HODINKEE Podcasts The Business of Watches [013] Norqain CEO Ben Küffer On The NHL Partnership And The Challenge Of Standing Out In A Crowded Market
On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we head to Nidau, Switzerland, where we sit down with Ben Küffer, the young Chief Executive Officer of family-owned watch brand Norqain. It's a frank discussion of the challenges of starting a brand and creating a signature watch–the Norqain Wild One–at a time when the industry is crowded with competitors, and it's tough to stand out. We focus on Norqain's unique strategy of recruiting former and current professional athletes as not only brand representatives, but also investors and executives. The big news is Norqain's deal to be the official luxury timepiece of the National Hockey League, an agreement guided by former NHLer and Norqain co-founder Mark Streit with some help from superstar and company investor Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
We also discuss the surprise success of Norqain's 'Enjoy Life' Freedom 60 chronograph that struck a chord with consumers with its ice cream-themed colors and endorsement by Mark Wahlberg to become the brand's top-selling watch. Despite that success, and perhaps in a bid to play the scarcity card, Norqain now says it plans to discontinue the model, at least for now.
But first, we're joined by TanTan Wang, who is back from Colorado, and some quality time with Oris's new Big Crown Pointer Date 'Bullseye.' We also talk about the recent headlines in the watch world, including the proposed sale of Richemont's Baume & Mercier to Italy's Damiani Group, as well as Omega's very commercial 300M diver, which it is launching for the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Show Notes
1:57 Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bullseye
3:15 TanTan's essay and the fight against watch snobbery
3:47 Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier
5:43 Omega Releases A White Ceramic Seamaster 300M For Milano Cortina 2026
9:40 Norqain 10:22 Mark Streit
12:03 Sidney Crosby Partners With Watch Company Founded By Former NHLers (ESPN)
18:00 Talking Watches With Jean-Claude Biver
19:55 Norqain Wild One
20:25 BIWI SA
26:00 Hands-On with the Norqain Wild One (Fratello)
30:40 Hands-On With the Norqain Freedom 60 40mm Enjoy Life (Fratello)
35:55 Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm
37:31 Swiss watch export statistics
39:44 Swiss watch industry employment
45:00 Stan Wawrinka
51:30 Norqain world and values