Norqain is the latest Swiss high-end horology brand to gain the undivided attention of watch collectors worldwide.
And from the look of things, it’s no surprise how they have achieved this in such record time.
The brand from Nidau – a municipality in the Bienne administrative district in Switzerland’s west-central canton of Bern – is already well-known for its catalogues of high-performance, 100% mechanical sports watches with a strong and rugged aesthetic, despite starting out only in 2018.
The young brand’s watches are also noted for using the proprietary lightweight materials of Nortech – the ultra-lightweight and high-performance carbon fibre composite – and outstanding in-house movements.
But perhaps another wonderful thing that Norqain has been good at is its outstanding choice of strategic partnership, as is keenly pointed out by vice-president Tobias Küffer, who is the younger sibling of brand founder and CEO Ben Küffer.
Tobias is in Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of the brand’s retail partner Sincere Fine Watches for the launch of the brand new Norqain Wild One Skeleton 39mm high-performance sports watch.
And he is excited to talk about the brand’s partnership with the slew of celebrated athletes from around the world, such as legendary footballers Gianluigi Buffon from Italy and Englishman Gary Neville, tennis ace Stan Wawrinka and American NHL All-Star co-founder Mark Streit.
“The role of these partners go far beyond that of a traditional brand ambassador per se,” Tobias tells StarChrono during a chat, while taking a break after an intense padel session that is part of the launch event.
“What each of these famous athletes do is that they act as a kind of external board member who, although not in the Norqain office every day, are usually actively contributing ideas and access to their local network to drive business development for our brand.
“Gary Neville is a prime example.
“He is a highly accomplished businessman; he runs his own marketing agency and hotel chain.
“The same applies to Gigi (Gianluigi) Buffon, who is currently developing his own business ventures throughout Europe.
“We’re also in almost daily contact with Stan Wawrinka via WhatsApp, as he constantly sends photos of the activities of local watch retailers or suggesting new ideas for our business.”
Tobias also credits the success of the young brand, which has doubled its watch production from 5,000 to 10,000 pieces within seven years and is now available in 40 markets, to the strategy of these celebrity partners.
“Not only do they attract media attention, but they also open doors that would otherwise be difficult or costly to access.”
“For instance, within a month-and-a-half of our partnership with Gary, we managed to integrate Norqain into the major Soccer Aid charity event that happened in June last year in Manchester, attended by 80,000 spectators,” he elaborates.
“Then, when it was announced that Canadian ice hockey pro Sidney Crosby had invested in Norqain, a push message ran on ESPN, resulting in a huge increase in website visits and new retailer enquiries,” says Tobias.
Best of all, Norqain’s smart partnerships go beyond the sphere of marketing alone.
Jean-Claude Biver, the legendary Swiss-Luxembourg watchmaker credited in recent years with revitalising the Swiss watch industry through his leadership at Blancpain, Omega and Hublot, has also been working with Norqain since 2022.
“Our partnership with him has been pivotal to the development of the Wild One collection, as he was the one who had pushed for a no-steel, no-titanium, ultra-light and very colourful design for the watch,” Tobias says.
“This led to the eventual development of our brand’s own Norteq high-performance carbon fibre polymer which is significantly lighter than steel!
“He also used his diverse product lineup building experience to design the slew of Wild One Skeleton models.
“All his valuable input, being such an experienced watch professional himself, helped us steer Norqain toward becoming a disruptive, high-performance and innovative brand that’s squarely aimed at a young and active generation.
“But to be honest, the world is perhaps not necessarily waiting for yet another Swiss watch brand to emerge,” Tobias quips with a smile.
“That’s why from the start, Norqain wanted instead to be a watch brand by sportsmen for sportsmen, making high-performance timepieces they would actually wear.
“It’s always been a part of who we are and what we do,” he adds.
Both Tobias and Ben grew up in a family that’s very passionate about football, with Tobias himself going on to play professionally as a centre-back for FC Biel-Bienne in the Swiss football league.
Back in the day, his grandfather also played with FC Biel-Bienne and Neuchâtel Xamax FC, making football a constant presence in their lives.
“I guess when we started, it was all about creating a brand that was authentic and pure, which meant it had to be a brand from scratch,” says Tobias.
“It had to come from a younger generation in Switzerland.
“We believe in mechanical watches – it’s a part of our culture.
“It felt normal for us to make an outdoor, active brand, because that’s what Switzerland is about.
“It’s what our team is about, and as you now know, we’re a very competitive team indeed!” he declares.
