INSIDER VIEW: Sign me up to NORQAIN’s chocolate factory
All I wanna do is have some fun.
The older I get, the more sage Sheryl Crow’s words feel to me. What is life if one can’t laugh and be puerile from time to time?
I’m no philosopher, but not taking life too seriously strikes me as a crucial ingredient in the recipe for happiness.
Enter stage left: NORQAIN.
For some time now this fledgling Swiss brand has been taking a different approach to the corporate seriousness of much of the Swiss watch industry. Frivolity — in. Seriousness — out.
It started with the brand’s ‘Enjoy Life’ campaign in the summer of last year, and the launch of the Freedom 60 Chrono ‘Ice Cream’ Special Edition, which featured pastel green, pink, and blue sub-dials on a white face.
Because why not put an ice cream on a watch? After all, what is a watch for if it’s not for putting a smile on the owner’s face?
NORQAIN has taken this emphasis on enjoyment further with the announcement yesterday of its Freedom GMT Enjoy Life ‘Holiday’ Limited Edition. This one features a vibrant turquoise, orange, and pink world map dial, replacing standard GMT hour markers with coffee cups and cocktail glasses.
But the crucial addition is the fact that it has hidden an actual Willy Wonka-style ‘Golden Ticket’ inside one of the 500 pieces, which will reward the lucky winner with a luxury trip to the Maldives.
What a simple and magnificent concept. Who doesn’t want to be Charlie Bucket or Violet Beauregarde or Augustus Gloop and gain access to the chocolate factory? Even the excitement of simply having a ticket in the lottery is enough to distract you from the routines and rituals of the daily grind.
NORQAIN is not reinventing the horological wheel, but what it is doing is underlining the importance of maintaining the most essential link possible with a shopper and their purchase — the dopamine hit of giddy excitement.
Other watch brands should take note. In challenging times, smiling may be all we have.
