FounderFest: The Awake Sơn Mài – Frosted Leaf “Ultraviolet” is a lovesong in lacquer
Tom AustinThere are certain records that become bigger than music. They stop being something you simply listen to and instead become part of a visual identity, a mood, even a period of your life. They’re the albums that soundtracked first loves, lonely train journeys, late-night drives and friendships that somehow seemed inseparable from the songs themselves. Years later, hearing a single note can transport you back to a version of yourself you thought had long since disappeared.
The remarkable thing is that these records don’t belong to one generation. Every decade produces a handful that outgrow the charts to become something far more personal. Their artwork becomes instantly recognisable. Their colours become inseparable from the emotions they evoke. Long after the details of where you first heard them have faded, the feeling remains. They become woven into memory itself.
It’s that relationship between music and memory that inspired the latest collaboration between Time+Tide and Awake. Rather than referencing a specific moment literally, the Time+Tide x Awake Ultraviolet captures the atmosphere that certain records leave behind. Through its traditional Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer dial, the watch transforms emotion into material, using layers of rich purple and black lacquer to create a surface that feels less like a printed image and more like a memory. Depending on how the light catches it, the dial shifts between near-black shadows and vivid violet, echoing the way music itself changes over time.
The watch uses Awake’s recently refined Sơn Mài case, measuring 38mm across, 11.5mm thick and 44.75mm from lug-to-lug. Those proportions give it an easy-wearing versatility that sits somewhere between a dress watch and an everyday companion. The thinner bezel also gives the dial noticeably more room to breathe than earlier Awake releases, while 100 metres of water resistance and sapphire crystals front and back make it considerably more practical than its artistic appearance might suggest.
Awake has spent the past few years establishing itself as one of the independent scene’s most interesting dial makers through its use of Sơn Mài, the centuries-old Vietnamese lacquer technique that demands extraordinary patience and precision. Each dial begins with intricate hand engraving before pure silver leaf is laid beneath successive translucent layers of natural lacquer.
Rich purple and black pigments gradually build over one another, while the underlying silver leaf catches the light in constantly changing ways. Depending on the angle, the dial shifts from almost black to vivid violet, creating a remarkable sense of depth rarely seen elsewhere.
No two examples will ever be identical. Variations in lacquer application, silver leaf and hand-finishing ensure that every dial develops its own character. The beauty of the dial lies in its ambiguity. Depending on the light, its rich layers of purple and black reveal different tones and textures, encouraging each wearer to form their own connection with it. There are no obvious visual cues demanding a particular interpretation. Instead, the watch allows colour, craftsmanship and atmosphere to do the work.
Inside sits the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic calibre. Offering a healthy 68-hour power reserve, it has become one of the strongest alternatives to Sellita and ETA movements, making it an ideal choice for a watch likely to spend time in rotation rather than an outright daily driver.
Maison Jean Rousseau supplies the grey Alcantara strap, finished with purple contrast stitching and curved quick-release spring bars that help it sit neatly against the case. A new adjustable pin buckle provides a level of comfort and fine adjustment rarely found on leather straps, rounding off a package that feels carefully considered from every angle.
Rather than simply applying a logo to an existing watch, the Time+Tide × Awake Ultraviolet explores the relationship between music, memory and independent watchmaking. The dial stands on its own as a remarkable piece of craftsmanship, but it also serves as a reminder of the unique way music becomes intertwined with our lives.
Awake Sơn Mài – Frosted Leaf “Ultraviolet” Time+Tide Studio Edition pricing and availability
The Awake Sơn Mài – Frosted Leaf “Ultraviolet” Time+Tide Studio Edition will be available at FounderFest from September 19, then globally online at the Time+Tide Shop during a 24hr window beginning on September 22. Following that, this Studio Edition will be available exclusively at the Time+Tide Studios in London, Melbourne, and New York. Price: £2,450 (incl. VAT) / US$3,650 / AU$4,550 (incl. GST) / €2,400 (excl. VAT)
| Brand | Awake |
| Model | Sơn Mài – Frosted Leaf “Ultraviolet” Time+Tide Studio Edition |
| Reference | FLTT26AW |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 11.5mm (T) x 44.75mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Handcrafted Sơn Mài lacquer with silver leaf |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Jean Rousseau grey Alcantara strap with purple stitching, adjustable pin buckle |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret G101, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 68 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Available beginning September 19 at FounderFest US/UK/AU Available online globally on September 22 for 24 hours only, before becoming an in-store exclusive across Time+Tide’s Discovery Studios |
| Price | £2,450 (incl. VAT) / US$3,650 / AU$4,550 (incl. GST) / €2,400 (excl. VAT) |