Hands-On: The New Awake Sơn Mài The Deadly Watch

With its latest release, Awake has returned to the silver screen for inspiration. The new Sơn Mài The Deadly Watch takes its cues from a film by one of my favorite directors. Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 movie Kill Bill arrives in wrist form, complete with the legendary colors worn by the star character, Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman. For fans of the creator’s exploitation films, this is a can’t-miss introduction.

In April this year, Awake released a pair of watches that paid tribute to the iconic Jurassic Park films. These pieces had small slash marks on their dials, representing the velociraptor and T. rex. While sharp talons aren’t at work on the latest Sơn Mài The Deadly Watch, the work of a Japanese samurai sword is on display. Once again, this is a fun and beautifully crafted release that should please both watch and film fans alike.

The Awake Sơn Mài The Deadly Watch

Awake’s latest introduction follows a similar format to past releases. Namely, it has a 39mm by 45.6mm case crafted from recycled 316L stainless steel. The watch is a great all-arounder with its 50m water resistance rating and a wearable 11.8mm profile. This thickness includes the sapphire crystal.

While the Jurassic watches had salmon leather straps that resembled reptile skin, The Deadly Watch takes a different approach. Here, the strap is made from matte black Barenia leather by Bouveret in Franche-Comté, France, and has a bright yellow leather lining. Red stitching completes the look. A skeletonized pin buckle made of recycled stainless steel is a nice finishing touch.

An unmistakable dial

The Deadly Watch continues Awake’s experimentation with Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer. We’ve discussed this painstaking multi-step process in detail before, and it continues to impress. Unlike other models in the collection, this limited edition features a stunningly smooth yellow dial with a gradient effect. Both of these colors are prominently featured in Kill Bill, especially on Thurman’s character’s signature leather jumpsuit. The edges are in black, and while these two tones couldn’t be more different, the effect is seamless. The brand’s tooth-like applied indexes are on display with Super-LumiNova BGW9 underlays. However, there’s a change to the logo that heralds all the different film-related details.

The Awake logo uses a pad-printed Western-themed font, an ode to Tarantino’s love of the film genre. Then, the dial features red blood splatters made from lacquer. Anyone who has seen the movies won’t require an explanation for what these symbolize. Finally, a pad-printed display of two Japanese katanas has been added above the index at 6 o’clock. Here again, these are a reference to the Hattori Hanzo swords used by David Carradine’s character, Bill, and Beatrix Kiddo.

The case back is full of Easter eggs

Similar to the Jurassic models, The Deadly Watch’s movement-holder ring also contains engraved references to the movie. Western font is used to display the model name and the brand’s motto, “Artisanship, Awakened.” M16 bullets placed between engraved phrases refer to the chapel scene, in which Kiddo was left for dead. On the left side of the ring is the saying, “I’m gonna kill Bill,” one of Thurman’s most recognizable lines. Finally, each piece is individually numbered on the right side.

Inside, we have the familiar La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement. It has a custom tungsten rotor, which helps retain the movement’s 68 hours of power reserve. Otherwise, it has a frequency of 28,800 vph and a hacking feature.

On the wrist, The Deadly Watch is fun

With all of the references to the movie, one might think that The Deadly Watch is a bit too on the nose. However, I’d argue that it’s incredibly fun without being cheesy. The sword imagery is quite small and somewhat obscured by the blood spatters. The dial itself, on the other hand, is a thing of beauty. I love the color gradient and the smooth texture. Then, the blood is actually quite artsy. Plus, the color works well against the yellow, black, polished silver, and white luminous material. I genuinely liked seeing it in person, and it shows how this métier d’art can vary so vastly.

Limited to 88 pieces and quite approachable

Awake is only making 88 pieces of The Deadly Watch. Why this number? Well, it refers to the Crazy 88, the masked Yakuza foes in the film. Best of all, these pieces will sell for €1,650 (excluding taxes), which is less than other Sơn Mài watches. Plus, two random lucky buyers will receive a replica of the Hattori Hanzo katana! How cool is that? After the choice of Jurassic Park for the first series of film-inspired timepieces, I’m not sure if anyone would have guessed Kill Bill for the next edition. Yet, I’m glad Awake has embarked on this series. The details are creative and playful, with a satisfying underlying handmade quality. Those are refreshing attributes in a market that often seems inundated with similar offerings.

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