NEWS

Norqain Announces New In-House Calibers in Partnership with Tudor-Founded Kenissi


Norqain is an independent, family-owned watch brand located in the Swiss watch hub of Bienne. Its board of directors includes its founder and CEO, 32-year-old Ben Küffer; his father, Marc Küffer, former owner of another Swiss watch manufacturer, Roventa-Henex; Ted Schneider, of the family that owned Breitling for nearly 40 years; and Mark Streit, a retired Swiss NHL player and Stanley Cup winner. The company was founded only in 2018 but has already experienced impressive growth, including building an expansive network of retailers worldwide. The firm announced the latest step in its strategy today: the launch of two new proprietary, chronometer-certified movements, developed in a partnership with Kenissi, a Bienne-based mechanical-movement manufacturer founded by Tudor.

Norqain Adventure Sport
Norqain Adventure Sport
Norqain Freedom Chronograph
Norqain Freedom Chronograph

The new movements, the three-hand Caliber NN20/1 and GMT-equipped Caliber NN20/2, will make their debuts in models throughout Norqain’s three collections, called Adventure (Automatic pictured at top), Freedom (Chronograph pictured above), and Independence. Like the Manufacture Tudor movements, presumably produced at Kenissi, both feature 70-hour power reserves and COSC chronometer certifications. Their sturdy construction is notable for the two-point-fixed traversing bridge that allows for unhindered timekeeping. The GMT functionality in Caliber NN20/2 features a jump-hour system that allows easy setting of the local time and changing of the date in either direction.

NORQAIN Caliber NN20 GMT - Front
NORQAIN Caliber NN20 with GMT function

The new movements, which are on display through clear sapphire casebacks, also offer special decorative touches, including the “double-N” Norqain logo, which the brand says symbolizes the Swiss Alps, on the oscillating weight and the words “Adventure – Freedom – Independence” engraved on a bridge, representing the collection names as well as the “core values” claimed by the young company.

NORQAIN Caliber NN20/1 - Back
NORQAIN Caliber NN20/1 with the golden “double-N” logo on the rotor

All Norqain watches feature customizable details, including plates on the sides of the cases that can be personalized with a signature or message, and a number of strap and bracelet options. Among the company’s strategic long-term partnerships are a new relationship with the National Hockey League Players’ Association and a number of athlete “ambassadors;” Norqain is also the Official Timekeeper of ice hockey’s Spengler Cup Davos and the organizer of the Norqainer Matterhorn Challenge, a mountaineering event in Zermatt, Switzerland.

NORQAIN CEO Ben Kuffer
KEITA=TAKAHASHI
Norqain CEO and founder Ben Küffer
No Responses to “Norqain Announces New In-House Calibers in Partnership with Tudor-Founded Kenissi”

Show all responses
  1. Dan Harper

    Not fair to say in-house. Maybe in-house made if you’re talking about the movement maker, but it’s the same darn caliber with a different logo slapped on the rotor, I duno but it sure is a ballsy move to create a brand positioned like that from scratch, so more power to them, but for the love of all that is holy do not try to call this an in-house movement. Norquain representatives call it ‘manufacture’, meaning exclusively manufactured for them, but a rotor doesn’t make it exclusive or else all eta watches with custom rotors would be manufacture

    Reply
  2. Gerry Dimatos

    I must admit I am getting really tired of “caser” brands. Whilst Kenessi is a movement manufacturer set up by Tudor and ultimately overseen by Rolex, with a 20 percent stake by Chanel, I fail to see what Norgain has to offer in an already crowded market…
    It seems to me that if you want a Tudor movement in your watch, why not buy a Tudor in the first place ? They are readily available and are priced really well…
    I commend Norgain for moving away from
    ETA based movements as most “caser” brands are using ETA movements. Norgain is moving more upmarket only to fall into the same category ..
    What value do they really offer ?
    Don’t even get me started on that English brand…
    From Gerry Dimatos…

    Reply
  3. This headline is entirely misleading. In-house movements are not supplied by outside companies. These are purchased movements. Remember Bremont?

    Reply
Leave a Reply to Gerry Dimatos

Click here to cancel reply.