Awake Honors Remembrance Day: Gorgeous Red Dial of Awake Poppies from Son Mai Collection

The French brand Awake recently launched its first permanent collection, significantly shifting from their previous sporty, high-concept watches. This new Son Mai collection features stunning Vietnamese sanded lacquer dials and silver leaf gilding. Surprisingly, it is already introducing its first limited edition: the Awake Poppies, created in honor of Remembrance Day—an observance in Commonwealth member states since World War I to honor fallen soldiers. This watch is a tribute to an important English tradition.

Inspiration From The Remembrance Day

The Inspiration for the Awake Poppies was when during the first edition of the WATCHPRO Show in 2023, all exhibitors and visitors participated in a two-minute silence to honor Remembrance Day and the associated Poppy tradition, which made a strong impact. Shortly after, the first dials from the new Son Mai collection arrived, handmade using the ancestral Vietnamese technique of sanded natural lacquer, enhanced with pure silver leaf. The unique depth and reflections of the red dial on the ‘Lava’ version inspired the creation of The Poppies watch, a tribute blending French creativity, Swiss watchmaking, and Vietnamese artistry.

The Poppy

The Poppy has been a symbol in the UK and other countries since 1921, with millions wearing the red flower in their buttonholes yearly to honor deceased soldiers. This tradition parallels the French custom of wearing a cornflower on Armistice Day, as both flowers are said to have been the only ones to grow on battlefields, representing nature’s resilience. The Poppy, far from a random choice, has evolved into a powerful symbol of remembrance and hope.

Design and Details of the Awake Poppies

Externally, the watch remains unchanged. It is crafted from recycled stainless steel, measuring 39mm wide, 11.8mm thick with the crystal, and a compact 45.6mm from lug to lug. It features a domed sapphire crystal within a polished rounded bezel and brushed case, complemented by a polished chamfer along the lugs. The watch has a water resistance of 50 meters. Inside, the new Awake Poppies is powered by the increasingly popular La Joux-Perret G101 movement, which operates at 4Hz and boasts a modern 68-hour power reserve, surpassing many competitors such as those from Sellita. It includes three centrally located hands and a customized rotor featuring a bead-blasted center that reads “La Joux-Perret Pour Awake.”

What’s new is the dial. Once again, it’s made with the Vietnamese technique of Son Maì sanded lacquer, followed by the application of pure silver leaf for additional texture and relief. It’s rendered in bright red to mimic the poppy flowers worn on lapels during Remembrance Day. The indices and hands are made of Super-LumiNova BGW9 and then covered with faceted steel caps. That way the lume doesn’t shine towards the viewer, but rather underneath the silver caps for a backlit look. The Awake Poppies is completed with a red NATO-style calfskin strap

Although the Awake Poppies are not limited in quantity, they will be available only for a limited time. Pre-orders began yesterday and will close on December 1st. Customers who order within this timeframe are guaranteed a watch, as it will not be available afterward. Additionally, 10% of the price of each watch,  The Awake Poppies will set at €2,000 (a €50 premium over the non-limited version), will be donated to Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a British charity supporting children of parents who died while serving in the armed forces. More information about the Awake Puppies can be found on the Awake website.

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