The 2025 NHL season had more than its share of firsts, from Nathan MacKinnon winning his first career Rocket Richard Trophy to Alex Ovechkin becoming the first player in NHL history to reach 900 regular-season career goals. When NORQAIN and the National Hockey League announced their multi-year partnership last November, it became the first brand to serve as the NHL’s Official Luxury Sports Watch, marking a debut of a different kind. The announcement didn’t grab headlines in the same way as Justin Bieber announcing Gavin McKenna’s draft to the Leafs did, but it was nonetheless a watershed moment for the fledgling eight-year-old watchmaker.
While any brand can slap an NHL logo on a watch, NORQAIN is uniquely suited to its role. Co-founded by Swiss ice hockey legend Mark Streit, Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi and watch industry veterans Ben and Marc Küffer, NORQAIN has made hockey an essential part of its DNA from the outset. While the Küffers brought industry connections and product knowledge to the startup, Josi and Streit, a Stanley Cup champion who played for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, gave the brand considerable NHL credibility. They were also instrumental in bringing aboard three-time Stanley Cup champion and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who serves as an investor and brand ambassador.
NORQAIN showed itself to be worthy of its title out of the gate with the release of the Adventure Chrono 41mm NHL Limited Edition, the brand’s first NHL-licensed watch. Launched in Tampa to kick off the 2026 NHL Stadium Series, the watch includes a white “scratched ice” dial, a pair of crossed hockey sticks inside a “face-off circle” seconds counter and a whimsical “TIMEOUT” marker on the pulsometer scale.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for the watch to attract its share of high-profile hockey fans, including Swiss Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala. After gifting a signed NORQAIN jersey and an Adventure Chrono NHL LE to Kings superfan Will Ferrell, the actor gave the brand its biggest viral moment to date by posing for photos with the watch at Feldmar Jewelers in Los Angeles. NORQAIN scored another social media win by enlisting Gavin McKenna’s parents to present the 18-year-old phenom with an Adventure Chrono NHL LE, which he proudly wore on the Leafs’ draft-night red carpet.
From its Stadium Series launch to its draft-night surprise to its first Hollywood cameo, NORQAIN’s inaugural year as the NHL’s Official Luxury Sports Watch partner did what any good rookie campaign should: It proved itself worthy of its spot in The Show while building up anticipation for the season to come. The Adventure Chrono NHL LE will be a tough act to follow, but with full licensing rights across the U.S., Canada and Europe, and 32 team logos at its disposal, this is the moment NORQAIN has been training for.
