Hands-On: The Murdered-Out Norqain Neverest Night Sight Is A “Killer”
Did I scare you with the header? No need to be frightened. Yes, the murdered-out Norqain Neverest Night Sight is a “killer”. But “murdered out” is just another way of saying “all black”, and it’s a killer just like you have killer songs. The watch is a silent creature of the night, that moves around in the most stealthy of ways. Nevertheless, it put a loud song in my head; but more on that in just a little bit. It also never left my wrist once I put it on. It hides during the day and comes out glowing at night, thanks to its fully luminescent dial.
Maybe you already read Jorgs’s introduction of the Norqain Neverest Night Sight. It’s quite elaborate and will give you all the necessary technical details there are to know. I will concentrate on what it’s like to wear the murdered-out watch. It’s the watch that put the 2019 song “Murdered Out” in my head. It’s a tune by Kim Gordon, an American singer/songwriter, who’s best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. The song itself is louder than the watch, but somehow, it still sounds to me like a fitting soundtrack to Norqain’s creation.
Murdered out of my heart
Covered in black matte spray
Will you see when I’m not there
Black matte spray
I’m calm, don’t drop
You didn’t even know who I became
Yeah, when you get black matte spray
What you get in the parking lot
Murdered out of my heart
The murdered-out Norqain Neverest Night Sight is a “killer” with a heart of gold
The Neverest — quite a clever name, I think, from my non-English-native perspective, meaning I could be wrong — is part of the Adventure Neverest collection. It’s a line from Norqain that contains sturdy and robust sports watches that can take a hit or two. But it’s important to know that Norqain has partnered up with the Butterfly Help Project, meaning ten percent of the proceeds from the Adventure Neverst watches help families of Sherpas who have lost their lives in the Himalayas, giving their children access to education. Black DLC steel on the outside, a heart of gold on the inside; the Norqain Neverest Night Sight is full of nice surprises.
How does the Neverest Night Sight wear?
The answer to that question is “easy.” There are two major factors that help to achieve that — the 40 × 12.55mm thick case with a lug-to-lug length of 48.3mm, and the 20mm khaki elastic fabric strap. And yes, you guessed right: it’s a Marine National style strap.
The strap is soft, easy to adjust, easy to put on, and flexible, making this watch a “wear-and-forget” timepiece.
The dimensions of the DLC-coated case are just right. The strap is soft, easy to adjust, easy to put on, and flexible, making this watch a “wear-and-forget” timepiece. Its subdued daytime looks also contribute to this. It sits quietly on the wrist without drawing unwanted attention. The sand-colored strap and dial contrast subtly with the black case, which features a combination of brushed and polished finishes. It takes a good eye to read the cardinal and ordinal directions on the watch’s bidirectional bezel. Is that practical up in the Himalayas? Maybe not. But north is indicated with the Norqain logo for a nice bit of detail.
The full-lume party piece
As you would expect from an adventure-worthy watch, the Norqain Neverest Night Sight is water-resistant to 200 meters. That’s good to know and everything, but nothing too special. The dial, however, is another story. And so it’s time to talk about the party piece of the stealthy Neverest Night Sight — the special X1 full-Super-LumiNova dial. In the dark, the matte sand-colored dial glows green. The hand-applied, black, satin-brushed numerals and batons contrast sharply in this miniature green sea.
And because of the faceted light gray hands that are filled with X1 Super-LumiNova, the overall effect in the dark is spectacular, from both a functional and an aesthetical viewpoint. This watch has two faces — calm and collected during the day, bright and wild during the night. A radiant Neverest could scare a yeti away. Or will it do just the opposite and attract it…? Anyway, this watch deserves a spot in our best lume dials story.
Inside the Norqain Neverest Night Sight
Beneath the metamorphous dial beats Norqain’s proprietary Calibre NN20/1. The automatic movement is visible through the sapphire display case back, revealing the Norqain “double N” logo in gold. Norqain developed the movement — along with the Calibre NN20/2, the GMT-version — in collaboration with Kenissi. The name Kenissi is becoming more and more familiar because it also produces Tudor and Chanel movements. During its time on my wrist, the proprietary caliber, with its 70-hour power reserve and 27 jewels, never missed a beat. As you would expect from a chronometer-certified movement.
The Norqain Neverest Night Sight gets a “yes” from me
The version I wore with the flexible fabric strap has a price of €2,990. If you prefer black rubber, the price is €3,010, and for a version with a black steel bracelet, you pay €3,330. The least costly version is my favorite because of its looks and great comfort on the wrist. It also really matches the character of the watch. And by “character” I mean a sand-colored dial that turns green when things go dark. It never stopped entertaining and impressing me the entire time I wore the Norqain Neverest Night Sight. The fact there’s no Sellita or ETA inside, but a movement made for Norqain at Kenissi, adds to the introvert horological joy of wearing the watch. Is the price worth the movement, the stealthy looks, and the glow-in-the-dark spectacle? I’m going to answer that with a firm “yes”. But what are your thoughts? Let me know below.
For more info on the murdered-out Norqain Neverest Night Sight, you can go to the brand’s official website or visit — if lockdown rules permit — the Norqain brand boutique in the Swiss Alp town of Zermatt.
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