Introducing: The New Norqain Freedom 60 Chrono 40mm Ice Blue Limited Edition
Norqain is quickly making a name for itself in the horological world. The young brand has already become a sponsor of the New York Marathon, hired Jean-Claude Biver in an advisory role, and come out with a new, high-tech composite material for a new line of sports watches. While all of this is impressive, the best-selling watch for Norqain happens to be the Freedom 60 Chronograph. A handsome watch, this latest edition in ice blue might be the best-looking one yet!
“Cold As Ice”
Ice blue is no stranger to watch dials anymore. You could even say that this particular light blue shade is having a bit of a moment in 2023. After all, many people are “willing to sacrifice” some hard-earned money to add this color to their collection. Song references aside, increasingly more watch brands are showing love to the lighter version of the more traditional blue hue. Norqain is no exception, offering a new limited-edition Freedom 60 Chronograph in an excellent ice blue/black panda combination.
This panda dial has a dual-layer construction. The cool blue dial on top, featuring rhodium-plated hour markers and diamond-cut hands, has a vivid sunray finish. On a lower level sit the black sub-dials, which have a circular snail pattern. The contrasting colors and finish patterns add depth and legibility to the chronograph function. Furthermore, ice blue with black might just be one of the more attractive color combinations on a watch dial. A black chapter ring with a tachymeter scale encircles the dial, providing additional contrast to the steel case.
“Double Vision”
The Freedom 60 Chronograph comes in both 40mm and 43mm sizes. This limited edition, however, is only available in the former. Having tried on previous versions in both sizes, this 40mm case will be more wearable for a wider audience as the 49.20mm lug-to-lug remains below the 50mm mark where watches tend to start wearing a bit too large. The case is 14.9mm thick and offers 100m water resistance, more than enough for everyday wear. The spacing between the lugs, like previous models in this size, is 20mm, which is ideal for swapping the bracelet out to one of the other animal-cruelty-free straps offered for the model or one of the likely many straps already in your collection.
In addition to the bracelet, Norqain offers a Perlon-style rubber strap and a synthetic Nortide strap made from recycled ocean plastic. The Perlon-style rubber is the sneaky hit in the strap lineup. The pattern is so well executed, you will not believe it is rubber until you try it on. It makes an excellent casual contrast to the H-link bracelet.
The Norqain NN19 chronograph caliber offers a standard chronograph configuration, displaying sub-dials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. The date, which sits between 4 and 5 o’clock, is rendered on a color-matched date wheel, allowing it to blend in more easily for those who might wish it was not present at all. The movement has a 62-hour power reserve and beats at 28,800vph. Enclosing both the dial and movement are scratch-proof sapphire crystals, with a box-shaped one on top and a flat one on the case back.
Final thoughts
With such a striking dial and a package made for everyday wear, there is little to fault with the Norqain Freedom 60 Limited Edition Ice Blue. In fact, the only thing that could make you blue about this release is the limited quantity available. Pricing varies depending on the way you choose to affix the watch to your wrist. The price is €4,250 on the bracelet, €4,150 on the Perlon-style rubber, and €3,990 on the Nortide. While there is stiff competition for chronographs at this price point, the striking panda colorway and feature set make the Freedom 60 Chronograph something to consider. If this makes you “Hot Blooded,” the watch is available from today, and only 300 pieces will be produced.
For more information, visit Norqain’s website.
