BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Norqain is a brand on the up at the moment. If you were at Watches & Wonders Geneva this year, or were tuned into the hype, you’ll have probably seen or heard of the excitement happening at the Norqain stand at Palexpo. The brand seems to have built a level of enthusiasm around it with releases that appeal to those looking for something a little different from the world of mechanical watches. Last year, they launched their first flyback chronograph watch, but for late 2025, they’ve come back with something a little more interesting in my opinion.
Until Apple introduced the iPhone 17 this year, we didn’t see the colour orange in products too much. It’s not often you see an orange car these days, unless you live next to or are the owner of said car – and if you are, I salute you. Anyway, orange is a fitting colour for Norqain’s chronograph, channeling a sporty and vibrant look that’s a little more subtle than acid green or bright yellow. It works quite nicely even though we’re firmly in Autumn’s grasp now. You can have this watch on either a stainless steel bracelet or a bright orange rubber strap.
The strap matches the dial, which is skeletonised and features a representation of the double N mountain Norqain uses as its logo; the orange outline makes it a lot easier to see here. We also have the subdials set at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, an uncommon but not unheard-of arrangement. Legibility remains to be seen, as I haven’t had a hands-on with one of these yet, but it does have SuperLumiNova for nighttime reading, and with its case measuring 42.0mm x 13.9mm, one hopes it would be easy to read and fairly versatile with 100m of water resistance.
Visible through the dial and the caseback is the self-winding Calibre 8K. This is an interesting one. It started life as a Sellita SW500 calibre, but it’s been modified almost beyond recognition, so you need to know exactly what you’re looking for. This is thanks to Sellita’s sister company, AMT Manufacture, which customises movements to meet the specs of their customers, in this case they worked with Norqain to develop the Calibre 8K. They’ve taken the SW500, which is used by Oris, Sinn and others, and changed it to include a column-wheel chronograph, a flyback function, a COSC chronometer certificate and 62 hours of power reserve. It’s also got blackened plates and a blackened rotor. I like that in TAG Heuer’s current lineup, and I like that here, too; it works.
All of this comes in at €5,900/£5,150 on the rubber strap or €6,150/£5,370 on the bracelet. It’s got the specs, it looks good, it’s independent and made in Switzerland, and it sells at a reasonable price. If you don’t mind wearing a watch from a brand most people have never heard of, this is a good option in my book.
