FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Going wild with Norqain and reimagining a ’60s classic with Rado…
Zach BlassThis week, both Luke and I made the journey to Switzerland to get hands-on with some exciting, new releases.
With a case shaped like a flying saucer, the Rado DiaStar Original always wore its 1960s heritage very conspicuously indeed. Made from tungsten carbide, the DiaStar ushered in a new era of material experimentation in the watch world and was heralded at its 1962 launch as the first-ever scratch-proof timepiece. But while the DiaStar Original remained popular – particularly in Asia and the Middle East – its quirky retro vibes were a little overpowering for some.
The launch of the Rado DiaStar Original 60-Anniversary – that Luke attended in Zurich – brings the model hurtling into the here and now. Industrial designer Alfredo Häberli has reimagined the DiaStar, maintaining the watch’s trademark shape, while modernising it with a Ceramos case and a muted colour scheme of silver, grey and natural colour Super-LumiNova. The result feels slinky, modern and ultra-refined. Read our initial thoughts of the watch here (spoiler alert: we like it).
Meanwhile I flew over to Zermatt for the launch of the long-awaited Norqain Wild One, a collection that ushers in the next era of the brand. Both Norqain CEO Ben Küffer and advisor to the board, Jean-Claude Biver, took to the stage to explain how JCB came to join the Norqain team. While unveiling their latest creation, the pair also highlighted the brand’s mission to release highly innovative watches under CHF 10,000.
The Wild One delivers just that, with the “NORTEQ” case – a proprietary carbon fibre composite material that is six times lighter than steel and 3.5 times lighter than titanium. It is ultra light, ultra shock and scratch-resistant – thanks to its case construction – while the laser-cut patterned dials found on each watch offer incredible depth. Another point of differentiation for the material is its aesthetic properties. NORTEQ can be created in a wide variety of colours, something that is unheard of for carbon-based watch cases under CHF 10,000 (the Wild One starts at $5,290 USD).
Of course, in Norqainer fashion, we had to take the new Wild One with us on our hike – which led to some incredible views of the Matterhorn mountain. During the trek it was clear to me that the watch was very rugged and comfortable, while the bordeaux colour of the NORTEQ case looked great in the alpine light.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
– Zach
Watch meme of the week: Keyboard warrior flex
By no means do you need to amass a large collection of grail watches to be a true enthusiast. Yet one of the best parts of watch collecting and enthusiasm, at least in my opinion, is that the journey never ends. There is always more to learn, more references to discover, and more novelties to aspire to own. That is why I always find it insane when I see people in comments on Instagram lambasting watches. Having strong opinions is fine, but I believe if you ever make a bold claim, in any aspect of life, you better be damn sure you have the ethos or evidence to back it up. Stay humble.
Wrist shot of the week: Wellendorf 🤤
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If you ever spot a Lange on a Wellendorf bracelet at a meetup or get together, it is an absolute must to get a closer look. Super jealous of Gary above.
Time+Tide Shop select of the week: NOW Magazine – The Watch Buying Guide – Issue 5
Some things are not improved by technology. Mechanical watches. Slow time, well spent. The tactility of a high-quality magazine. NOW combines all three wonderful things. Issue 5 is available now with a full buying guide that curates 207 of the best releases of the past year. Alongside the guide you’ll enjoy a ton of in-depth articles that include:
- An oral history of the MoonSwatch from the Swatch Group insiders that made it happen
- How Hublot leveraged the world’s biggest spectator sports to turbocharge brand awareness
- Why super-producer Mark Ronson signed up with Audemars Piguet
- How Konstantin Chaykin dreamed up the creative design of The Joker
- Plus much, much more.
Purchase Issue 5 of our magazine here. Price: $19.95 AUD
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:
The shining stars of the Chopard L.U.C collection
Chopard is a brand fighting on many fronts. Their offering encompasses jewellery and watches, with the watch side of the maison covering everything from sporty chronographs and quartz stainless-steel pieces to haute horlogerie sapphire chiming pieces and jewel-encrusted creations. The Chopard L.U.C collection builds on the history of the brand and its founder, Louis-Ulysse Chopard, containing only the most special and best-finished masterpieces that aim at the high end of the market. This week we took a look at the quartet presented at the 2022 edition of Watches and Wonders, comprising of a slim, stealth-wealth proposition and three chiming pieces. Watch the video above for more, or read the full hands-on review here.
My top five picks from the Ineichen Vintage Wristwatch auction
Running until October 1, the Ineichen Auctioneers Vintage watch auction consists of 72 lots of old-school goodness. It features everything from Patek Philippe to Audemars Piguet and beautiful dress watches to classic sport references. With so much up for grabs, Ricardo decided to pick five lots that spoke to him the most. Click here for the full list.
BELIEVE: The watches of the Ted Lasso cast
Few shows have earned more smiles per episode from Zach than Ted Lasso, and, since its debut, the world has fallen in love with the cast both on and off-screen. So, we assembled a list of the watches a few members of the cast have been spotted wearing. You can find the full story here