Awake just made the watch The Bride would wear to Kill Bill
Tom Austin- Awake unveils its latest Sơn Mài special edition, the second in the “A Tribute to the Seventh Art” project, celebrating cult films that defined a generation.
- Featuring a smoky yellow dial that the Black Mamba would be proud of, the watch is limited to 88 pieces, a nod to the Crazy 88.
- Each hand-applied lacquer blood-splatter is slightly different, making each example unique.
Movie watches are an interesting niche that runs through watch culture, mainly due to watch enthusiasts’ affinity for checking out what’s on the wrists of their favourite movie stars. I don’t know about you, but even I’ve found myself pausing a film to do a wrist check occasionally. As a result, you’ll regularly find watches from movies becoming cult hits; however, it’s not very often that you come across watches that are actually inspired by film.
That’s precisely what Awake is doing with its “A Tribute to the Seventh Art” project, drawing inspiration from some of the greatest cult-classic movies of the last few decades, transforming the dressy Sơn Mài into a movie-themed canvas. Following the first release, a dinosaur-themed duo inspired by Spielberg’s genre-defining masterpiece, Jurassic Park, Awake has just served up the next chapter: a brutally blood-soaked take on another cult classic, called “The Deadly Watch”.
I would hazard a guess that even by looking at the dial’s yellow colour, clashing with the deep crimson blood splatters, you can already tell what film this watch is channelling. Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, beginning with 2003’s cult hit Vol. 1, has become one of his most iconic works, portraying a balletic tale of revenge, inspired by 70s martial arts movies and spaghetti westerns. It’s a movie so iconic that the blood-splattered black-and-yellow suit worn by the Bride, played by Uma Thurman, is now instantly recognisable in cinematic culture.
We’ve become quite familiar with the Sơn Mài by now, with its uncomplicated, beautifully polished, pebble-like case. There are no straight lines in sight in the recycled 316L stainless steel, and at 39mm in diameter and just 11.8mm thick, it’s a neat, compact wear for most wrists. There’s an anti-reflective sapphire crystal up front, and a sapphire exhibition caseback at the rear, which carries a cool inscription referencing the watch’s name, along with the quote “I’m gonna kill Bill”.
To be pedantic, that line is from Vol. 2, but the cinema nerd in me is splitting hairs. Each watch is individually numbered on the caseback, as The Deadly Watch is limited to just 88 pieces; a reference to the Crazy 88, O-ren Ishii’s elite personal army of black-suited, katana-wielding Yakuza enforcers.
The striking dial is finished with traditional Vietnamese sơn mài lacquer, resulting in a vibrant fumé yellow that darkens towards the edges. It runs deeper than just a simple colourway, because the yellow pigment represents happiness, purity and energy of the soul, all of which were torn away from The Bride, Beatrix Kiddo, with the black being a reference to her alter ego, the Black Mamba. Of course, the red blood is pretty self-explanatory; Kill Bill is hilariously gruesome, so each dial is painted in red lacquer, intentionally applied messily by hand by master lacquerers, making each dial unique.
The dial furniture is interesting because the shape of the lumed hands and applied hour markers looks like they’ve been forged by Hattori Hanso himself. They’re beautifully cut and polished to sharp points, like miniature swords, but unlike the tiny samurai sword insignia at 6 o’clock on the dial, the hands are straight. I’d have loved to have seen at least the second hand having a slight curve to it, as that feels like a missed opportunity, but they are, nevertheless, gorgeous to look at.
The Deadly Watch is powered by a La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, which is neatly decorated with Geneva striping and a bespoke unidirectional tungsten rotor. It provides the watch with a generous 68-hour power reserve while beating at 28,800 Vph, which is more than you would need for a watch like this, which is not likely to be an everyday wear.
Finally, the black-and-yellow theme continues through the strap, which is handcrafted from black Barenia calfskin and lined with yellow calfskin inside. It closes with a stainless steel pinbuckle and is finished with yellow stitching on the outside, contrasted with red stitching on the inside for a really subtle, but awesomely Kill Bill-esque touch.
Awake Sơn Mài “The Deadly Watch” pricing and availability
The Awake Sơn Mài “The Deadly Watch” is available directly from the Awake website from December 4th, 2025, and is limited to 88 pieces. Price: €1,650+ tax
| Brand | Awake |
| Model | Sơn Mài “The Deadly Watch” |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 11.8mm (T) |
| Case Material | Recycled 316L stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Sơn Mài lacquer in yellow fumé with red blood splatter |
| Strap | Black calfskin with yellow calfskin lining, red & yellow stitching |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret G101, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 68 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Limited to 88 pieces |
| Price | €1,650 + tax |