners,\u201d I remember Thibaut Sacre, co-founder of the brand, saying, \u201cwe have to get firsthand experience of our watches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wear them, we note what we like and dislike, and we update as we go along.\u201d These updates have been present in all major past releases of 2026, and they simply make sense, in both robustness and aesthetics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

The updated dials added to the Silver Leaf collection are not to be taken lightly, but while we\u2019re here, I\u2019d like to take a moment to appreciate this year\u2019s updated case as well. The lugs are more shapely, structured, and curved. The size, a hair smaller, does not feel overly small for a 38mm. As an avid 39 mm wearer, I can appreciate the steps they took with the dimensions here. The curvier case structure adds to the overall artistic feel and creates a sturdiness that lets you focus more deeply on the dial\u2019s beauty.<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

It should be noted that the straps were updated as well, in collaboration with Jean Rousseau and Bouveret, with slightly more padding, adding to the comfort and shape. These updates to the case and strap, not limited to the Silverleaf collection, create a heartier overall wearing experience while highlighting Awake\u2019s personality<\/a>. Alcantara and Nubuck, with a rubberised calfskin lining, feel just as classy as they sound. The stitching on the straps provides the team with yet another creative avenue of colour differentiation, as the strap on the Purple Viola will demonstrate.<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

Now that we\u2019ve given our French lads a little golf clap, let\u2019s talk dials. The Son Mai Silver Leaf<\/a> collection is known to be a tribute to different cultures \u2013 the French approach to artisanal craftsmanship and the intense artistry of Hanoi lacquer work. These new dials introduced are great examples of the two tributes\u2013 we have the Purple Viola, Indian Red, Java Green, and Gentian Blue. Added, however, is a dramatic, vintage vignetting.<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

Each new press release or article I read about the dial-making process shortens the time it takes to handmake these dials, from 18 hours to 15 hours to now, \u201cabove ten.\u201d Not lacking at all in quality, I am assuming that the dial artists are getting quite into the swing of things. The painstaking production of these, however, will still be capped at around 100 dials per colour, per year, with the only exception being the Viola, which is limited strictly to 200 pieces.<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting situation to place yourself in as a watch brand, to ask the customer to take some time and treat each dial like its own separate work of art. It\u2019s a gamble and a risk to assume that the buyer will translate the Gentian Blue, for example, the same way that you do, as a serene and calming escape from city noise around them, instead of simply another blue dial added to the collection. This is precisely why, I think, they do their best to emphasise the craftsmanship surrounding it \u2013 and let\u2019s be honest, more than ten hours of dial work is a lot more than I could ever consider myself contributing. But this gamble is part of the process of creating art, and so far, with Awake, I count myself lucky to have witnessed the payoff.<\/p>\n

Awake S\u01a1n M\u00e0i Silver Leaf \u2013 \u201cGentian Blue\u201d, \u201cIndian Red, \u201cJava Green\u201d, and \u201cPurple Viola\u201d pricing and availability<\/p>\n

\"Awake<\/p>\n

The Awake S\u01a1n M\u00e0i Silver Leaf \u201cGentian Blue\u201d, \u201cIndian Red, \u201cJava Green\u201d, and \u201cPurple Viola\u201d are available in the Time+Tide shop<\/a> and at Time+Tide Discovery Studios in New York, London, and Melbourne. The first three models are part of the core collection, but are limited to 100 pieces per year. The \u201cPurple Viola\u201d is limited to 200 pieces worldwide. Price: \u20ac2,640<\/p>\n

Brand
\nAwake<\/p>\n

Model
\nS\u01a1n M\u00e0i Silver Leaf<\/p>\n

Case Dimensions
\n38mm (D) x 11.50 mm (T) x 44.75 mm (LTL)<\/p>\n

Case Material
\n316L Stainless steel<\/p>\n

Water Resistance
\n100 meters, push-in crown<\/p>\n

Crystal(s)
\nSapphire crystal with AR coating<\/p>\n

Dial
\nM\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art silver-leaf gilding and traditional Vietnamese S\u01a1n M\u00e0i lacquer<\/p>\n

Lug Width
\n20 mm<\/p>\n

Strap
\nHandcrafted Alcantara or Nubuck strap, curved quick-release spring bars, micro-adjustment ardillon buckle<\/p>\n

Movement
\nLa Joux-Perret G101, automatic<\/p>\n

Power Reserve
\n68 hours<\/p>\n

Functions
\nHours, minutes, seconds<\/p>\n

Availability
\nAvailable now<\/p>\n

Price
\n\u20ac2,640<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Meighan Johnson With four brand-new dials added to the collection, Awake has officially updated the entire catalogue to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":958451,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,516098,105],"class_list":["post-958450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-dress-watch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=958450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/958451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=958450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=958450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=958450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}