Over the course of the last year, we’ve been keeping regular tabs on Awake, a microbrand with roots in France that operates within very narrow niches. Their watches are high concept and put a premium on storytelling, which admittedly is not everyone’s cup of tea. But we appreciate their creativity, and believe that this hobby is better and more interesting when brands like Awake are around to remind us that the watch world is encompasses a lot more than black dialed dive watches and vintage reissues. Their latest project, the Summetria collection, is based on perhaps their most abstract idea yet: the inherent beauty in nature, and the symmetry of all living things.
The specific idea of symmetry is tackled here through guilloche dial treatments, which Awake relates to the natural symmetry of things like a butterfly’s wings or flower petals. Awake notes in their press materials for the Summetria collection that to human beings, symmetry seen in nature appears almost unimaginably complex, but the reason it exists at all is because “nature prefers simplicity.” From Awake’s perspective, it’s all about simplicity, and there’s a clear dichotomy there between the inherent complexity of watchmaking (and the application of guilloche) and the visual and functional simplicity of natural symmetry.
Like I said, it’s abstract. But I appreciate that Awake is trying to draw connections between their watch designs and the natural world in ways that other brands do not (there are, of course, many, many brands that take design inspiration from nature in a variety of ways). The watches, then, are fairly straightforward in their appearance if we remove the thematic intention. What we have are a series of four dials with machine applied guilloche in a symmetrical “sunflower” pattern: copper, royal blue, black, and khaki. Each dial features applied and faceted hour markers, fencepost style hands, and minimal branding (just the brand’s wordmark near 12:00).
The case is made from recycled titanium and measures 40mm in diameter and 11.9mm tall. The crown is screw-down, and the Summetria watches have 100 meters of water resistance, making them completely appropriate for everyday use. Like other Awake watches, the Summetria runs on a Miyota 9039 automatic movement. Awake has customized the rotor by skeletonizing it, and generally pays far more attention to the appearance of this Miyota movement than just about any of the countless other brands that use it.
The Summetria collection is available now through the Awake website. Each dial variant is a limited edition of 50 pieces, and the retail price is €890. Delivery is expected in December. Awake
