One of the World’s Most Comfortable Sports Watches Just Got Even More Wearable

One of my favorite new releases from Watches and Wonders Geneva back in April was the Norqain Wild One Skeleton 39.

I loved the original version of the watch, as it’s arguably the best high-performance sports watch on the market — at least with a four-figure price tag — but at 42mm, it was just a tad too big for me.

Norqain

Now, Norqain has applied its same shrink ray to another dynamite sports watch from the brand’s Independence line, the Independence Skeleton. Originally only available in 42mm, the watch — which provided the basic template for the Wild One — now comes in two 40mm variants.

In other words, one of the world’s comfiest sports watches just became even more comfortable.

Norqain

Differences from the Wild One

The Independence Skeleton bears a strong resemblance to the Wild One Skeleton, with the same basic case shape, same skeletonized Sellita-based movement, same handset and same excellent integrated rubber strap.

Outside of some minor discrepancies in the dial and case designs, the biggest difference between the Independence and Wild One Skeletons is in their case construction. The Wild One boasts a shock-absorbing multi-layered case made from a combination of rubber, titanium and Norqain’s proprietary Norteq carbon material. It’s extremely light and robust and is designed for athletic activity.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

The Independence Skeleton, by contrast, is more traditional. It swaps out the Wild One’s fancy materials and high-tech case construction for a much more familiar stainless steel case.

It’s not quite as comfortable on the wrist as the Wild One, but thanks to its buttery smooth rubber strap — among the best in the business — and relative light weight courtesy of its skeletonized movement and dial, the Independence Skeleton is still among the most comfortable sports watches you’ll find.

And now that it’s smaller, it’s even better on the wrist.

More Than a Smaller Face

The new Norqain Independence Skeleton comes in two 40mm versions that each measure 46.2mm from lug to lug. Both references are in stainless steel, and one features a black DLC coating.

Norqain

The black watch features orange accents on the dial text and seconds hand, giving the design some nice contrast, while the plain steel model boasts turquoise accents. Turquoise has become something of a de facto flagship color for Norqain (still waiting on that Wild One Skeleton 39 Turquoise, fellas), and it looks great here.

In addition to the smaller case size, the new watches also boast a subtle change that brings some additional depth to the dial and some intrigue to the design.

On the 42mm version of the watch, the dial text is printed on the underside of the sapphire crystal. On the 40mm watches, the text appears on a new transparent main plate that sits atop the movement, resulting in an appearance that reads more high-end overall.

Norqain

Pricing and Availability

Just like their big brother, the 40mm Independence Skeleton boasts 300m of water resistance and is powered by the COSC-certified, Sellita-based Norqain NB08S automatic movement, with the “B” here indicating a blackened finish and “S” standing for skeletonized (I assume).

The steel and turquoise model is available on an anthracite rubber strap for $4,490 or a matching steel bracelet for $300 more. The DLC version, meanwhile, eschews the bracelet and offers your choice of a black or khaki-green rubber strap. It’s priced at $4,690.

All versions are now available to order directly from Norqain’s website.

Norqain

Norqain Independence Skeleton 40mm

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Norqain Cal. NB08S automatic (Sellita base)
Water Resistance	300m

• $4,690 at Norqain

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