Known for its sporty and youthful designs, Norqain is entering the Turkish market. We spoke with Vice President Tobias Küffer about the brand’s journey and latest novelties.
Writing about a watch has always been about far more than its movement, case material, or dial design. When worn on the wrist, a watch opens the door to countless emotions, through the feeling it evokes and the story it carries. For a watch editor, few things are as enjoyable as exploring a timepiece in depth, except perhaps engaging in long, passionate conversations about horology. Our meeting with Tobias Küffer, Vice President of NORQAIN, a brand newly entering the Turkish market, quickly turned into one of those conversations. Behind this young and dynamic brand stands a team as passionate and energetic as Küffer himself. As we listened to him share NORQAIN’s story and innovations, we also gathered insights from Mustafa Eliaçık, Founder and Chairman of Şark Saat, the company bringing NORQAIN to Türkiye.
Let’s begin with your story, how did your journey with watches start?
Tobias Küffer: My brother and I represent the third generation of a watchmaking family. Our grandfather was a watchmaker, and our father spent nearly 45 years in luxury watch manufacturing. We were always surrounded by watches. My childhood was shaped by both horology and sports, especially football. At the age of 14, my brother and I began working at our father’s watch factory during holidays to earn some pocket money, that’s when our passion for mechanical watches truly began. My brother was at Breitling for 12 years before founding NORQAIN, while I interned at Hermès and worked at Louis Erard, among others. Eventually, we both continued our journey with NORQAIN.
