ReviewEmbracing The Great Outdoors: Norqain’s Freedom 60 Chrono Series
For a brand established as recently as 2018, Norqain have made strides in establishing their identity. When it comes to developing eye-catching collections that personify the values of a brand, the Freedom 60 line is right up there with heavy hitters. Let’s take a look at why
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Longevity, history, and a brand’s pedigree are extremely important when it comes to the world of watches. Even so, watchmaking giants with over a century in the game often get it wrong. That’s precisely why Norqain’s rise to fame is noteworthy, considering the brand was only incepted in the year 2018. Thankfully, their aggressive marketing and meticulously thought-out strategies are backed by some exquisite timepieces. Some of their more recent offerings, including last year’s Wild One series, display the watchmaking prowess that the brand developed. While that novelty is about added durability through material innovation, even the more mainstream products from Norqain exhibit their values, such as a love of the great outdoors, with a sporty appeal, with an all-rounder quality. Fine examples of this are the watches from the vast Freedom 60 Chrono collection of theirs.
Where The Freedom 60 Chrono Comes from
Appealing to a demographic of an average age of 35 years (or at least it was about a year ago), Norqain has been all about their undying spirit for adventure, a passion for the wilderness and a unique connection with mountaineering (even their logo represents a mountain!). In fact, their CEO, Ben Küffer also seems to be a living, breathing version of everything Norqain stand for—a conclusion that’s clear to anyone who’s had a chance to speak with him, as we recently did.
It’s fitting, then, that the Freedom collection is named as it is and features the sporty look that it does. While the other collections in the brand’s arsenal embody a feeling of ‘adventure’ and ‘independence’—which are literally the names of the collections—the ‘Freedom’ line is strongly tied to an appreciation of the great outdoors but with a classic, almost vintage appeal. It includes a 34mm time-and-date edition and GMT models in 40mm, but it’s the most famous and populated series within the collection that takes the cake is undoubtedly the Freedom 60 Chrono line.
The Freedom 60 Chrono And Its Vintage Inspirations
The idea behind the watch was to manifest a sheer love for the outdoors. But, the young Swiss brand took it a step further when they infused a 60s’ appeal into the watch, with a bunch of their own contemporary design elements, as it turns out. For starters, the tri-compax layout on the dial—three sub-dials arranged as you see them here—is a very classic detail. And further to that, the contrasting hues, the visual depth of the sub-dials, the striped indices, and the hands with the white inlay—all add to the vintage appeal.
These timepieces pack quite a powerhouse within—the calibre NN19 based on the Sellita SW510a. This movement can store a rather impressive power reserve of up to 62 hours, while it runs the main timekeeping, date and chronograph functions.
Interestingly enough, the 43mm versions of the Freedom 60 Chrono run on the NN18 calibre, based on the ETA 7753 calibre, offering a shorter power reserve of 48 hours. The indices on all Freedom 60 Chrono timepieces are polished and hand-applied, as is the Norqain emblem. While the Freedom 60 Chrono series includes an array of colour variations, with myriad strap options, the latest addition to the line is the gorgeous ‘ice blue’, with a dial in the popular hue that absolutely stands out from the crowd.
The Coolest Cat Out There: The Ice Blue Freedom 60 Chrono
Limited to 300 pieces worldwide, this 40mm rugged yet elegant watch has a lot to like. Sure, it may seem like the brand has jumped onto the trend bandwagon, but the amalgamation of the sunray finish with the black sub-dials clearly passes the eye test. Measuring 40mm in diameter, 14.9mm in height and a lug-to-lug distance of 49.2mm, this almost compact timepiece could be a serious contender for anyone as their daily-wear watch. This is because of the refined execution of the ice-blue dial, in addition to the functionality seen across the collection. Is it obvious that we’re rather obsessed with it?
The Freedom 60 Chrono Customisation
The Freedom 60 Chrono collection comes with a stainless steel bracelet, but you also have the option of a rubber perlon strap or a ‘Nortide’ strap that’s made with ocean-bound recycled plastic. Another interesting bonus in this line is the plate on the left case band, which can be engraved with something personal—with only a limited number of characters, as one might imagine, given the space. A bit of personalisation goes a long way, we’d say.
From the outdoor inspiration to the highly considered details in the design, the Freedom 60 Chrono series by Norqain gets a lot of things right, and their latest ice blue is quite the winner. For a brand that has made quite a name for themselves thanks to some masterful marketing in the recent past, their well-thought-out and skilfully crafted timepieces are here to back up the bold claims they make with their aggressive push in the watch world.
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NORQAIN Freedom
N2201S22C/IA221/201SG
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NORQAIN Freedom
N2201S22C/A221/201SG
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NORQAIN Freedom
N2201S22C/T221/20INT.18SD
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NORQAIN Freedom
N2200S22C/B221/201SC
