There’s a New Contender for the Title of ‘World’s Coolest Chronograph’

An upstart Swiss watchmaker is following up its recent viral hit with a seriously impressive tool watch.

closeup of a skeletonized norqain watch dial

By Johnny Brayson

Published September 13, 2024

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Updated November 26, 2024

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It’s remarkable how quickly Norqain has risen through the ranks of the Swiss luxury watch industry.

The independent, family-owned brand was founded just six years ago by a young team with well-established roots in the industry. Founder Ben Küffer’s father sat on the board of Swiss Watch Industry Association for decades, co-founder Ted Schneider’s father is the former owner and CEO of Breitling, and watch industry legend Jean-Claude Biver acts as an advisor to the board.

With that type of backing, it’s no wonder Norqain was able to hit the ground running. The brand has partnerships with the NHL Players Association and various high-profile marathons, counts numerous pro athletes as brand ambassadors and produces its own exclusive movements in partnership with Tudor’s manufacturing arm, Kenissi.

norqain watch on a mans wrist — The Wild One Skeleton, particularly the turquoise version, has become Norqain’s de facto flagship watch.

But Norqain’s greatest claim to fame is the Wild One Skeleton, a watch that went viral earlier this year after actor Mark Wahlberg — one of the best-known celebrity watch enthusiasts — discovered the watch organically (i.e., he wasn’t paid to wear it) and began wearing it on TV and on social media.

The Wild One (I reviewed the non-skeleton version here) was the first Norqain watch co-developed with Biver, and it slots under the brand’s “Independence” line of tough and innovative sports watches.

Now, Norqain has launched a brand-new chronograph in the Independence line that not only is threatening to take the Wild One’s position as the brand’s flagship watch, but also might just be the coolest chronograph on the market today.

Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono Titanium

$6,990 at Norqain

Independence Day

The new chronograph is the Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono, and it has a whole lot going for it.

Let’s start with the movement since that is unquestionably the most impressive aspect of the watch. It’s a new Norqain manufacture movement made exclusively for the brand by Manufacture AMT, the high-end offshoot of Swiss movement powerhouse Sellita that’s previously produced calibres for TAG Heuer and other brands.

Norqain’s fancy new movement is the 8K Manufacture Calibre, a column wheel chronograph with COSC certification and a 62-hour power reserve. If that weren’t enough, the movement also has a flyback function, making this a rare example of a flyback chronograph available for (well) under $10,000. What’s more, it’s skeletonized in a very clever way.

norqain watch caseback showing a mechanical movement — The new 8K Norqain Manufacture Calibre boasts a column wheel and flyback functionality, plus a fun mountain-shaped rotor.

Norqain has managed to get its mountain logo incorporated within the structure of the movement itself. The logo appears prominently in some of the movement’s bridges, which are visible on the skeletonized dial, and the mountain shape also takes shape on the rotor. It’s a very clever way to incorporate some brand identity into some functional parts of a watch and is another example of how this young brand isn’t afraid to do things differently.

Violet Delights

The watch is available in two versions: One in stainless steel and a limited-edition version in titanium. Even though the titanium one is limited to just 300 examples, that’s the watch that has grabbed my attention, as it just looks spectacular.

two norqain watches against a rocky backdrop — There are two versions of the Independence Skeleton Chrono at launch, one in titanium and another in stainless steel.

Not only is it the brand’s first-ever fully titanium-cased watch, but it’s made from Grade 5 titanium — a harder, more premium alloy than Grade 2 titanium — and features a black DLC coating for added scratch protection.

The watch has a purple colorway that matches perfectly with the black, with some of those aforementioned mountainous bridges being finished in the eye-catching color. The chrono is mounted on a fitted purple rubber strap that appears identical to the superb strap used on the Wild One, which is one of the most comfortable rubber straps I’ve ever worn and is made by the same supplier, BIWI, that produces straps for Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet.

The movement, the flyback function, the materials, the use of color … there is a lot to love about this watch, and it’s one of the most exciting chronograph releases I’ve seen in a while.

norqain skeletonized watch dial closeup — The bridges in the shape of purple mountains make this one of the most visually interesting skeletonized dials I can think of.

Pricing and Availability

The standard stainless steel Independence Skeleton Chrono, which features the same manufacture movement as the Ti version but lacks the fun colors, lightweight material and DLC coating, is non-limited and retails for $6,190 on a black rubber strap or $6,490 on a three-link stainless steel bracelet.

The titanium version — which, in my opinion, is definitely the one to get — is only available on the purple rubber strap and retails for $6,990. It’s limited to 300 pieces, but I will be shocked if Norqain doesn’t follow it up with some non-limited versions in other colorways.

After all, to quote comedian Tim Robinson: It’s simply too good.