Norqain just unveiled an ice (cream) cool chronograph.
Designed to be fun, this is a really neat piece.
I love watches as much as the next person – actually, probably quite a bit more than them – but sometimes they can be dull things. For every genuinely interesting movement or quirky dial, there's another steel case, black dial combination which has all the personality of middle-aged accountant.
Enter Norqain, with its new Freedom 60 Chrono "Enjoy Life" special edition. That's a new model which is anything but dull. For starters, the white dial is broken by sub-dials and an outer ring coloured blue, green and pink.
Flip over to the rear of the watch, and you'll find a logo inscribed on the sapphire case back. That shows a stacked ice cream cone – complete with one scoop in each colour seen on the front of the dial – with a banner reading 'enjoy life special edition'.
That obscures view of the Norqain calibre N19 movement – a branded version of the Sellita SW510 a – which powers things. That offers 62 hours of power reserve, and operates at 4Hz.
All of that is housed within a 40mm stainless steel case. That sits a rather lanky 14.9mm tall, though it's par for the course on more affordable automatic chronographs.
You will, however, get 100m of water resistance here. That's definitely not as common, with the pushers on the chronograph case often causing issues when it comes to underwater excursions. It's certainly no dive watch, but you should be able to wear this with less fear if a downpour starts or you're tasked with doing the dishes.
Oh, and as if all of that wasn't enough, there's a party piece. Every seven days, the date window – mounted at the 4:30 position – showcases the same ice cream cone from the case back. Because, you know... it's ice cream time.
Priced at £4,050 / €4,750 / US$5,190 (approx AU$8,500), this is certainly on the more affordable end of the spectrum for an automatic chronograph. You can save even more if you opt for a model on a white rubber strap, though Norqain bracelets are nice enough to warrant the extra spend.
All in all, then, this is a great pick for those seeking something fun and unserious, without busting the bank too much.
