Cinema has a powerful way of lodging itself in our collective memory, creating moments and images that transcend the screen. Few films achieved this as seismically as Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster, Jurassic Park. Based on Michael Crichton's novel, the film didn't just entertain; it sparked imaginations, reignited fascination with dinosaurs, and set a new benchmark for visual effects. Tapping into this deep well of nostalgia and cinematic reverence, the independent watch brand
Awake introduces the Jurassic Watch, the inaugural chapter in its ambitious series, ‘A Tribute to The 7th Art.’
This project represents a confluence of passions: a love for iconic filmmaking and a dedication to the intricate world of watchmaking craftsmanship, specifically Métiers d’Art. AWAKE aims to revisit cherished films, those cinematic milestones that often defined childhoods, through the unique lens of horological artistry. The Jurassic Watch collection manifests this vision through two distinct, limited-edition timepieces: the T-REX and the RAPTORS models, each a carefully considered homage to the prehistoric stars of Spielberg's island adventure.
Courtesy of Awake
AWAKE, founded in 2019, has positioned art and creativity at the very heart of its brand identity from the outset. The company consistently seeks to push conventional boundaries in watch design. A significant evolution in their journey occurred in 2024 with the launch of the Son Mài collection. This line marked AWAKE's deliberate entry into the realm of Métiers d’Art, a space where traditional craft techniques are employed not just for function but for artistic expression, elevating artisans to artists and infusing timepieces with cultural heritage and poetry.
The philosophy driving AWAKE involves a bold, contemporary interpretation of artisanship. The brand focuses on taking ancestral techniques, like the Vietnamese lacquer art of Son Mài, and reinterpreting them to serve modern creative visions. With the Jurassic Watch, this dedication to craft finds a new canvas – the world of cinema. The skills of AWAKE's artisans are channeled into creating a wearable tribute to a film that captured the wonder and terror of bringing dinosaurs back to life.
Lilian Thibault, the founder of AWAKE, encapsulates the project's spirit: “Jurassic Watch was imagined with a single goal: to deliver a jolt of nostalgia. It’s a project that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but was crafted with the utmost seriousness.” This duality is key – capturing the fun and awe of the film while applying rigorous standards of watchmaking and artisanal craft. The resulting watches are intended to resonate with both dedicated watch connoisseurs and passionate movie lovers, offering a tangible piece of cinematic history.
Central to the Jurassic Watch editions are the handcrafted dials. Each dial is meticulously produced by a master artisan, employing techniques refined in AWAKE's Son Mài collection. The process involves layering natural lacquer, infused with specific pigments and delicate silver leaf. This technique, originating from ancestral Vietnamese practices, creates a remarkable interplay of depth, texture, and light reflection. The goal was to capture the intense, almost hypnotic gaze associated with the film's fearsome predators.
The T-REX edition embodies the raw power of the saga's most iconic dinosaur. Its dial radiates with a fiery orange gradient finish, creating a surface alive with shifting reflections and depth, reminiscent of scales catching the light or the volatile jungle environment. Just above the 6 o'clock position, two subtle, applied rip marks serve as a direct nod to the Tyrannosaurus Rex's distinctive two-clawed forelimbs, a small but significant detail for fans of the film's paleontological specifics.
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In contrast, the RAPTORS edition draws inspiration from the film's highly intelligent and menacing Velociraptors. The dial features layered shades of shimmering green, evoking the creature's reptilian hide and the lush, dangerous foliage of Isla Nublar. This multi-tonal green captures an eerie intensity, suggestive of the raptor's predatory gaze. Adding to the theme, three sharp, applied claw marks appear to slash across the dial's surface, symbolizing the lethal precision of these hunters, particularly memorable from the film's tense encounter scenes.
AWAKE implements its distinctive approach to luminescence in the Jurassic Watch series. Both models feature a custom architecture for the indices and hands, which are generously coated with BGW9 Super-LumiNova®. This high-performance luminescent material ensures visibility in low light, but AWAKE's design aims for more than just legibility. The specific construction creates a unique interplay of light and shadow, resulting in what the brand describes as a "glowing, cinematic chamber of reflections" between the intricate dial surface and the overlying sapphire crystal. This luminous signature adds another layer of visual interest, particularly in darker environments.
The physical form of the Jurassic Watch is housed in a case crafted from upcycled 316L stainless steel, reflecting a consciousness towards material sourcing. The case diameter is a versatile 39mm, suitable for a wide range of wrists. It measures 45.6mm from lug tip to lug tip, ensuring a comfortable presence, while the lug width is a standard 20mm, allowing for strap versatility. The overall thickness is 11.80mm including the crystal (10.90mm without), striking a balance between robustness and wearability. Water resistance is rated at 5 ATM, equivalent to 50 meters, sufficient for everyday wear and minor exposure to moisture.
Protecting the intricate dial is a sapphire crystal, known for its exceptional scratch resistance. This crystal is treated with an anti-reflective coating, minimizing glare and ensuring the details of the hand-lacquered dial remain clear and visible from various angles. The caseback also features a sapphire crystal, secured via a screw-in design, which allows an unobstructed view of the mechanical movement powering the watch.
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Driving the Jurassic Watch is the G101 automatic movement sourced from La Joux-Perret, a respected Swiss movement manufacturer. Assembled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the historical heartland of Swiss watchmaking, the choice of this calibre underscores the commitment to quality and performance. The G101 is known for its reliability and boasts a substantial power reserve of 68 hours, meaning the watch can run for nearly three days off the wrist without needing to be wound.
AWAKE hasn't overlooked the aesthetic presentation of the movement itself. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the G101 features a customized tungsten rotor. Tungsten is chosen for its density, which aids winding efficiency. The rotor is decorated with alternating brushed, bead-blasted, and polished finishes, along with embossed AWAKE lettering. Further enhancing the view is a specially designed movement ring, completely reimagined for this series to harmonize with the Jurassic theme.
This movement ring showcases meticulous attention to detail. It features a laser-engraved jungle motif, directly evoking the lush, tropical environment of Isla Nublar, the film's iconic setting. The engraving adds visual depth and thematic coherence to the caseback view. Around the ring, specific text elements are placed strategically: the "Jurassic Watch" name appears at 12 o’clock, while "Swiss Made" is engraved at 6 o’clock, rendered in a typeface designed to recall the visual identity of the movie franchise. Each piece's individual limited-edition number is engraved at the 3 o’clock position.
Adding another layer of narrative connection, iconic quotes from the film are engraved onto the movement ring at the 9 o’clock position, differing between the two editions. The T-REX version features the line "Spared No Expense," famously uttered by John Hammond, the park's visionary but ultimately hubristic creator. This quote perfectly captures the unrestrained ambition that led to the park's creation and subsequent chaos. The watch design aims to evoke the thrilling nighttime T-Rex escape scene, a moment permanently etched in the memories of many who saw the film in the 90s.
For the RAPTORS edition, the caseback displays the prophetic words "Life Finds a Way." This quote, delivered by the chaotician Dr. Ian Malcolm, serves as the film's philosophical core, highlighting the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of life – a theme central to the park's eventual failure. This engraving, paired with the green dial and claw marks, is intended to bring to mind the suspenseful kitchen scene, where the Velociraptors demonstrate their terrifying intelligence and adaptability while hunting the children.
Complementing the distinct dials are straps crafted from an unusual and sustainable material: scaled salmon leather, sourced from the French company ICTYOS, which specializes in marine leathers. This material offers a distinctly reptilian texture and a natural sheen, aligning perfectly with the dinosaur theme. The T-REX model is paired with a bold, iridescent orange salmon leather strap, lined with matching orange calfskin and finished with tone-on-tone hand stitching. The RAPTORS model features an iridescent green salmon leather strap, lined with khaki calfskin and completed with hand-stitching in a coordinating tone. Both straps are fitted with a pin buckle made from the same upcycled 316L stainless steel as the case.
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The exclusivity of the Jurassic Watch collection is underscored by its strict limitation. Only 50 pieces of the T-REX edition and 50 pieces of the RAPTORS edition will be produced, making a total of 100 watches for the entire series. This scarcity enhances their appeal to collectors and fans seeking a rare piece connected to the beloved film franchise. The T-Rex and Velociraptors remain two of the most popular and recognizable dinosaurs, continuing to fascinate audiences decades after the film's release.
Adding an element of surprise and unique collectability, AWAKE has included a "Golden Ticket" promotion. Hidden inside the packaging of one of the 100 Jurassic Watch sets is a genuine Carcharodontosaurus tooth, complete with a certificate of authenticity. This remarkable fossil belonged to a massive predator that roamed North Africa approximately 93 to 100 million years ago. Measuring an impressive 10 centimeters and discovered in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco, this tooth represents a tangible link to the deep past that inspired the film. Lilian Thibault describes it as "A rare piece that speaks to both the heart and the collector’s eye—offering its owner a tangible link to the past, and the joy of owning something truly singular."
The AWAKE Jurassic Watch series successfully marries artistic craftsmanship with pop culture nostalgia. The use of traditional Son Mài lacquer techniques on the dials, combined with modern Swiss watchmaking standards, results in a product that is both visually striking and technically competent. The thoughtful integration of thematic elements, from the dial textures and colours to the caseback engravings and strap materials, demonstrates a holistic design approach aimed at capturing the essence of the source material.
These watches are designed to appeal to a specific intersection of interests. They cater to enthusiasts of independent watchmaking who appreciate artisanal techniques and unique designs. Simultaneously, they reach out to fans of Jurassic Park and cinematic history, offering a sophisticated, wearable memento that goes beyond typical movie merchandise. It’s a keepsake intended to evoke nostalgia and be shared, perhaps even sparking interest in the film for a new generation.
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Ultimately, the Jurassic Watch project reflects AWAKE's broader mission, established since its 2019 founding: to reveal beauty through the object that measures time. The Son Mài collection, and its extension into this cinematic tribute, embodies this vision by expressing talent, passion, and a connection to heritage through Métiers d'Art. It represents AWAKE's ongoing pursuit of creativity and innovation, aiming to provide pleasure and emotion through a poetic and inspiring engagement with timekeeping, inspired here by the enduring magic of the movies.
These limited-edition timepieces, with only 50 available for each version, are positioned as exclusive items for enthusiasts. The retail price is set at €2075 excluding taxes. Each watch comes with a 3-year international warranty, providing assurance alongside the unique artistry and nostalgic appeal. Availability is inherently limited due to the small production run and the handcrafted nature of the dials.
Case: Upcycled 316L steel, 39mm diameter, 45.6mm lug-to-lug, 20mm lug width, 11.80mm thickness (including crystal), 5 ATM (50m) water resistance, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, screw-in sapphire crystal caseback.
Movement: Automatic La Joux-Perret G101, 68-hour power reserve, Swiss Made, customized tungsten rotor with mixed finishes, laser-decorated movement ring with 'Jungle' motif, movie quotes ('Spared No Expense' or 'Life Finds a Way'), and individual numbering.
Dial: Métier d'Art using Son Mài lacquer, pure silver leaf, natural pigments; Orange (T-REX) or Green (RAPTORS) with gradient/shimmering finishes; Applied model-specific marks (2 rips for T-REX, 3 claws for RAPTORS); Custom AWAKE indices and hands with BGW9 Super-LumiNova®.
Strap: Scaled salmon leather (by ICTYOS) in iridescent orange (T-REX) or green (RAPTORS), calfskin lining, tone-on-tone hand-stitching, upcycled 316L steel pin buckle.
Price: €2075 excluding taxes.
Reference Number: Jurassic Watch ‘T-REX’ / Jurassic Watch ‘RAPTORS’
Notes: Limited edition of 50 pieces per model (T-REX, RAPTORS). Handcrafted dials using Vietnamese Son Mài techniques. Features engraved movie quotes on caseback ring. One set includes a Golden Ticket for a genuine Carcharodontosaurus tooth. 3-year international warranty.