Awake: Sơn Mài - Year of the The Sssnake
Snake Spirit Reimagined
PRESS RELEASE | 2592 WORDS | 25 MINUTE READ
The Dial Artist's unbridled modern creativity, combined with ancestral vietnamese lacquerware, for a quirky, rock'n'roll tribute to the year of the snake!
AWAKE is celebrating the Year of the Snake with an original creation combining Asian tradition and rock'n'roll spirit: ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ by The Dial Artist.
AWAKE's recent entry into the world of Métiers d'Art has not gone unnoticed. Today, it is attracting daring talents and personalities who are keen to join us in our quest for excellence and creativity, and in our desire to pass on traditional skills by reinventing them with a resolutely contemporary approach.
It is to the tradition of the Chinese zodiac - and more specifically to the Year of the Snake - that AWAKE is paying tribute through an exclusive collaboration combining the ancestral art of Vietnamese lacquerware Sơn Mài and the offbeat universe of Scottish artist Chris Alexander, aka The Dial Artist.
Image courtesy - Awake
The fruit of this unexpected encounter between the Master Lacquerers of Hanoi and one of the most singular artists on the watchmaking scene, ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ by The Dial Artist embodies a striking fusion of tradition and modernity, craftsmanship and artistic expression. A veritable bridge between cultures, this creation tells a story in which every detail - from the gesture to the material - celebrates personalities, skills and worlds that are as different as they are complementary…
Produced in a very limited edition of 50 pieces, ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ stands out for its aesthetic as impertinent as it is refined: a rock n' roll nod to the Year of the Snake, carried by an execution of the utmost precision. A rare watch, conceived as a manifesto of creative freedom.
"For even more pleasure, we ssstrongly recommend that you pronounce all the Sss sssounds in this presss release like a sssnake sssnort!
-The Dial Artissst.
Key Points To Remember:
50 unique and certified pieces: Each of the 50 dials in this special edition ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ is a work of art to be worn every day. 50 mysterious dials with bewitching reflections, handcrafted by artisans and a creative artist, idealistic and eager to understand others. Values and qualities often attributed to people born in the Year of the Snake. Each of the 50 watches in this limited edition will be delivered with a certificate of authenticity, attesting that it is indeed a work by The Dial Artist.
15h of work by hand, on two continents: Each dial in the ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ edition is the fruit of an artistic dialogue between two continents, two traditions, and the same passion for colour and material. Handcrafted in 15 hours of meticulous work, each dial embodies the encounter between an age-old craft and a contemporary vision of watchmaking.
A bold, artistic nod to the Year of the Snake: With ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’, AWAKE signs a wink to the tradition of the Chinese zodiac that is both artisanal and artistic. This limited edition of 50 combines oriental astrology, contemporary creativity and Vietnamese ancestral skills to celebrate the Year of the Snake with boldness - and an assertive rock n' roll style.
Exclusive collaboration AWAKE x THE DIAL ARTIST: Since 2017, Chris Alexander, aka The Dial Artist, has established himself as one of the most singular talents on the contemporary watchmaking scene. Known for his dials bursting with color and life, he blurs the boundaries between watchmaking and modern art with panache. This first exclusive collaboration with AWAKE marks an important step since our entry into the world of Métiers d'Art. It is the result of a human and artistic encounter based on deep affinities: a love of color, a passion for materials, and respect for the craftsman.
Exclusive light signature, between mystery and chiaroscuro: Stripped of all logos and indexes, the limited edition “Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake” boasts a radical artistic statement, leaving plenty of room for visual emotion and the bewitching texture of its unique dials, inspired by the snake's skin. But it's when night falls that the magic takes full effect: the hour and minute hands come to life in a subtle halo of light, diffused by AWAKE's exclusive luminous signature, inspired by the Japanese aesthetic of chiaroscuro.
Manufacture La Joux - Perret (La Chaux de Fonds) for Awake: This ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ edition is equipped with the LJP G101 automatic calibre, developed by the Swiss Manufacture La Joux - Perret. Reliable and high-performance (68-hour power reserve), it features a tungsten rotor designed exclusively for AWAKE, with elegant contrasts between raised and recessed surfaces, and a bead-blasted ring laser-engraved with the artist's name, the Swiss Made designation and the limited series number. If you take a closer look, you'll notice that it conceals a few amusing special features for lovers of details !
"Ancestral Vietnamese craftsmanship imagined as a canvas to express the unbridled modern creativity of The Dial Artist, and pay a bold, rock'n'roll tribute to the Chinese tradition of the zodiac, and more particularly to the year of the snake... "
Lilian Thibault - Founder of AWAKE
The modern creativity of The Dial Artist and traditional Vietnamese lacquerware Sơn Mài combine to anchor age-old skills in our contemporary lives.
The starting point: A shared love of lacquer and colors.
Chris Alexander, aka The Dial Artist, was one of the first people to encourage our approach of (re)highlighting and modernising ancestral skills from around the world. The launch of the Sơn Mài collection at the end of 2024, based on the age-old traditional art of Vietnamese lacquerware, was a trigger for this artist, renowned for his love of materials (particularly lacquer), colors and his ability to give watch dials an extra soul and life, a new energy.
When we asked him to come up with an unexpected - and resolutely rock’n'roll - tribute to the tradition of the Chinese zodiac, and more specifically to the Year of the Snake, the ideas quickly sprang to life to find the best way of highlighting different identities, cultures, traditions and know-how in the confined space of a dial.
This collaboration, limited to 50 pieces made entirely by hand on two continents, by an artist and craftsmen united by the same love of lacquer and colours, transcends borders and perfectly embodies our vision of the fusion between modern art and ancestral craftsmanship, to give life to an original, daring and non-conformist timepiece!
Portrait of Chris Alexander aka The Dial Artist.
A graduate of a master's degree in design from Gray's School of Art (Aberdeen), and better known as The Dial Artist, Chris Alexander is a Scottish artist who draws his inspiration from his childhood spent in South Africa, and from his many passions: street art, pop culture and astrology.
Chris founded The Dial Artist in 2017, drawing on twenty years' experience in the creative industries, during which time he has been able to experiment with and master a wide range of paints, lacquers and techniques, honing his skills and artistry.
In just a few years, he has made a name for himself in the global watchmaking community for his colorful, vibrant dials and his sophisticated style, which blurs the boundaries between contemporary art and watchmaking. Watch brands and collectors all over the world turn to him to customize existing dials or create unique, made-to-measure projects that stand out and tell a new story every time.
When Astrology inspires creation.
At AWAKE, we regularly explore themes that touch and inspire us, and which we choose to reinterpret through a personal and creative approach. It was in this spirit that the idea for ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ was born, when a conversation with Chris revealed his deep attachment to astrology, a constant source of inspiration in both his life and his artistic work.
From this chat arose an obvious idea: to pay tribute to the Chinese zodiac, an ancestral system steeped in legend, still regarded in China today as a guide to understanding one's personality or directing one's destiny.
Unlike Western astrology based on solar months, the Chinese zodiac - 生肖 (shēngxiào) - is based on a cycle of twelve lunar years, each placed under the sign of an animal with powerful symbolic traits.
The year 2025 marks our entry into the Year of the Serpent - Shé (蛇): a sign that is complex, mysterious, intuitive and refined. All qualities that we wanted to subtly evoke on the dials of this special edition, limited to 50 pieces. A free and daring interpretation of the snake, a symbol of wisdom and transformation, brought to life here through a totally new reptilian aesthetic.
Ancestral Vietnamese lacquerware Sơn Mài as a canvas for The Dial Artist.
Chris wished to combine his creativity and love of lacquer and colors with the traditional Vietnamese skills of our lacquer craftsmen to help, in his own small way, to bridge the gap between the rich art of lacquer and a younger audience, and so pass on this heritage to future generations.
STEP 1 - HANOI - VIETNAM 🇻🇳: It all starts with the sap of the Rhus Verniciflua, a tree that grows in northern Vietnam and produces, between June and July, in very small quantities (just 200ml per tree), a natural lacquer considered to be the best in the world because it contains the highest proportion of gloss.
A first coat of lacquer is applied to the brass dial base. Then, with care and precision, the lacquerers spray on several thin layers of natural black pigments, obtained from minerals, plant derivatives or other organic sources, to obtain a deep, intense color. Several coats of pure lacquer are then applied, each time dried, sanded and polished, to give the dial a timeless shine.
It's a long, meticulous process that requires both great artistic talent and cutting-edge technical expertise on the part of our craftsmen, to provide Chris Alexander with the perfect “canvas” on which to express his art and techniques.
STEP 2 - PERTH - SCOTLAND 🏴: To bring this contemporary interpretation of the Serpent to life, Chris Alexander immersed himself in a meticulous study of the textures and reflections of snake skins. After much experimentation, he carefully selected a palette of matte paints with unique optical properties, capable of reacting to different light wavelengths. Yellow, blue, green and violet are applied by hand to each dial to create an organic, iridescent and ultra-realistic chromatic effect.
Once the colours have stabilised, the artist applies with extreme precision a thin textured pellicle, produced in his workshop in Scotland using advanced UV techniques. This exclusive pattern, inspired by snakeskin, creates the illusion of three-dimensional scales, with uncanny realism. Then comes the final step: a delicate layer of gloss black paint, applied with an ultra-fine brush, accentuates the contrasts and reveals all the visual complexity of the composition.
The result: a living, hypnotic dial that captures and plays with light. Each piece differs subtly from the last, making each copy of the limited edition ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ a truly unique creation. From Vietnam to Scotland, from traditional gestures to technological know-how, this dial requires 15 hours of handwork, and in itself embodies the spirit of this extraordinary collaboration.
"Their techniques and gestures are precise and mastered, inherited from an ancestral know-how that has made Vietnamese lacquering craftsmen famous the world over. It's an honor and a real source of pride to have the opportunity, thanks to AWAKE, to express my creativity on a dial steeped in history and tradition. We come from different countries and cultures but our passion for lacquer and colors is an imaginary thread stretched between us."
The Dial Artist.
50 dials hand made to bring good luck, wisdom and light.
The 50 unique dials in this limited edition have been imagined and designed with patience and passion, between Vietnam and Scotland, to bring good luck to their future owners, promoting regeneration and growth while warding off negative energies. Each complex and mysterious dial is the work of craftsmen and an artist who is curious, warm, generous and profoundly human - qualities often associated with people born in the Year of the Snake, a sign of wisdom, intuition and finesse of mind.
With no logo, no index, these dials embody a clear artistic approach: to let the full visual power of the motif express itself freely. The strikingly realistic reptilian design interacts with the light through a subtle alternation of matt and shiny finishes. And when night falls, the hands come to life to reveal our exclusive luminous signature, inspired by Japanese chiaroscuro; diffusing a discreet, magnetic halo of light, extending the mysterious aura of the snake.
Creations full of meaning and symbolism, designed to instill patience, love, wisdom and good fortune in those who wear them, as predicted by the Year of the Snake 2025.
"50 ’Designed to Be Different" dials will soon be gracing the wrists of enthusiasts who want to stand out from the crowd and see their watches not as status symbols but as personal statements of daring and style!"
The Dial Artist.
A case back featuring carefully studied details and finishes.
On the back of each ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ watch beats the LJP G101 automatic calibre, with unidirectional winding, designed by the Swiss Manufacture La Joux-Perret. Renowned for its robustness and precision, this movement has a power reserve of 68 hours and is equipped, exclusively for AWAKE, with a tungsten rotor featuring refined contrasts, combining hollowed surfaces and polished reliefs. A play of textures and finishes that adds depth and modernity to the movement's design.
The movement is adorned with a custom-made bead-blasted ring, meticulously laser-engraved with the artist's name, the words ‘Swiss Made’ and the serial number of each piece. Lovers of detail will appreciate the little surprises hidden in the caseback: the word “Sssnake”, lengthened by several ‘s’ to make playful spirits sssiffle, and whose final ‘e’ stretches out like a forked tongue... a playful reference to the animal totem of this edition.
Marine leather straps for the ultimate reptilian effect!
To equip this limited edition ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’, we have chosen an iridescent and metallic purple LUNA® trout leather, whose fine scales and subtle colour nuances extend the reptilian appearance of the dial in an elegant and harmonious way, and give the sensation of a snake coiling all around the wrist. The leather is very fine-grained and regular, changing colour under the effect of light for a hypnotic visual experience at every glance.
Lined in ‘Burgundy’ calfskin and hand-stitched tone-on-tone, this exceptionally hard-wearing and elegant marine leather has a soft, perfectly smoothed feel and meets all the technical requirements of the watchmaking industry. Dimensions: 115x80mm / 20x16mm - Mounted on our 316L recycled steel pin buckle - fitted with presto pumps.
Certificate of authenticity and personalized cases:
Each of the 50 watches in this limited edition will be delivered with a certificate of authenticity, attesting that it is indeed a work by The Dial Artist. And for even more pleasure and exclusivity, The Dial Artist has customized each of the 50 cases in this ‘Sơn Mài - Year of the Sssnake’ project with his signature, the limited series number of the watch it houses and a word characterizing this limited edition and the relationship we have developed over time: Fearless, Create, Dream, Freedom, Excel, Defy, Daring, Timeless, Love, Friendship... and many more!
For further information, visit awakewatches.com
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