It’s not a small thing to start a new watch brand from scratch. It’s incredibly gutsy — like a sprinting penalty-kill forecheck against the norms of the watch industry.
But that’s exactly what Ben Kuffer has done with NORQAIN. Based in Nidau, Switzerland, NORQAIN is a fully independent watch company launched just last year — albeit one with deep roots in high watchmaking.
Kuffer comes from a long family tradition of producing timepieces, and his enviable team at this new venture includes Ted Schneider, son of Theodore Schneider, the longtime former owner of Breitling, as well as some new faces in the watch world including Mark Streit, the Swiss hockey player (and timepiece aficionado) who won a Stanley Cup ring with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.
With that pedigree, it’s no wonder NORQAIN’s brand ambassadors include athletes like famed Swiss mountaineer Andreas Steindl, and current NHL players Roman Josi. In fact, NORQAIN launched in North America at the 2019 All-Star game, during which each nominated all-star received a personalized NORQAIN Adventure Sport Auto.
As for the watches themselves, we understand why they’re already beloved by some of our favourite athletes. The debut collections — Adventure, Freedom, and Independence — are each sporty but understated and elegant. Every NORQAIN watch seems to have that gutsy, rebellious spirit in its DNA, and is all the better for it.
Check out some highlights from the collection above. And given that the brand has only been around since 2018, we’re incredibly excited for what’s to come.
