ReviewLet The ‘Lume’ Lead The Way: Norqain’s Neverest Night Sight Reaches New Heights
Illuminating the nightly path for mountaineers and the futures of the children of Nepal’s late Sherpas, proceeds from the sale of the Norqain Neverest Night Sight, in partnership with the Butterfly Help Project, go to their education. The rugged, raw, and resilient, three-hand model boasts a grade-X1 Super-LumiNova luminescent dial and DLC-coated 40mm case for exploration through the day and night.
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Nestled amongst the Swiss titans in Bienne—the city of watchmaking—is an independent title, whose pursuit isn’t just for mechanical mastery like most of its sister maisons, but also for reaching the world’s highest heights. Norqain, born in the Swiss Alps, embraces the spirit of high-altitude exploration, adrenaline, and freedom. The Norqain Neverest series, a sub-family of its Adventure collection, is a testament to that, and the Night Sight edition takes this explorative conquest to the dark.
Norqain, established in 2018, live and breathe the mountains. Their logo, comprising two mirrored Ns creates a distinctive motif of a mountain summit. This passion for mountaineering, their never-resting spirit of adventure, and fearlessness to explore the path less travelled have won them quite a unique reputation in Bienne and among the horlogerie streets of Geneva.
Tough, accurate, and determined – Embodying the true spirit of mountaineering.
Norqain understand that mountaineering is daunting. When you’re thousands of feet above safe ground, cautiously planting each foot in ice, snow, or gravel, you rely purely on instinct, resilience, and gear. Racing against the light of day, it’s critical to accurately mark each minute and hour. This is where the Norqain Neverest Night Sight comes in, allowing mountaineers to further their explorative conquest even at night.
Norqain stands by the families of Nepal’s Sherpas
With this edition, Norqain reaffirms their partnership with the Butterfly Help Project. Illuminating a path for the families and children of Nepal, the Butterfly Help Project supports the families of Sherpas who lost their lives while guiding climbers through the Himalayan Mountains and to the top of Mount Everest. By purchasing a Norqain Adventure Neverest Night Sight or any model from the Neverest sub-family, the maison will contribute 10 percent of sale returns directly to the Butterfly Help Project. Norqain committed to sending 50 children to school in 2021 and have supported them since. The contributions from the Neverest watches will financially aid their school fees, classroom materials, uniforms, and athletic equipment.
Being a timepiece bred for the wild and dark, the new Norqain Neverest Night Sight is an absolute unit of toughness and reliance when worn on your wrist. The case, comprising a modest 40mm, polished, 316L stainless steel, comes with a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating for added durability when exploring treacherous terrains. The knurled, bidirectional-rotating bezel is crafted out of stainless steel with a DLC coating as well. With a moderately domed sapphire crystal glass, it isn’t only scratch-resistant but also double antireflective. With a thickness of 13.25mm, the width between each lug is 20mm with 48.3mm between opposite ends. The crown, screwed and protected on both sides, features an engraved Norqain logo.
Staying true to the Norqain’s ethos of ‘your life, your way’, this timepiece is particularly designed for adventurers who don’t believe in halting at dusk, instead braving their way through the night of darkness.
More ‘lume’ than ever before
Holding back no limits of exploration, the Norqain Neverest Night Sight takes this explorative conquest into the nightly hours with a florescent green-glowing dial. It is coated with a layer of powerful grade-X1 Super-LumiNova, that’s 60 percent brighter and stronger than the industry-standard lume dials. The versatility and resilience of this Neverest are confirmed with a ‘200M/660FT’ badge on its dial, which indicates its water resistance. During the day, you’ll see a dark sand-coloured dial with contrasting light grey hands. The indexes at 12, three, six, and nine o’clock ensure unrestricted visibility at night. The indexes and hands are satin-brushed.
Powering this timekeeping companion of the night is the COSC-certified Norqain manufacture calibre NN20/1. This mechanical automatic movement promises a 70-hour power reserve, boasts 27 rubies, a balance frequency of 28,000vph (4Hz), and is chronometer-certified for added accuracy. The bridge protecting this movement boasts Norqain’s core values: ‘Adventure – Freedom – Independence’.
You get to choose between three strap options—first, a DLC-coated steel bracelet with an additional security clasp, matching the make of the case and bezel. Others are rubber strap and a flex fabric strap, which is lightweight and ideal during exploration.