NORQAIN introduces two spectacular new versions of the Wild ONE at Dubai Watch Week, including the company’s first watch fusing solid 18-carat gold with NORTEQ® technology

The NORQAIN Wild ONE story continues today with the introduction of two new models, the Wild ONE Gold and the Wild ONE All Black. The watches feature the same revolutionary case design, NORTEQ® technology and high-performance Kenissi Manufacture Calibres that tie the Wild ONE collection together. The Wild ONE Gold is the first in the innovative collection of adventure-ready watches to feature solid gold. It will be limited to 99 pieces.

NORQAIN, in the presence of company Founder and CEO Ben Küffer, will showcase the watches at Dubai Watch Week, which begins on 16 November and runs through 20 November.

The limited-edition NORQAIN Wild ONE Gold is the first Wild ONE to use solid gold as part of the Wild ONE case construction. The top section of the watch’s revolutionary 42mm case design is cast in brushed and polished solid 18-carat red gold, while the base section is in black NORTEQ®, a proprietary high-performance material exclusive to NORQAIN (see below). These sections sandwich the Wild ONE’s signature rubber shock absorber to deliver a high-performance, shock-resistant luxury sports watch. Inside it is the chronometer-certified, 70-hour NORQAIN Manufacture Calibre NN20/1 by Kenissi, recognisable by its bespoke NORQAIN oscillating weight and visible through the watch’s sapphire case back. The movement is held in place by a sandblasted titanium container.

The watch also continues the story of NORQAIN’s ambitious responsible watchmaking strategy, which lies at the heart of the company’s forward-thinking philosophy. The “PX Impact®” 5N red gold used in the circular brushed and polished bezel, as well as in the brushed lugs is ethically sourced from NORQAIN’s new Swiss partner, PX Group, which also supplies the medical and aviation sectors. PX Group gold is mercury-free, fully traceable and sourced from artisanal mines. The group also invests in mining communities to bring positive impacts.

The new Wild ONE Gold is inspired by the colours of the desert, and specifically by the light over the dunes at sunrise. The watch will be limited to 99 pieces and engraved with the words “FIRST EDITION, ONE of 99”, signalling the company’s first Wild ONE gold watch. In addition, a 100th piece will be made for a special auction scheduled for next year to raise funds for UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein. More information about the story will follow in 2024.

Watch industry legend and NORQAIN Advisor to the Board Jean-Claude Biver said: “One of the pillars of NORQAIN and of the Wild ONE is INNOVATION! By adding gold to the Wild ONE for the first time, we’re demonstrating the versatility of this revolutionary case construction. It’s made of NORTEQ®, rubber and solid 18-carat gold – it’s completely unique! NORQAIN has made it possible, and done so ethically at the same time, marking the next step in the development of the company and the Wild ONE. A new icon!”

The 42mm Wild ONE All Black picks up on the same desert theme and offers the same base specifications as the gold model, only this execution is inspired by the brooding mood of a dark, moon-less night in the desert. It features an ultra-robust and ultra-light all-black case, with black NORTEQ® top and bottom sections on either side of a rubber shock absorber, a construction that has been shock tested to 5’000g, making it the ultimate high-performance sports watch.

Both new models have black, three-level, laser-cut dials with the increasingly familiar NORQAIN mandala-like pattern motif, decorated either with gold or black-plated hands and diamond-cut skeleton hour markers. Each has a black rubber screw-down crown and the NORQAIN plate on the left flank, in red gold on the Wild ONE Gold and black NORTEQ® on the All Black model.

To complete the picture, both watches are delivered on an integrated, animal cruelty-free, black rubber strap with a “Milanese” structure and a black NORTEQ® pin buckle. The gold model has the option of a sold 18-carat red-gold pin buckle.

Both watches are water-resistant to 200 metres and come with a four-year warranty that can be upgraded to five years with sign-up to the NORQAINER community.

The Wild ONE Gold will be available priced CHF 11’950 with the black NORTEQ® pin buckle, increasing to CHF 13’950 when the pin buckle is upgraded to solid 18-carat 5N red gold. The Wild ONE Gold is presented in a special watch box, complete with a NORQAIN watch winder. The Wild ONE All Black will be priced CHF 4’950.

THIS IS NORTEQ®

NORTEQ® is an innovative, highly shock-resistant carbon-fibre material that was created exclusively for NORQAIN and its watches in a close collaboration between NORQAIN, Jean-Claude Biver and BIWI SA. As well as being six times lighter than steel and three-and-a-half times lighter than titanium, it can also be colourised, giving NORQAIN’s designers the freedom to create and innovate. This carbon-fibre composite is made of carbon fibre, which is commonly used in the aerospace industry, and a high-performance polymer matrix containing 60 per cent bio-sourced material (castor oil).