An Introspective Conversation with Awake Concept's Founder, Lilian Thibault

If you’ve followed us at Wrist Enthusiast for any amount of time, you’ll know that we’re huge space nerds, and love to highlight space-themed watches. This led us to include a fun little watch on one of our watch guides that kicked off an interest in a brand called Awake Concepts - A really unique independent with a serious take on sustainability. It piqued our interest, so we decided we wanted to discuss a little more in-depth with the founder of Awake Concept, Lilian. So let’s get into it.

Who are you and what is your background?

Hi Wrist Enthusiast. My name is Lilian, I’m 45 and I live in Paris, France. Passionate about watches since my 20’s, I’ve been evolving in this industry for 15 years before creating Awake with a close friend, another watch enthusiast. Our primary goal was to rethink the production process and offer a fresh perspective on time and redefine the purpose of the instrument that embodies it. My personal mantra: “The best way to predict the future is to build it”.

In addition to AWAKE, I accompany young companies in their development. I enjoy meeting people who have the desire to make things happen and who take risks to achieve their vision. My personal mantra is “The best way to predict the future is to build it“.

What made you interested in starting a watch company?

Obviously, passion was a strong driver of course. I remember that when the “horological virus” started to grow into me, I was captivated by the extreme attention to detail, the craftsmanship and its application to watchmaking, the mechanical complexity, and the hours of work that go into such a small object. This virus has never left me since, and I have been collecting watches for more than 20 years. Over the years, I have turned my attention to independent watchmakers, looking for a creativity and passion that I could no longer find in the big brands. Today, I try to apply this passion to Awake's creations, which should neither be inspired by the past, nor copy the existing.

So passion, but not only passion. There is a real philosophical dimension behind the brand and Awake is a combination of passion and personal values and was born to reflect my vision of the world. Since its creation, AWAKE stands for an avant-garde and exemplary vision of manufacturing in phase with our climatic and environmental challenges. Between permanent innovation and minimal carbon footprint, our "raison d'être" is to raise awareness and initiate new consumption behaviors. This mission is in fact written in our name.

What made you take an approach to maximizing sustainability?

For too long, we have considered the Earth as a resource to be exploited, without any limits or compensation. Faced with the global awareness of a world with finite resources, I wish to prove that it is possible to do things differently and to inspire others to evolve in that direction: to use the living world as a source of inspiration, to create alternatives to precious resources, and to push back the limits of what is possible.

The solution is no longer to compensate a model, it is in the construction of another, more virtuous and more sustainable. Pioneers of a responsible approach in the watch industry, our values and commitments, guide all of our decisions in the different stages of our developments. So does passion. Our creative process is to demonstrate the beauty of the world, and we want to raise awareness through the desire to preserve what inspires us, and I believe that design can create this positive emotional connection.

Secondly, we distinguish ourselves by our exemplary vision of manufacturing, between uncompromising technicality and minimal environmental impact. We only use materials from a circular and regenerative process, and our taste for innovation leads us to create our own alloys, even cleaner and more efficient.

Finally, we have a very disruptive approach to technology. By being the first watch brand to integrate blockchain technology through our sapphire crystal, we have of course dematerialized and secured all papers related to our watches, but we have also opened the way to unparalleled experiences that allow our customers to go far beyond the simple physical object. As part of the Mission To Earth project, the result of a partnership with NASA, we have provided access to the live video feed from the ISS cameras to observe the Earth from space and appreciate its beauty but also its fragility. Something never seen before in our industry.

In one of our watch-spotting articles, we saw Macron wearing an Awake Concept, how did that come about?

Yeah, this is quite a unique story! Six months after our launch, we were invited to the Elysée (French’s President's house) to imagine and design the watch that would be offered to the world leaders attending the G7 summit in Biarritz. This watch had to be innovative and would illustrate France's engagement to stand for the preservation of biodiversity in oceans.

Thus, we created La Bleue, the world's first watch made entirely from recycled fishing nets, proving that it was possible to transform an environmental threat into a new sustainable and innovative resource. Then, in front of the world's cameras, President Macron presented our watch as the "symbol of what France wants to do in terms of responsible innovation”. This was, for sure the most significant event in our history, showing that sustainable innovation car inspire top leaders, as well as other companies I hope.

Tell us about the Mission to Earth Chapter 3, and why it’s an important closure to the line.

In 2022 Awake launched Mission to Earth, the most ambitious and important project since our creation: technically approved by Nasa, and a symbol of our capacity to innovate beyond expectations. The idea was to go into space to observe the beauty of the planet but also to understand its fragility. We wanted to recreate a cognitive and emotional experience that astronauts call the “Overview Effect”. We unveiled the world's first watch to enable access to experiences stored on the Blockchain through its sapphire glass, equipped with a contactless and autonomous NFC chip. Each owner of a Mission To Earth watch can therefore, at any time, admire our planet as seen from space (ISS cameras) and contemplate its beauty. The first two versions launched in June 2022 (500 watches) were sold out in 72 hours. Quite crazy!

In March 2023, we unveiled TIME TRAVELERS, the third and final chapter of this Mission to Earth project. With this opus, composed of two limited editions (500 pieces each) we are going back in time to the origins of our solar system. A journey to the farthest reaches of the galaxy to understand meteorites and asteroid debris that has traveled through space and time, bearing witness to the formation of planets and life. This watch is the result of a long reflection, and perfectly embodies the avant-garde watchmaking imagined by AWAKE, as well as the awakening of consciousness that we have made our mission, and our name.

Bringing this extraterrestrial rock back to life through the TIME TRAVELERS project is the result of a philosophical reflection intended to rethink our relationship to time and to the universe that surrounds us. With TIME TRAVELERS, we bring the possibility to wear one of these fragments of eternity on your wrist, a true testimony of the immensity and temporality of the Universe.

Dials are made of real meteorite, called Muonionalusta and dated more than 4.5 billion years ago, older than the Earth itself where it was found in 1906. There are no 2 similar dials, every single piece is unique and required a high level of know-how throughout the manufacturing process. This exceptional meteorite is prized by even the biggest luxury brands wishing to offer their customers pieces full of history, at an exceptional quality.

Our Cases are made from a recycled titanium, as powerful, light and resistant as a virgin titanium, but more virtuous. Both the two editions offer a sapphire crystal with integrated NFC chip + dual digital giving access to the Eyes on Meteorites program developed by NASA. Our Biopoly bracelet is more comfortable and stronger than ever (and made by reducing the use of fossil fuels by 60%). We choose the Miyota 9039 caliber for its reliability and for its easy maintenance, and we have modified it by giving it high level finishes, especially on the rotor. Selling price is $1,430 USD excluding taxes and deliveries will begin in September 2023.

What’s the future hold for Awake Concepts? Any teasers on what we can expect next?

For further growth, accelerating our R&D is a priority. On the product side, several collaborations and special editions are planned in the coming months, and we will end the year with an all-new collection that will focus on craftsmanship. An approach never seen before in our price range. Our international development is also a strategic axis for the years to come, while remaining limited: 1 to 2 points of sale per country, able to re-transcribe the values and vision of the brand.

Within five years, I want the brand to be recognized in the watch industry for everything that already makes it unique: bubbling creativity, innovative, high-performance, low-impact materials, and inspiring use of technology. To this will be added all that we are working on today: exceptional finishes, a lot of technicalities, and unexpected complications... In short, we become the most beautiful proposal of watchmaking pleasure in our segment.

The last word is to suggest to all Wristenthusiast readers to start following Awake on our social media (@awake.concept). They will better understand, through the projects we will release in the coming months, this new watchmaking that we are building: independent, innovative and daring, without being inaccessible. giving envy through more beautiful and inspiring objects.