Written By Guest Contributor: Zahra Hemraj
Wild ONE for me is all about adventure. Not the kind that looks good just on an advertisement, but the kind that travels with you on these journeys. Before we dive deeper into venturing out in the wild with a Swiss instrument on my wrist, I want provide a bit on the brand behind the Wild ONE: NORQAIN.
Enter NORQAIN
It all started in 2018, where NORQAIN, a Swiss watch brand, wanted to focus on mechanical sports watches. They designed their watches around three main collections: Independence, Adventure and Freedom. Material innovation was one of the brand’s priorities as well, mixing modern watchmaking and outdoor performance. Through that innovation, design and purpose, the Wild ONE was born. A good friend introduced me to the brand who thought it fit my attitude of adventure, which the Wild ONE surely does.
Before I knew anything about NORQAIN, I was heli-hiking in the Canadian Rockies. I was enjoying the captivating views and natural landscape, when the weather turned bad and the helicopter that was meant to pick the group up could not land safely. Instead, we found ourselves having to cross a river, walking carefully on a fallen log that just looked stable enough in pouring rain. My instincts to go off the beaten track at just the wrong moment, resulted in being knee deep in muck and cold rushing water.
It was a good reminder and a clear understanding that anything could happen in the wild. I realized that whatever I brought to the great outdoors with me, had to be part of a kit that can handle whatever situation I find myself in. Equipment that was built to last without hassle, a second thought or discomfort. Naturally, an important part of that kit is the ability to tell the time, especially if you’re trying to keep track of how long you’ve been hiking for and your cell phone is dead or out of service. The NORQAIN Wild ONE is exactly the watch I would want in nature, or in any comparable situation in the future.
Normally, I love a watch more for the narrative behind it, how the watch is made, and the eventual memories I have attached to wearing it. This watch felt different. I liked the Wild ONE before I even took it on any sort of adventure. Not only is it beautiful to look at, it is surprisingly easy to wear and somehow makes you want to go explore more.
A Case More Light Than It Seems
The Wild ONE Skeleton is quite a sizeable watch at 42mm. Larger than what I would normally reach for. For context, one of the watches I wear most in my rotation is as small as 21mm. I thought the size would be overwhelming on my wrist. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t dominate my wrist at all. But what I did notice more wasn’t the size, but the weight. Or lack thereof.
The NORQAIN Wild One Skeleton only weighs 78 grams. Roughly the weight of a large egg or two phone cases. The firm boasts that built by NORQAIN utilizing their own manufactured materia, NORTEQ. NORTEQ is a unique carbon-fibre composite created with BIWI SA and Jean-Claude Biver. It is impressively six times lighter than steel and 3.5 times lighter than titanium, and you can tell. That number may signify very little on a spec sheet, but on the wrist, 78 grams make the difference between a watch that you manage and a watch that you will forget you are wearing.
Don’t be fooled because the featherlight weight of the watch does not equal a sacrifice in durability. The 25-piece case has a titanium case with upper and lower NORTEQ parts is rated to 200 meters of water resistance and is rubber shock absorber tested to 5,000g shocks.
NORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise Specifications
Reference: N3000.07Q27.B07
Case: 42mm NORTEQ carbon-fibre composite with titanium container and case back
Thickness: 12.30mm
Weight: 78g
Water Resistance: 200m
Movement: NORQAIN Calibre N08S, COSC-certified automatic skeleton
Power Reserve: 41 hours
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Strap: Integrated turquoise Milanese-pattern rubber strap with NORTEQ pin buckle
Price: $7,900 CAD
A Skeleton Dial That Still Prioritizes Legibility
II am a believer that skeleton dials can go either way. While I do enjoy seeing the mechanics of a watch, sometimes it feels the legibility starts to feel like an afterthought. The Wild ONE Skeleton, however, remained surprisingly easy to read in all different lighting conditions.
The openworked black dial contrasts well with the brighter colours and gives you plenty to look at. The diamond-cut skeleton indexes and faceted hands finished in turquoise X1 Super-LumiNova create enough separation from the darker movement architecture that I could read the time at a glance, even outdoors in shifting light.
What powers the Wild ONE Skeleton is the NORQAIN’s Calibre N08S, a COSC-certified automatic movement. It has 26 rubies and a 41-hour power reserve. The movement uses a beam-style construction, designed to be robust, where each support point is held by at least two arms. The architecture is what makes the movement sturdier and more durable than other watch brands in the same focus, an important aspect for a skeleton movement built into a high-performance sports watch.
The Turquoise Does More Than Decorate
I’m not one to shy away from colour. I have to say, choosing something turquoise is not exactly out of my wheelhouse. The colour is what initially caught my attention to this model initially, and I liked it even more after wearing it.
Adventure sport watches tend to default to a narrow colour and design palette. It feels like it should have camouflage or a military tag associated with it. Built on a range of earth tones like black, khaki, navy, and green, perfect to disappear into the surrounding terrain. Turquoise does not shy away, but enough black runs through the dial and case to ground it, so the colour reads as a strong choice rather than a fun design feature.
The integrated turquoise rubber strap, the sharp black edging and NORTEQ pin buckle, is comfortable to wear and compliments the weight of the watch. It does not rub, pinch or need constant adjustment.
A watch this size lives or dies on strap comfort, and this one got it right.
Where It Lands
At $7,900 CAD, the NORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise sits in luxury sports-watch sector. It’s the sums of its parts. The NORTEQ construction, the lightweight, the shock rating, the skeletonize mechanics and the colour all bring the watch together well.
What makes the NORQAIN Wild ONE compelling is how well those elements work together. It doesn’t really feel like anything else I have worn in the outdoors.
Which brings the story back to that day that I was stuck in the Rockies: the rain, the mud, the cold river crossing. The moment our original plan for getting down the mountain was thrown out the window. What I don’t remember is wishing I had one more thing to worry about.
That’s the standard I now hold an outdoor sports watch to, and it’s the one the Wild ONE meets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the NORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise cost in Canada?
The NORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise retails for $7,900 CAD. It ships with an integrated turquoise rubber strap with a Milanese mesh-inspired pattern and a NORTEQ carbon-fibre pin buckle. Reference number is N3000.07Q27.B07.
What is NORTEQ and why is it used in the Wild ONE case?
NORTEQ is a proprietary carbon-fibre composite developed by NORQAIN in collaboration with Jean-Claude Biver and BIWI SA. The material is six times lighter than steel and 3.5 times lighter than titanium. The Wild ONE’s 25-part case pairs NORTEQ upper and lower sections with a titanium container and a rubber shock absorber rated to 5,000g.
How heavy is the NORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise?
The complete watch weighs 78 grams. For a 42mm sports watch with 200 metres of water resistance and 5,000g shock protection, that weight is low enough that most wearers report forgetting the watch is on their wrist during extended outdoor wear.
What movement powers the Wild ONE Skeleton?
The NORQAIN Calibre N08S is a COSC-certified automatic skeleton movement running at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 26 rubies and a 41-hour power reserve. It uses a beam-style construction where each support point is held by at least two arms, making it more durable than conventional skeleton calibres.
Is the NORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise water resistant?
Yes. The Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise is rated to 200 metres of water resistance. Combined with its 5,000g shock rating and NORTEQ composite construction, the watch is built for serious outdoor conditions including water sports, hiking, and trail running.
