NORQAIN and the mysterious NORTEQ

In the charming village of Zermatt, an announcement (almost) made the Matterhorn move. NORQAIN, the young independent Swiss watch brand, presented its new Wild ONE line and, above all, its patented, ultra-light and innovative material: NORTEQ.

Did you say NORTEQ?

After two years of collaboration with Jean-Claude Biver and Swiss suppliers, four colourful, shock-resistant, lightweight, 100% Swiss watches created in a never-before-seen material were born. But what is NORTEQ? An innovative carbon fibre composite product, 6 times lighter than steel and 3.5 times lighter than titanium, available in several colours!

It has a captivating marble effect and contains a high-performance polymer matrix with 60% biobased material (castor oil). In addition, it is antimagnetic and does not corrode over time. Cherry on the cake: the residues from the production process are 100% recycled. It's revolutionary, designed for NORQAINERS (and others, of course), sports enthusiasts around the world.

The Independence collection gets some colour

So, four new models. With different colours: first, a blue dial option with a black case and another version with a grey dial and a burgundy case (limited edition of 200 pieces). There are also two black dial options: one with a khaki strap and the 500-piece limited edition Hakuna Mipaka with a "lion fur" dial, both with black cases.

The latter version is a limited edition created in collaboration with Dean Schneider, a wildlife ambassador who has put his grain of sand into it. The rubber of the shock absorber has been mixed with red sand from the Hakuna Mipaka Reserve (and no... you too have the motto "Hakuna Matata" take came to mind?), an oasis in South Africa, where Dean Schneider has built his sanctuary housing various wildlife species. And here's a little bonus: ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of this model will be donated to the wildlife sanctuary.

An avant-garde "sandwich" 100% Swiss made

All these timepieces are powered by the Manufacture calibre NN20/1 certified chronometer. It is a reliable automatic movement, developed with Kenissi. Even more reliable in that the case absorbs shocks, even in the most extreme activities, exceeding industry standards.

The NORTEQ upper and lower parts enclose a rubber shock absorber and a titanium container, all secured by custom-made screws. Four of which are engraved with a mountain peak motif (no less). Looking at these watches in more detail, what does it look like? The dials are laser-cut on three levels with mandala or "lion fur" motifs. This gives the timepieces a bit of depth and texture, which is good! In addition, the strap is made of certified vegan rubber. Weighing only 84 grams, the Wild ONE line is designed to be put to the test and reflects the brand's sporty DNA while having been designed near the Manufacture. According to Ben Küffer, CEO and founder of NORQAIN: "Wild ONE watches are 100% Swiss made. From the entire development process to the production of each component of the watch, all steps took place in a very small geographical area between the Jura, Biel, and Neuchâtel." And indeed, these Swiss companies are the heart of these watches: BIWI SA for the design, concept, and materials, MRP SA for the case assembly and container production, Montremo SA for the laser-cut dial and Waeber HMS SA for the skeleton hands.

The Wild ONE is a new kind of NORQAIN watch that has caused a stir in the watchmaking industry. Note that the two limited editions are already sold out on the brand's website. With this new line, the manufacture confirms its independent status and, my little finger tells me that it has a very promising future.