Challenging conventions is part of NORQAIN’s DNA. For CEO Ben Küffer, that aim to “redefine what a Swiss mechanical sports watch could be” has been instrumental to the brand’s success. For its latest release, the family-owned Swiss brand announced three new models in a first for the brand: grade 5 titanium.
The Wild ONE Skeleton Titanium 39mm and 42mm reimagine the brand’s signature sports watch, incorporating grade 5 titanium into the watch’s top plate with the bottom retaining NORQAIN’s signature NORTEQ carbon-fiber-composite.The result is a rich visual contrast and lightweight construction. “Titanium certainly has a future within NORQAIN,” Küffer says, “but only where it adds something meaningful to the design and performance of the watch.”
Each possesses a distinct identity, with the 39mm—limited to 400 pieces—opting for a grey palette based on titanium’s muted character, featuring light yellow dial accents and Super-LumiNova for technical performance and legibility. The 42mm, by contrast, opts for a slightly bolder coloring with mint green details for a bolder visual presence. Both are powered by the skeletonized in-house NK26/1 automatic movement, a COSC-certified chronometer with a 65-hour power reserve.
The star of the new collection, however, is the all-new Wild ONE Meteorite Titanium 42mm. The Meteorite takes the brand’s flagship watch and incorporates Grade 5 titanium and an anthracite iron meteorite dial, combining contemporary high-tech design with ancient cosmic material. No two will look alike. “For me, that uniqueness is what makes meteorite dials so special,” Küfer says. “Every watch has its own character, and there’s something incredible about wearing a material with such an extraordinary story on your wrist.” Inside beats the COSC-certified NORQAIN NN20/1, developed with Kenissi, bringing the brand’s uncompromising philosophy to the mechanical heart behind the Meteorite Titanium 42mm.
Hodinkee sat down with Ben Küffer to chat about the latest releases and what’s next for NORQAIN.
Hodinkee
You founded NORQAIN in 2018 specifically to fill what you saw as a gap at the entry-level independent price point — Can you tell us a little about the origin story?
Ben Küffer
I grew up in the Swiss watch industry, and I strongly believe that independence is essential to its future. Independent brands bring entrepreneurship, creativity, and new ideas to Swiss watchmaking. They have the freedom to challenge established rules and keep the industry moving forward.
That was the reason I founded NORQAIN in 2018. I did not want to revive a historic name or build another traditional watch brand. I wanted to create a new, family-owned Swiss company from scratch, offering the highest-quality mechanical watches with fresh ideas, distinctive designs, and a strong identity.
Hodinkee
NORQAIN is well known for using less traditional materials. What inspired this new Wild One in Titanium and is there a future for Titanium across the catalog?
Ben Küffer
The Wild ONE gives us tremendous freedom to explore new materials and finishes. For this model, we used Grade 5 titanium for the top plate, combining polished and brushed surfaces that interact beautifully with the light, while keeping matte NORTEQ for the bottom plate. That contrast gives the watch a completely new character while preserving the Wild ONE’s lightweight, high-performance construction.
Titanium certainly has a future within NORQAIN, but only where it adds something meaningful to the design and performance of the watch.
Hodinkee
What excites you about working with these materials for the upcoming release? Are there other materials you’ve been excited to incorporate but haven’t worked out? Are there any you hope to work with in the future?
Ben Küffer
That’s exactly what makes this work so exciting. We can play with colours, textures, and different materials, but for us, there always has to be a purpose behind it. A new material should bring something to the watch, whether that’s performance, lightness, durability, or simply a completely different character.
We’re constantly developing and testing new materials, and we like to test them in the real world. A great example was Wimbledon this year, where Stan Wawrinka played wearing a prototype Wild ONE Skeleton X-Lite while we were testing a new case material. Having a three-time Grand Slam champion put a development watch through more than four hours of professional tennis gives us incredible feedback and real-world validation.
Hodinkee
The NHL deal is unusual for a brand this young. Why was this a target for NORQAIN? What did NORQAIN have to prove to the League that a heritage Swiss house wouldn’t have had to?
Ben Küffer
It has been our goal from the very beginning. Hockey has always been part of NORQAIN. Our co-founder, Mark Streit, played 11 seasons in the NHL, was an All-Star, and won the Stanley Cup. Sidney Crosby, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is also a partner in NORQAIN. Our high-performance sports watches are a natural match for the speed and intensity of hockey.
The NHL is one of the world’s greatest sports leagues, with millions of passionate fans. Becoming its Official Luxury Sports Watch is a tremendous privilege. The NHL was impressed by our challenger story, what we have built in such a short time, our momentum in North America, and our authentic connection to sport and athletes. That mutual respect makes the partnership so powerful.
Hodinkee
Jean-Claude Biver has been a mentor figure to you. What’s the one piece of advice from him that has moved the needle for your development as the champion of the brand?
Ben Küffer
The most important lesson Jean-Claude gave me was to trust my instinct to be different and have the courage to follow it all the way through.
Challenging conventions has been part of NORQAIN from the beginning. Jean-Claude recognised that mindset and encouraged me to pursue it with even greater conviction. He pushed me to put innovation first and take risks to redefine what a Swiss mechanical sports watch could be.
That confidence helped us take the decisive step towards creating the Wild ONE, our vision of the ultimate sports watch, engineered to be worn by athletes in real action, not simply associated with sport. It also encouraged us to express our creativity more freely through creations such as the Freedom Chrono “Ice Cream” and the Freedom “Holiday” GMT.
That philosophy now defines how I lead NORQAIN. We are not here to follow the industry. We are here to push it forward through innovation, courage, and creativity while delivering uncompromising Swiss quality.
The new Wild ONE titanium collection arrives at the cusp of change. The brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2028, with a new release Küffer describes as “groundbreaking” marking a new chapter for NORQAIN. Despite the shift, he is adamant that it will be fully NORQAIN. “One thing will not change: we will remain independent and family-owned, and we will continue to live our life our way,” he says. “We are not here to follow the industry. We are here to push it forward through innovation, courage, and creativity while delivering uncompromising Swiss quality.”
This article was produced in partnership with NORQAIN.