THE HOME OF WATCH CULTURE

Club
The Norqain Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka is a “no limits” watch The Norqain Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka is a “no limits” watch
Introducing
i/trending 7750

The Norqain Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka is a “no limits” watch

Fergus Nash
  • Norqain and the Hakuna Mipaka Oasis have teamed up again for the Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka.
  • The leopard print pattern extends to the soft-touch rubber strap.
  • The watch takes on some more feminine features to coincide with International Women’s Day.

The Swahili phrase “hakuna mipaka” translates to “no limits”. This is the slogan for Dean Schneider and his South African wildlife sanctuary — the Hakuna Mipaka Oasis. Norqain have always been drawn to any adventurous lifestyle, and so when they launched their recent Wild One collection it made perfect sense for one of the models to partner up. The new Norqain Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka extends the Norqain and Oasis partnership with a slightly more feminine focus, coinciding with International Women’s Day.

The Norqain Independence range of watches aims to celebrate personal courage as well as individualism, and this new model is the first model to break up the style that was established by the Wild One collection. In a reduced case size, the Independence 40mm should be much friendlier to small wrists with a lug-to-lug of just 46.3mm. The “ears” of the case are much less extreme, putting a bit more emphasis on the asymmetrical crown guards. The thickness is 12.05mm, which is surprisingly moderate for what looks to be at first like a chunky case. The black DLC coating has the dual effect of adding some scratch resistance in your adventures as well as contributing to an overall dark theme, maintaining some degree of seriousness to an otherwise characterful watch.

Leopard print is very much a love it or hate it style, but here in a black and grey colour scheme it’s actually more palatable than you may have expected. It adds a satisfying texture to the dial as well as to the 20mm rubber strap, which is treated to feel almost like a flocked velour. The touch of rose gold surrounding the hour markers, on the hands and the Hakuna Mipaka Oasis logo add an extra air of luxury to the watch, and this is also seen on the automatic winding rotor. The movement is the Norqain calibre NN08, which is based on the Sellita SW200-1 and certified by COSC to chronometer standards.

The Norqain Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka pricing and availability:

The Norqain Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka is now available from the Norqain website, and 10% of all purchases will be donated to the Hakuna Mipaka Oasis. Price: US$3,690

Brand Norqain
Model Independence 40mm Hakuna Mipaka
Case Dimensions 40mm x 46.3mm x 12.05mm
Case Material DLC-coated stainless steel
Water Resistance 100m
Crystal(s) Sapphire
Dial Black leopard print
Lug Width 20mm
Strap Black leopard print rubber
Movement NN08
Power Reserve 38 hours
Availability Available now
Price US$3,690 with 10% of sales donated to the Hakuna Mipaka Oasis.