Introducing: The Awake Sơn Mài Jurassic Watch Duo
Last November, Awake changed course when it debuted the new Sơn Mài collection. Previously, the brand frequently focused on space-themed watches. While these had unique designs, the Sơn Mài pieces were more serious with gilded silver leaf Métiers d’Art dials. One key point came after meeting with founder Lilian Thibault during the launch — more colors and variants were coming. The new Jurassic Watch duo “terrifyingly” proves this!
While the initial Sơn Mài releases exemplified a step forward in Awake’s maturity, the new Jurassic Watch pieces show that fun is still a core part of the brand. As the name suggests, the inspiration for these watches comes from the 1993 blockbuster hit film Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the book by Michael Crichton. I was in high school when the book and movie came out, and I devoured both! The effects were amazing, the dinosaurs were realistic, and quotes from the actors were memorable. Awake has captured these elements in a non-campy way in two distinct watches.
The Awake Sơn Mài Jurassic Watch duo
The latest Sơn Mài watches take their cues from the two most memorable prehistoric creatures from Jurassic Park. An orange model, called the T-Rex, recalls the title dinosaur that ravaged the main lobby at the theme park. A corresponding green version, the Raptors, takes inspiration from the wily velociraptors that menaced the characters throughout the film. Each piece uses a 39mm by 45.6mm recycled 316L stainless steel case with sapphire crystals on both sides. A 50m water resistance rating also carries over from the original release.
Dials inspired by the irises of the dinosaurs
Once again, Vietnamese artisans work to create the Sơn Mài Métiers d’Art dials, which include a base of silver leaf gilding and subsequent lacquering in orange or green. The combination is then sanded to a smooth finish. Awake chose these colors to represent the T-Rex and Raptors because the same hues were used in the film for the dinosaurs’ irises. While the brand states that they’re meant to evoke terror, they’re still quite beautiful.
The polished metal hands and indexes are unchanged and contain an underlying layer of solid Super-LumiNova BGW9. For the Jurassic Watch models, the design of the hour markers works perfectly because of the sharp, toothy shape! On the lower half of the dial, a silver appliqué represents a slashing from the claws of each lizard. The orange model has an anatomically correct twin slash, and the green reference shows three marks from the sharp claws of the velociraptor.
Salmon leather skins from Ictyos
Normally, straps don’t receive much attention in an introductory article. However, Awake’s devotion to sustainability has led to an interesting choice of material. The brand has worked with a French company, Ictyos of Lyon, France, to create the dial-matching straps with dinosaur-like scales and iridescent surface finishing.
The leather is, in fact, salmon skin harvested from fish used for food. Ictyos processes the skins, which increases the strength and meets watchmaking requirements. The 20mm straps are handmade with tone-on-tone stitching, a calfskin lining, and a 16mm signed steel buckle.
A case back with film quotes
Awake has stepped up its decorating game on the case backs of the Jurassic Watch models. The inner ring features an engraved jungle motif. It also contains “Jurassic Watch” and “Swiss Made” in the same font found on the movie poster and the theme park’s entrance. An individual engraved number is also present. Finally, each edition contains a relevant quote from the movie. The T-Rex model depicts “Spared no expense” from Richard Attenborough’s character John Hammond, who created the park. Each Raptors model has “Life finds a way” from Dr. Ian Malcolm as portrayed by Jeff Goldblum.
The Jurassic Watch uses the automatic La Joux-Perret G101 with a tungsten oscillating rotor. It has a frequency of 28,800vph and 68 hours of power reserve. As with the original Sơn Mài models, the movement is dateless, can be manually wound, and has a hacking feature.
Jurassic Watch pricing and availability
Perhaps it is due to the cult-like nature of this release that each Jurassic Watch model will see a limited run of just 50 numbered pieces. Also, because Awake hints that other movies are in scope for future releases, I imagine the brand wants to ensure ongoing demand. Each model costs €2,075, only €125 more than the original references. That sounds fair when considering the distinctive straps, additional engraving, and subtle nods to the movie. Plus, one lucky buyer will receive a genuine Carcharodontosaurus tooth that is approximately 100 million years old. I saw it sitting next to the watches in Geneva at Time to Watches, and it is cool! Concerning the T-Rex and Raptors, the watches look great and integrate the spirit of this now-classic movie without feeling kitschy. I can imagine there are enough fans of the film and the colors to snap these up quickly.
