The Norqain Adventure Starts With The Freedom 60 Chrono
Norqain is a very new watch brand that is still in its infancy stage. When evaluating this new brand don’t make the mistake of assuming its experience is the same as it’s age. Back in 2018 Norqain launched as a brand for adventurers and people who are looking for more in life. One of their initial collections in their launch was the Freedom 60 Chrono in two different references. One has a cream dial and the other a flat black.
To be honest we’ve had our eye on this watch for quite some time now. I remember being at an authorized dealer event at Moyer Fine Jewelers in the fall of 2018 and saw the Freedom 60 Chrono nicely displayed next to some fine luxury watch brands. The Freedom 60 Chrono immediately passed the eye test and a quick first hand experience holding the watch.
We were fortunate enough to connect with Norqain’s North American manager and got the rich history of how the brand got started. To understand the Freedom 60 Chrono and to truly appreciate it, you’ll have to know where Norqain came from.
The Roots Of Norqain In The Watch Community
Norqain is a new brand but from the day of its inception it was filled with rich horological history. The founding family, the Küffers, and other shareholders came from prestigious backgrounds within the watch community and brought different experiences and knowledge to the table.
On one side, Norqain was born with a family, the Küffers, that had deep ownership ties from a well known watchmaking factory deep in the heart of Switzerland. This rich culture of watch manufacturing has truly made its way to the surface with the Freedom 60 Chrono. It’s easy to tell after just a couple minutes holding the watch that it has earned its way into the luxury watch market.
The Schneider family, and this may be more well known, had an ownership stake in Breitling and more specifically Ted Schneider brought a whole wealth of knowledge, marketing / branding skills, and people over to the Norqain team after the sale of Breitling. Some of the reviews on the Freedom 60 Chrono compare it to designs from earlier Breitling’s and in our opinion, it’s obvious that they share some of the same horological DNA.
Norqain Freedom 60 Chrono Specs
| Calibre | NN18 (Eta 7753) |
| Power Reserve | 48 Hours |
| Frequency | 4Hz |
| Chronograph | 12 Hr |
| Date | 4 O'clock Window |
| Case Material | 316L Stainless Steel |
| Diameter | 43mm |
| Crystal | Domed Sapphire |
| Caseback | Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 100m |
| Lume | Superluminova |
Hands On Experience
We receive a fair amount of offers to review watches but in this case we reached out to Norqain directly requesting to review. Since I got hands on with the Freedom 60 Chrono back in 2018, I’ve been itching at the opportunity to give this thing a true daily wear.
After wearing this timepiece for almost two weeks I can honestly say its a breath of fresh air. We’ve seen such an influx of Kickstarter brands promising the world and just selling outsourced watches that hardly ever live up to the mark. That’s not what we are getting with Norqain. Norqain has legitimately invested in everything from manufacturing, quality partners, supply chain, dealer networks, human capital, and more to produce high quality luxury watches that can go toe to toe with more established brands in the market. To put it in terms that fit the Norqain brand, they have invested in all the right climbing equipment, clothing, and training to quickly rise to the peak of the mountain like a true adventurer.
For me, chronographs really aren’t my style. I typically stick to the more practical 3-hand date functions. There was something that made me want to experience the chronograph version instead of the alternate Freedom 60 3-hand model. The pusher functions on the chronograph where just so crisp I found myself, and probably most of you have done this too, randomly timing everything because the watch just made it fun.
I found legibility to be good on this watch, even for a chronograph. It seems like there was a ton of attention to detail. They integrated the functionality of a tool watch with the esthetics of a beautifully designed luxury watch flawlessly. It is sometimes hard to see in images but in person you’ll notice that the dial is layered. This effect makes the hands pop, especially the ones you’re focusing on the most.
The watch is 43mm so it does have a presence on the wrist but it’s doesn’t overdue it. I found all the smooth edges made it comfortable to wear on the wrist along with the leather strap. One thing that I would suggest to Norqain is add alternative options for leather straps. I think the Freedom 60 Chrono would look stunning on a more traditional black or brown leather strap.
How Much Does The Freedom 60 Chrono Cost
The Norqain Freedom 60 Chrono is sold for $3,790 MSRP on the leather strap and $4,060 MSRP on the stainless steel bracelet.
After experiencing this watch, we would have to label the Freedom 60 Chrono as a value watch. There are other watches on the market that are very similar in quality and style that cost 2x-3x more. If you care about quality and want to reward watch brands that are taking the industry in the right direction, Norqain is for you.
Where To Buy
Norqain has done a tremendous job cultivating authorized dealers around the country in such a short period of time. This has helped them quickly rise to the level they are at now. Purchase the Norqain Freedom 60 Chrono from an AD Moyer Fine Jewelers or on Norqain’s website.
