Norqain is a family-owned, independent Swiss watch company founded in 2018, and based in the town of Nidau (Biel/Bienne). The brand’s core values are reflected in its three collections —Adventure, Freedom and Independence. In 2020, Norqain introduced two movements in collaboration with movement manufacturer Kenissi.
Revolution interviewed Ben Küffer, founder and CEO of Norqain, to discuss the overview of the company, their recent collaborations and the newest Adventure Neverest GMT watches that support the Butterfly Help Project.
What is the current footprint of Norqain?
Today Norqain is distributed in 14 countries, and we have close to 100 points of sale around the world. We are working with leading retailers such as Bucherer, Tourneau, Watches of Switzerland, Westime, Seddiqi & Sons, and more. We are very happy with the support and trust we are receiving from retail partners, watch enthusiasts and the NORQAINER community. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, our community is growing at a solid pace, and our sales are up 50 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.
Even though Norqain was founded in 2018, your family has been involved in the watch industry for a long period. Tell us more about the background of your family in Swiss watchmaking.
Growing up close to Bienne, one of the traditional watchmaking cities in Switzerland, I am very passionate about Swiss watchmaking. This passion for watches was certainly strengthened by the fact that both my grandfather and father worked in the industry. My father, Marc Küffer, who is the chairman of the board at Norqain, was the owner and CEO of Roventa Henex SA, a leading private label manufacturer of Swiss Made watches, and spent 25 years on the board of directors of the Swiss Watch Industry Association. Before I started the exciting journey with Norqain, I was working in the watch industry for over 11 years with the Schneider family at Breitling. Having this industry knowledge and expertise within Norqain allows us to offer top quality timepieces while still having a fresh approach as a young and dynamic brand.
How did Ted Schneider, son of Theodore Schneider, former owner of Breitling, get involved with Norqain?
Ted is a lifelong childhood friend of mine. When Norqain was only just a vision in my mind, we spent many hours discussing the importance of independent watch brands in the industry since many traditional brands have been sold to foreign investors in recent years. Independence is an important foundation for innovation and long-term vision, allowing us to offer the highest quality watches at a competitive price-quality ratio. This mission led to many late nights of us discussing design elements and eventually drawing Norqain’s three collections: Adventure, Freedom and Independence. Ted is also a board member and shareholder at Norqain.
How did the partnership with movement manufacture Kenissi come about?
First discussions with Kenissi began shortly after Norqain was founded in 2018. The partnership was founded on mutual trust, a spirit of innovation and long-term vision, allowing our independent brand to offer stylish, high- performance watches with movements that exceed industry standards. Investing in our independence in this way was an important milestone for Norqain.
You have made a commitment towards vegan-certified straps. Tell us why moving away from leather straps was important for Norqain. And what is the involvement of [wildlife ambassador] Dean Schneider on this initiative?
As our brand becomes more well-known, we understand that we have the opportunity to make unconventional changes that allow us to lead by example. We have used calfskin leather in the past because of its durability and high quality appearance. We were always selective in our choice of supplier. There are many vegan alternatives available, and we are prepared to take a different approach to offer customers equally durable and stylish options that do not harm animals and, in addition, are water resistant. Norqain has always been committed to using alternatives to crocodile leather, such as vegan rubber with a crocodile leather pattern. With the announcement of our partnership with Dean Schneider, we were thrilled to share that all future products will feature only 100 percent animal cruelty free straps and bracelets.
Currently, our selection of straps includes Perlon rubber and croco-style rubber straps that are manufactured by BIWI, a Swiss industry leader that has established an international reputation for its innovative, vegan-certified products. Watches that have already been launched will continue to be sold with the option of a calfskin leather strap. This option, however, will be phased out in the next two years as new watches are launched with 100 percent animal cruelty free straps.
Congratulations on the new Neverest GMT watches! Tell us about the association with Butterfly Help Project and Neverest.
Thank you! We are extremely happy with all the positive feedback we’ve been receiving so far and the Neverest launch has given myself and the team a lot of purpose knowing that we can make a change for the children in Nepal through the Butterfly Help Project. Ten percent of the earnings of Neverest sales will be donated to the Butterfly Help Project. This organization, created by Norbu Sherpa and Andrea Sherpa-Zimmermann of Wild Yak Expeditions, helps families of Sherpas who have lost their lives in the Himalayan mountains and gives their children access to education. We have committed to sending 50 children to school in 2021 and supporting them in the coming years.
There is an interesting connection between the NHLPA (National Hockey League Players’ Association) and Norqain. Please tell us about this connection.
Swiss NHL legends Mark Streit (Stanley Cup champion) and Roman Josi (captain of the Nashville Predators) have both been close friends of mine for years, and as shareholders they have been actively involved in the development of the brand since day one. Norqain consequently has always had a strong connection to ice hockey. In January 2020, we announced our strategic, long-term partnership with the NHLPA. As part of this partnership, Norqain has a presence in the NHLPA all-star lounge, has been able to hand over a personalized Norqain watch to all 44 All-Star players at the All-Star game and, in October 2020, we launched the Adventure Sport Chrono NHLPA Limited Edition. This model limited to 500 pieces features design elements inspired by the fascinating sport, such as the scratched ice dial, the face-off circle at nine o’clock, the NHLPA logo at six o’clock as well as on the caseback. This was certainly a very exciting watch to design and, as a hockey fan myself, I much enjoyed being able to incorporate these unique elements.
Finally, what is on the horizon?
We are very excited to be launching our first flagship store in Zermatt, Switzerland, in December of this year. This is another important milestone for Norqain, allowing us to create a space that can give our customers a real feel for the Norqain world and the NORQAINER spirt. I’m looking forward to welcoming our community in Zermatt and to receiving everyone’s feedback on Norqain’s first store!
Adventure Neverest GMT
Three new GMT models join the Adventure Neverest collection with adventure-ready styling and the robust functionality of the NN20/2 movement, manufactured in partnership with Kenissi. The jumping hour feature easily sets the local time and changes the date forward or backward, and the 70-hour power reserve allows for a worry- free travel.
Each of the models features a black dial with the familiar Norqain pattern, a date window at three o’clock and a GMT scale around the central GMT hand. The first two models have a 41mm stainless steel case with bi-directional bezel in steel and a black ceramic ring with a knurled edge. The dial is accented with green or blue design details on the GMT scale and the GMT hand.
All three models are available with a stainless steel strap, a fabric strap, or a striped rubber NATO strap that coordinates with the accent colors on the dial. Being true to its core values, Norqain introduced the very first vegan- certified rubber NATO strap.
Tech Specs
Norqain Adventure Neverest GMT
Ref: NN1100SC1CG/BE111 (forest green); NN1100SC1CG/BA111 (royal blue); NNB1100BBCG/BO116 (sunset orange)
Movement: Self-winding COSC-certified caliber NN20/2; 70-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and GMT CASE: 41mm; satined stainless steel (with or without DLC coating); water resistant to 100m
Dial: Black with forest green, royal blue or sunset orange accents; applied hour markers with X1 Super-LumiNova coating STRAP: Stainless steel bracelet, or coordinating flex fabric or vegan-certified rubber NATO with pin buckle
Price: USD 3,690–USD 4,500
