Norqain Celebrates their Fifth Anniversary with a Quintet of New Releases, and a Bracelet with a Frequently Requested Feature

Norqain is celebrating their fifth anniversary this week with the release of five all new watches in the Independence collection. Five years is an interesting marker to consider. It’s both an impressive accomplishment for any new brand to stick around for that long – we can all point to small, upstart brands that have come and gone in much less time. But it’s also a vanishingly short period in the grand scheme of watchmaking, where the most durable brands have had literal centuries to build their identities. All the more impressive for Norqain then, as they’ve carved out an aesthetic that is immediately recognizable, and have made a ton of progress in developing a culture around their watches that focuses on a new generation of collectors. All of the new anniversary pieces seem to be born out of those ideas, and continue to iterate on what is now a well established design language. 

The new watches breakdown as follows: we have two new Independence Skeleton references in 42mm cases, one DLC coated, the other with blue accents; two Independence 40mm pieces, one with a brown gradient dial, the other with a green gradient dial; and a new reference aimed at the female market, an Independence 40mm with a mint mother-of-pearl dial and diamond accents. 

The Independence Skeleton watches are follow ups to earlier skeleton releases dating back over the last two years. The DLC coated version has red gold plated hands and applied hour markers, while the non-coated version features hands, hour markers, and an outer minutes track that have all been coated in a semi-matte blue lacquer. These are in the larger 42mm Independence case in stainless steel, which features a mix of polished, sandblasted, and satin finishing on both the coated and non-coated versions. The retail price for the DLC coated watch is $4,790 on a bracelet, and the variant with blue accents is $4,290 (both are also available on straps for a bit less). 

Norqain has also announced a pair of watches in their smaller 40mm Indepence case with striking gradient dials, a first for Norqain. The options here are a smokey brown and a dark green, and each has a “scratched” finish that Norqain has employed in the past, and is applied by hand. The same case size is also used for what appears to be a very nicely executed ladies piece, with a light green mother-of-pearl dial that Norqain is calling “mint” for this release, and is accented with a total of 12 diamonds on the dial and another 60 on the bezel. The retail price for ladies piece is $6,250, and the brown and green gradient dial references come in at $2,990.

What is perhaps the buried lead here is the debut of a new bracelet with a clasp that allows for 9mm of on-the-fly micro-adjustment. This is a feature that has really become essential for many on any good modern sports watch, so it’s nice to see Norqain including this feature on these new anniversary pieces. Norqain says that the new bracelet will be coming to other collections as new watches are introduced throughout the year, which is another welcome sign from the brand. 

The five new watches celebrating Norqain’s anniversary launch, coinciding with the Zermatt Unplugged music festival, which we told you about previously right here. More information can be found on Norqain’s website.