NORQAIN Wild One Khaki Review

Although Norqain was founded in 2018, they only really hit my radar in 2022 when they released the Wild One collection. NORQAIN was founded by CEO Ben Kuffer who assembled a dream team of co-founders and board members to help form and run his new brand.

NORQAIN is based in Nidau Switzerland and who’s double N logo represents the mountains Switzerland is famed for and represents the spirit of adventure the brand strives for. NORQAIN’s name stands for the following: “N – Always open for NEW”, “O – Going through life OPEN-MINDED”, “R – A healthy dose of REBELLIOUS”, “Q – Life is about enjoying QUALITY TIME”, “A – Seeking ADVENTURE”, “I – Always feeling INDEPENDENT” and “N – Proud to be part of a NICHE”.



When you combine these, you can really see what NORQAIN is aiming at with their brand. NORQAIN is comprised of three lines currently, with the Independence, the Adventure and the Freedom. The Independence is their line of innovative sports watches, while the Adventure is more of their all around sports watches and finally the Freedom is their range of vintage sports watches.

The watch we’ll be reviewing today falls in their Independence range, being the Wild One 42mm Khaki. Like I mentioned earlier, the Wild One was launched in 2022 and was created with input from NORQAIN advisor to the board Jean-Claude Biver. If you even have a passing knowledge of the watch industry, you will know Biver’s name. Biver is most well known for reviving Blancpain and Omega for the Swatch group and also launching Hublot into the stratosphere with the creation of the Big Bang in the 2000s.



If you follow our Instagram or read our reviews and articles, you’ll probably know that two of my favorite watch collections of all time are the Royal Oak Offshore by Audemars Piguet and the Big Bang by Hublot. While the Royal Oak Offshore is an evolution of the classic Royal Oak, the Big Bang also pays homage to the integrated sports watches of the 1970s and took the design up a few notches and introduced revolutionary materials like carbon fiber. The Offshore and Big Bang brought fun and innovative design into the 21th century, not a huge stretch to see why I was such a fan on their releases.

Well before I knew the connection of Biver to the Wild One, I just thought the watch was everything I liked in a watch. It had the integrated look of the Offshore and the Big Bang, and used a strap instead of a bracelet, which I 100% prefer. The watch also used advanced lightweight materials in their NORTEQ carbon fiber case. I typically shy away from steel watches and my personal collection reflects as such with ceramic, carbon and titanium watches making up my entire collection.



The dial pattern on the Wild One was also something I had never seen before. The dial is compromised of repeating 3D patterns of their N logo in a seemingly random layout. NORQAIN also decided to use a manufacture caliber on the Wild One created by Kenissi. All these attributes added up to a watch that I genuinely liked.

Since Hourstriker is a brand new site, I thought it was extremely important to reach out to brands and get them more familiar with who we are and what we were planning on doing with the site. One of the brands that we have a great dialog with is NORQAIN. After doing a few articles about their new releases, NORQAIN offered to send us a watch of our choosing to review. Although the newly released Wild One Skeleton was taking all of the headlines, I really thought I’d like to be introduced to the brand with the watch that really made me take note of NORQAIN, the Wild One 42mm Khaki. Katlen over at NORQAIN was nice enough to get a Wild One Khaki over to us to review in short order.



I typically prefer watches that don’t scream for attention, so anything polished is typically way down on my list. If you look at my personal watches, most are either fully black or are in muted brushed titanium. The Wild One Khaki has a black NORTEQ case which basically looks like matte forged carbon. Between the upper and lower case is a khaki green rubber shock absorber that matches both the rubber strap as well as the ring surrounding the outer dial. The dial as mentioned earlier features the repeating N logo and is done in black. Overall the watch fits perfectly with my preferred stealth look of watches.

When the Royal Oak Offshore launched, one of its defining features was a rubber gasket that separated the bezel from the case. With the Wild One, NORQAIN takes this design cue to a million and the rubber insert actually helps the watch achieve a shock resistance of up to 5,000 Gs. So hitting a few golf balls will not damage the Wild One at all… honestly I can’t think of much you couldn’t do in this watch.



The first thing I noticed about the Wild One Khaki was just how lightweight the watch was. Remember I’m used to watches in ceramic, carbon and titanium and I was still blown away with how light it was. The Wild One weighed in at just 84 grams on our scale including the strap and buckle. I’m not being dramatic when I say the Wild One just disappears on the wrist when it’s being worn, it really places no strain on your wrist.

The next thing I noticed about the Wild One was something I wasn’t expecting… the diamond cut skeleton indices are just stunning in person. I was expecting for the dial to be the star of the show, but these indices just pop through the sapphire crystal. It’s probably a combination of the matte black dial and just how polished the indices are, but wow. Each index also has a white Super Luminova point at its top, for low light visibility. The hour, minute and seconds hands also receive the same diamond cut treatment and feature Super Luminova as well. In all the indices and hands provide amazing contrast with the dial, making time telling a breeze.



When looking closer at the dial, the laser cut N logos are not randomly placed on the dial but are rather set in a mandala, or circular, pattern. The effect in person is crazy and adds so many extra layers of depth to the dial. NORQAIN only adds their logo at 12 o’clock and “Chronometer” at 6 o’clock. Along the outside of the dial is a minutes ring with individual marks for each minute and numerals for each five minute span. The last thing to the dial is the khaki green color matched ring around the outmost part of the dial. Overall NORQAIN did an extremely great job of executing the dial on the Wild One.

One of the defining elements of both the Royal Oak Offshore and Big Bang are the exposed bezel screws. Much has been made about how Hublot doesn’t line up these screw heads, while the Royal Oaks screws are actually on the case back, making the “screws” on the bezel always line up. Norqain uses a similar system to Audemars Piguet here, with four screws that attach the two pieces of the NORTEQ case to each other with the rubber shock absorber in between. On the front side of the case you see the top of the four screws all lined up with their mountain peak like design and around back you see the traditional screw heads. This is a nice trick that keeps the front of the case looking clean and tidy.



Speaking of the case, NORQAIN used 25 parts to make up the case of the Wild One. We’ve already mentioned the NORTEQ upper and lower case as well as the rubber shock absorber, but there is also an extremely strong titanium container that houses the NN20/1 movement. The use of titanium, rubber and NORTEQ allows NORQAIN to keep the Wild One feather light.

Especially on this Khaki version of the Wild One, the exposed middle case being a color matched rubber really adds a rugged look to the watch. The crown is also coated with rubber and has nice thick grooves to it. The head of the crown has the double N NORQAIN logo on it as well. The crown is screw down and aids in the watches 200 meter water resistance. The rubber shock absorber also acts as a crown protector. On the other side of the case is a plaque that reads “NORQAIN”. This plaque is actually customizable at the time of working the watch as well, which is a nice added touch to making the watch your own. Attaching the plaque to the case are screws that match the case screws with the same mountain peak design.



Flipping the watch over showcases the manufacture caliber NN20/1 produced with movement manufacturer Kenissi through the sapphire case back. The main goal of the NN20/1 was to design a movement that was robust enough to keep up with what the case of the Wild One can withstand. Kenissi, who was found by Tudor, were up to the challenge and delivered the NN20/1 with a solid 70 hours of power reserve running at 28,800 vph and being chronometer certified. Naturally the movement isn’t finish to the levels of say an A. Lange & Sohne, but it’s more than pleasant to the eyes and as nice as anything it would compete with. There is also a partially skeletonized rotor with NORQAIN’s double N logo.

On our timegrapher the Wild One recorded the best result we’ve seen from a watch in for review with a perfect +/- 0 seconds per day. I mean you can’t get any better than that, so the NN20/1 is far within chronometer specifications. The only other perfect results we’ve seen were on personal watches, our 25 year old never serviced IWC GST Aquatimer 2000 and another IWC, our Top Gun Chronograph IW388001. For the NN20/01 being the first manufacture movement from NORQAIN, that’s incredibly impressive.



The Wild One comes on a 22 mm integrated rubber strap complete with a black NORTEQ buckle. Although the design is integrated, there does appear to be enough distance to the spring bars to use non-NORQAIN straps on the Wild One as well. Although I do think a lot will be lost with the look of the watch if a non-integrated strap is used, but it is nice knowing you could use something like a NATO strap with the Wild One. The design of the included rubber strap is Milanese in style with the upper part being in matching khaki green, while the sides and backing are black. The rubber is extremely flexible and there was zero break in time with the strap, it was extremely comfortable from day one.

The pin buckle on the Wild One is a very nice and beefy buckle made from the same NORTEQ material as the case. The design of the buckle has the strap slide under one side, then gets buckled and slides back under the other side. The strap tapers slightly to 19.5 mm at the buckle, giving the strap a very attractive appearance. The pin is a nice and thick 3 mm as well, matching the robust appearance of the buckle. One minor gripe is that I wish NORQAIN would offer a deployant clasp for the Wild One. Even though the watch is extremely light and not top heavy, so chances of it taking a dive while putting it on are low, the chance is still there. This is just a personal preference, but having a NORTEQ deployant clasp option would be pretty nice.



As for measurements, we measured the Wild One as 42 mm in diameter, 49.2 mm lug to lug and 12.4 mm thick. The integrated strap makes the strap flare out a bit, making that measurement a little larger in reality. On my 7.25” wrist the watch wore well and those with smaller wrists would easily be able to pull this Wild One off. The strap also had way more than half of its available holes open for those with larger wrists. The slim 12.4 mm thickness also ensures that the Wild One will easily fit under a cuff.

For an adventure style go anywhere do anything (GADA) kind of watch, the sizing is pretty much perfect. Being a bit greedy though, I wish NORQAIN would come out with a slightly upsized version of the Wild One, i.e. an Offshore version at maybe 44 or 45 mm. Maybe they could use this as a test bed for more out there case materials and higher complications that might require more case / dial space. Just me dreaming here…



NORQAIN was actually very relaxed with the time period they allowed me to have the Wild One for review. I never felt rushed to fit in wearing the watch to get the review done on time. This allowed me to work the Wild One into my normal watch rotation and the watch truly felt at home with my various watches. Although the obvious comparison of the Wild One is with my Offshore Montoya, I actually think it reminds me the most of my IWC GST Aquatimer 2000 titanium when it was on its rubber strap. The weight, size and no-nonsense look are very similar.

The combination of the wide rubber strap and extreme low weight of the Wild One made sure the watch always stayed put on my wrist during my times wearing it. I really don’t like when watches move on my wrist and even less when they favor one side of my wrist over the other, the Wild One never had this issue. As stated before, the strap was extremely comfortable as was the buckle.



Since the Wild One was more integrated into my personal watch rotation, it did wind down a few times. If I wore the watch every few days, this probably wouldn’t have happened with the generous 70 hour power reserve. I mean even my Big Pig Perpetual Calendar with a 7 day power reserve winds down between the times I wear it. I actually do prefer that the Wild One does not have a date function, since for the most part I never use it and it would clutter up the dial. Also with pretty much having to set the watch every time I wore it, it just saved a bunch of time not having to worry about setting the date.

I’m not sure if it’s the rubber shock absorber, but the Wild One is extremely quiet while wearing it. You really have to put the watch close to your ear to hear the movement, the rotor is slightly louder, but once again you need to watch to be close to you and be listening for it to hear it. You also don’t feel the rotor moving on your wrist either.



The watch was more than visible in all lighting conditions from harsh sunlight to dim evening lights. Being parents of young twin girls, we didn’t really get up to any crazy adventures with the Wild One, it mostly accompanied us on errand runs as well as a few nights of dinners and drinks. Once again the more stealth look of the watch went great with my standard dress of shorts, a black t-shirt and sneakers. I feel if I really wanted to go full stealth, moving the Wild One over to a black strap would really get the job done.

The Wild One did draw its fair share of attention when worn out. Now it’s not on the level seen while wearing the rose gold Freak X, but that’s just not fair to any watch I’ve worn since or prior… Most people told me they noticed the color combo of the khaki and black of the case and strap first. Everyone was super interested to see the watch and only had positive things to say. If you want to wear a watch that really gets everyone’s attention, I think the crazy colored Wild One Skeletons NORQAIN just released would be more up your alley. For being a pretty stealthy watch, the Wild One Khaki still drew its fair share of eyes.

It’s too bad I won’t have this watch for summer though. We have a lot of smaller trips planned to the beach, resorts and a cruise that the Wild One would be perfect for. Typically for these types of trips I end up just wearing a diver, but divers aren’t my favorite type of watch and I don’t like wearing them for days and days. I feel the GADA nature of the Wild One would be perfect for these types of trips. Also it being so lightweight and being on a nice rubber strap make it perfect for extended wearing, especially in warmer climates… oh well…



Now one thing we haven’t mentioned yet is price. The Wild One Khaki comes in at $5,490. For that price you are getting a carbon case, manufacture movement and a truly unique design. I’ve mentioned the Hublot Big Bang and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore many times in this review, because to me those are the watches the Wild One reminds me of. To get the cheapest Big Bang with an in-house caliber you are looking at least $20,000. For the Offshore you are looking more at $25,000+.

For four to five times the price are you really getting that much more with the Hublot and AP? With the Offshore you are getting the heritage of one of the holy trinity brands, not so much with the Hublot since it’s still a relatively new brand. Most people with a slight knowledge of watches will know what a Royal Oak and Big Bang are though. Is that worth the price delta? To some sure it is, but as far as just comparing the watches to each other, I wouldn’t say so. I’ve worn tons of Offshores and Big Bangs and can honestly say the Wild One is up there with how those watches look, feel and perform. Like I said earlier, I would just love for NORQAIN to get more out there and expand the Wild One series… I’d just love to see a bolder and larger Wild One!



So I guess it’s pretty obvious I’d recommend the Wild One whole heartedly by this point. The watch punches 4 to 5 times above its price point, has a deadly accurate manufacture movement, weighs nothing due to its advanced carbon construction and can take a true beating with its rubber shock absorber middle case. The watch is just handsome and extremely well executed as well.

I’m really trying to find fault here with the watch, but NORQAIN obviously took their time when designing the watch and there really isn’t any to be found. Sure the watch could be a tad bit larger and have a deployant clasp, but these are just personal preferences and not really those shared by the larger watch audience.

With how well of a job NORQAIN did on the Wild One, it’s really going to be fun to see what they come up with next. I’m also sad to see this one go and be removed from my personal watch rotation!

I’d really like to thank Katlen and NORQAIN for sending us this Wild One Khaki to review and if you’d like to know more about NORQAIN and the Wild One, go ahead and check out their site: NORQAIN

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: NNQ3000QBK1A/B002

Retail Price: $5,490

Case Size: 42 mm

Lug to Lug: 49.2 mm

Thickness: 12.4 mm

Weight: 84 grams

Case Material: NORTEQ Carbon Fiber

Bezel: NORTEQ Carbon Fiber

Strap: Rubber with NORTEQ Carbon Fiber Buckle

Movement: Caliber NN20/1 by Kenissi

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds

Power Reserve: 70 Hours