Established in 2018, Norqain set out with a clear vision: to create high-performance timepieces for adventurers who forge their own path.
The brand was founded by CEO Ben Küffer, who brought together a passionate team including co-founder Mark Streit, former NHL player and Stanley Cup champion, Ted Schneider, son of Breitling’s former owner, and Roman Josi, the Bern-born NHL star.
Together they brought youth and an independent eye to the new Norqain business and set out to shake up the pale, male stale state of Switzerland’s biggest players.
By 2019, the business had already secured placement with 70 retailers in 12 countries, an admirable achievement at a time when the recent groundswell of enthusiasm for independent watchmakers was very much in its infancy.
The 2020 pandemic, we now know, triggered a windfall for the luxury watch industry, but Norqain, in its startup phase at the time, would not know that in those turbulent and terrifying months.
“When the pandemic hit, it was undoubtedly a challenge but, looking back, it became a defining moment for us. It forced us to sharpen our identity and commit to what we truly wanted to build. Rather than slowing down, we doubled down on innovation, focusing on timepieces that were not only different in design but also ground-breaking in concept and materials,” Mr Küffer recalls.
The company entered 2020 with a significant boost to its credibility after securing a partnership with Kenissi, a state-of-the-art movement maker owned by Chanel and Tudor. It was a defining moment, Mr Küffer describes. “The partnership reinforced trust in Norqain and solidified our commitment to excellence,” he adds.
By 2022, Norqain was ready for what could almost be described as a relaunch for the company when it introduced the first Wild One collection in 2022.
The watch introduced Norteq, a lightweight, robust, and sustainable proprietary material.
“We set a new standard for high-performance watches, but this was just the beginning. Our focus remains on pushing boundaries, offering watches that bring something genuinely new to the market, and staying true to our values of independence and innovation,” Mr Küffer says.
Also in 2022, Swiss watch industry legend Jean-Claude Biver became an advisor to the board of directors and immediately set about helping the business differentiate itself in a crowded market for sporty, rugged, mid-range timepieces.
Attracted by the youthful nature of the company, where the average age of the team is around 30-years-old, he lent the weight of his name, experience, expertise and reputation to the business and even helped to design a skeletonised variation of the Wild One watch that year.
Moving with the times is a challenge to all watchmakers, and Norqain is adapting to the current trend for smaller timepieces by adding a 39mm collection to its Wild One family at Watches and Wonders.
There are also new versions of its Independence Skeleton Chrono and line extensions to its 8K Flyback Chronograph Manufacture Calibre collection.
Some launches remain under wraps as WatchPro’s Watches and Wonders edition went to press, but Mr Küffer teases that there will be surprises. “Beyond technical advancements, watches should bring joy,” he insists.
“That’s why 2025 will feature some unexpected and playful launches — bringing a fresh sense of excitement to the watch community. Innovation and craftsmanship remain at our core, but bringing enthusiasm and emotion into watchmaking is just as important.”
That sentiment could have come straight from the playbook of Mr Biver, who always maintains that the job of prestige watchmakers is to stimulate “irrational desire” for their timekeeping treasures.
And it is other independent brands, which generate this desire, that Norqain’s founder and CEO admires the most. “Interest in independent watch brands has been growing for years, particularly in the high-end segment, with pioneers like Max Büsser at MB&F and Edouard Meylan at H. Moser & Cie. setting the stage. They not only gave their brands a face but also built a genuine emotional connection with watch enthusiasts,” Mr Küffer suggests.
Demand for independents cooled a little in the 2024 downturn, but Norqain believes the values of these engineering artisans remains a key driver for the whole industry.
“This shift is a huge opportunity for independent brands like Norqain. Today, enthusiasts are looking for authenticity, quality, and a deeper connection to the people behind the brand. That’s exactly what we stand for — we are all about innovation, craftsmanship, and pushing boundaries,” Mr Küffer says.
Every brand at Watches and Wonders will be hoping that 2025 will be no worse than 2024, but executives like Mr Küffer, steeped in the history of Swiss watchmaking, recognise it will take time and patience for the industry to fully recover. Production lines have been mothballed and workers are on short hours — supported by federal and canton authorities who do not want to see watchmaking skills, which have been built up over decades, disappear.
Norqain, according to Mr Küffer, navigated the challenges of last year with resilience and continued to grow. “Our strong positioning in the crucial retail price segment of CHF 2,000 to CHF 6,000 played a key role in maintaining consumer confidence. By offering innovative designs and high-quality Swiss craftsmanship in this competitive range, we were able to strengthen relationships with our partners and reinforce our long-term vision,” he says.
It also helps that Norqain is now well-established in key growth markets after opening subsidiaries in the US, Japan, Italy, Eastern Europe, Singapore and now the UK. Martyn Jenkins, previously with TAG Heuer and most recently managing director, Northern Europe for Gucci Watches & Jewellery, has been hired to front the company’s operations in Britain.
It has also established a style for retail partners to buy into after opening Norqain boutiques in Zermatt, Zurich and Singapore.
These operations will be supported by a new global sales team while its headquarters and atelier in Nidau, a suburb of Biel/Bienne, will expand in-house production at the same time as upgrading its back office with a new AI-based Enterprise Resource Planning system.
The USA is a key target market this year because of its passionate community of watch enthusiasts who appreciate sporty, robust timepieces. “That aligns perfectly with our DNA. We have created the sportiest mechanical watch on the market with the Wild One, making Norqain a natural fit for this audience,” Mr Küffer predicts.
Aiming to put skates under growth in the North American market, Norqain has announced ice hockey legend Sidney Crosby as a shareholder and business partner.
He is the second significant connection to the NFL, joining Mark Streit – former national team captain and one of the most successful Swiss players in the league — who is one of the Swiss watchmaker’s co-founders.
The two players were teammates at Pittsburgh Penguins when they were part of the Stanley Cup-winning squad of 2017.
Mr Streit says he is thrilled to be working with Mr Crosby again. “Our time at the Penguins was incredibly rewarding – we developed a great understanding on the ice and a deep friendship off it. Sidney is a true champion, a fierce competitor, and an all-round great guy. I can’t wait to see the huge impact he’ll have on Norqain,” he adds.
Mr Crosby says he has been wearing Norqain watches and following the brand since he first saw them at an All-Star Game in San Jose in 2019. “The brand has been growing incredibly fast around the world since then, and I’m really excited to join and support its further development while teaming up with Mark again. I am excited to work with Norqain and see what we can do together moving forward,” he shares.
Norqain has been built on the back of strong partnerships with retailers, and this remains a key pillar of its success, according to Mr Küffer. The company does sell direct to consumers online and has a boutique strategy, but has no intention of competing with its in-country partners.
“Many of our retail partners are family-owned or independent businesses, which makes these collaborations even more special. We highly value these relationships because they share our commitment to quality, expertise, and long-term growth,” Mr Küffer explains. “We are fully committed to wholesale, and our focus is on strengthening and expanding our global retailer network,” he adds.
Norqain remains a young brand that is eager to learn from more experienced experts in Switzerland, like Mr Biver, from in-country teams working with retail partners, and from its customers, who call themselves NorqainERs.
“Our community is at the heart of everything we do, which is why we work closely with our trusted retail partners to create a memorable, personal, and seamless experience,” Mr Küffer concludes.