Awake Collaborates With Artist Nicolas Barrome Forgues On The Limited-Edition 01 Titane Dare & Dream
Most of us know the young brand Awake from its NASA-approved “Mission To Earth” timepieces from 2022. In particular, the white and red model with its characteristic NASA branding stood out immediately. However, after that, Awake created several collections based on the brand’s modern design signature. The latest addition to the lineup is a bit of a break from the norm. The new Awake 01 Titane Dare & Dream is a collaborative effort with Nicolas Barrome Forgues. Starting with a blank canvas, the artist let his imagination run wild and created a playful dial full of fun comic characters. Read on to find out more about this 50-piece limited edition.
Seeing the worlds of street art and luxury watches come together always makes me a bit wary. I love street art and watches, of course, but merging the two can be somewhat of a hit-or-miss exercise. But with one look at the Awake 01 Titane Dare & Dream, I knew this was a great effort by Awake and Nicolas Barrome Forgues. The Paris-based artist had the freedom to create whatever he wanted. I love this idea of handing an artist a blank canvas because that will often lead to the best results of integrating art into the watch.
The canvas for the Awake Dare & Dream
Let’s first talk about the canvas Barrome Forgues was handed. The Awake 01 Titane features a 40mm recycled Grade 2 titanium case. The watch is 11.89mm thick and 47mm long with a 20mm lug spacing and a 100m water resistance rating.
The watch is made of titanium and is fairly light at 65 grams, excluding the rubber strap. It features a large, hexagonal screw-down crown on the right side for a nice dose of distinct character.
The true canvas is a white dial with pad-printed 3D motifs. It is a nice dial because it resembles paper. Consequently, it provided the perfect backdrop for Barrome Forgues to explore his options.
Nicolas Barrome Forgues
What resulted from the artist’s imaginative brain was a great collection of alien characters called Bifrons. Due to the dial’s texture and pencil-like drawings, it almost feels like a page from a sketchbook, and I love that.
A wonderful little universe of alien characters
But there is more to the dial than just the characters that inhabit it. If you look closely, you will see that the brand’s logo is dismantled. The first “a” is getting beamed up by an alien spacecraft, and the “e” is being taken by the centrally placed Bifron. The same goes for the hour markers. As you can see, some alien characters have taken the applied indices and changed their placement on the dial. On top of that, some of the hour markers have been completely replaced by fun creatures. As a result, the markers at 2, 5, and 8 o’clock are completely absent.
This dial is a wonderful doodle-character collection that tells a fun story through the little details. It’s meant to be a fun homage to the brand’s “Mission To Earth” timepieces, and I have to say, it’s wonderful to see the different alien creatures and what they are up to. I also love that it’s done in a sketchbook style. It has a spontaneous look that also works well color-wise. A nice sign-off is the “Dare & Dream” engraving on the rehaut at 12 o’clock as a reminder of the name of this limited edition.
The story continues…
But that is not where the fun ends. All the characters, hour markers, and hands are treated with white Super-LumiNova BGW9 that lights up blue in low light. It’s a brilliant party trick that brings the story to life in the dark. It doesn’t necessarily make the time more legible, but if that’s what you want, this 50-piece limited edition is probably not for you. I salute Awake for this brilliant lume execution that adds greatly to the fun of this watch.
The story continues on the case back, where you can glimpse the Miyota 9039 that powers the watch. This 24-jewel automatic caliber operates at 28,800vph and has a 42-hour power reserve. What’s more important, though, is the continuation of the story. The case back is treated like the final scene of a science-fiction movie featuring two Bifrons created with the under-glass metallization technique.
The creatures are taking a last look at the engine room of the spaceship they used for their mission to Earth. As an ending to the story, one of the Bifrons activates the closure of a virtual airlock. It symbolizes the two-year adventure of Awake 01, which ends as the brand starts a new adventure.
Final thoughts on the Awake 01 Titane Dare & Dream
I was already excited when I first saw the Awake 01 Titane Dare & Dream in pictures. However, reading the story and examining the artwork again makes the watch much better. I have to take my hat off to the guys at Awake for giving Nicolas Barrome Forgues the freedom to go wild. The result is not merely a fun-looking watch but also one with a brilliantly integrated story. This is an example of when the combination of street art and watches works best, and I love the watch for that.
The Awake 01 Titane Dare & Dream comes with two different straps. The first is a white rubber, while the second is a black fabric Zulu strap. For me, the white strap is the best choice. It has a nice texture that complements the dial well. In addition, I love the all-white paper-like background that allows the alien characters to stand out and tell the story of the last two years for Awake. As mentioned, the brand will produce 50 pieces of this limited edition, and each will be available for €890 (excluding taxes). With such a fantastic execution of this fun design, I expect these timepieces to go fast!
Visit the official Awake website for more information or to secure your Awake 01 Titane Dare & Dream. Let us know your thoughts on this charming timepiece in the comments below.
