If you're a watch fan, and spend a lot of time perusing the best watches on the market, you're probably familiar with a few brand names. Rolex, Tudor, Omega, Breitling. Maybe even higher tier brands like Audemars Piguet and Patek Phillippe. The list – much like some of their price tags – is near endless.
Those brands all rely quite heavily on their heritage. Sure, they still make fantastic timepieces, but the brand association makes them an easy target. You probably saw a Rolex before you saw any other watch, so owning one instantly feels like a meaningful thing.
But is it possible for brands without that heritage to still make an impact? Well, just maybe. Enter the Norqain Neverest Glacier. The brand was only founded in 2018, but already they're making quite a splash in Swiss watch circles. Let's dive into this and find out why.
Lets start with some specs. The Neverest Glacier uses a 40mm case diameter, and sits just 12.55mm thick. That makes for a really good wearing experience. I've got fairly small wrists, but never had any issues with this feeling too big.
That's helped out with a lug-to-lug measurement of 48.3mm. Elsewhere you'll find 200m of water resistance and a 20mm lug width.
The case and bracelet are both milled from 316L stainless steel. That bracelet utilises a three-link design, with a micro-adjustment nestled in the clasp. That offers around 10mm of adjustment, and is effortless to use on the fly.
But let's not skirt around it anymore – the big selling point is that dial. And what a dial it is! It's beautifully textured, with flecks of gold among the ridges and troughs. The design is said to mimic the Khumbu Icefall – widely considered to be the most treacherous part of an Everest climb.
That's dressed with indices and hands adorned with red gold plating and X1 SuperLumiNova for glow in the dark goodness. The Norqain logo is found at the 12 o'clock position, with text at 6 o'clock denoting the 200m water resistance rating and the chronometer certification of the movement.
Speaking of the movement, that's a Kenissi-manufactured calibre, produced specifically for Norqain. It's a 4Hz movement, meaning you'll get a lovely smooth sweep on the seconds hand, and a 70-hour power reserve should keep things ticking away nicely.
You can get a good look at it, too. That's thanks to a display case back, which is sapphire. The top crystal is as well, though that one is double domed.
What is the Norqain Neverest Glacier like to wear?
After wearing this watch for the last week, I have to say I'm hooked. It's such a comfortable timepiece to wear, in a way that I really didn't expect. The Neverest Glacier is a heavy watch – it dwarfs my daily wear, which I adore for its chunky feel – but it never feels like too much. I think it's fairer to dub it "reassuringly weighty" than anything else – even if my first impression was more "did this thing start life as the anchor on the Titanic?"
Then there's the movement. I didn't bother to check for any time drift because it honestly wasn't necessary. It's a chronometer-grade movement, and that ensures a fantastic level of accuracy – far more than anyone really needs to be concerned about.
For the sake of this review, though, I have just had a look. After a week of use, it's running about 15 seconds ahead. That's insanely good accuracy, and should be completely imperceptible in regular use. Top marks, Norqain!
As mentioned above, though, the dial is the standout here. It is – without any shadow of a doubt – the best looking dial I've ever seen. There's so much going on, but it never feels cluttered. It's the perfect balance of intrigue and functionality.
But more than that, it's much more interesting than pretty much anything you'll find on the market. Look, this is a dive watch, and it wouldn't be a dive watch review if we didn't namedrop the Rolex Submariner. But in this case, it's a good comparison.
That model is unquestionably the most definitive dive watch of all time. Online forums are chock full of people with black dial Submariners or one of the many lookalikes it has spawned since. That's great if that's your bag, but I can't see a world in which I'd choose it over this. There's much more to be interested in on this watch.
Of course, as a diver, it also has some pretty mean water resistance credentials. No, I didn't go out diving with it. I'm sure you won't either. But with a hardy screw-down crown, I'd be confident it was capable of standing up to the challenge.
My one and only gripe with this is the dive bezel. It's got a knurled finish, but it's far from grippy. It's not the worst I've used, but it's certainly not as easy to use as others on the market.
Is the Norqain Neverest Glacier worth the money?
So lets get down to brass tacks. The Norqain Neverest Glacier is going to set you back £3,450 in the UK. That's not small change for most people, which means it's even more crucial to ensure you make the right choice.
I honestly think this is worth every penny, though. It's firmly in the same kind of bracket as the Tudor Black Bay, which is probably the most notable competitor the Glacier has. The two both use Kennisi movements, and feature similar specs in other areas, too.
But I can't imagine – beyond heritage or nearly-Rolex kudos – why you'd take a Tudor over this. There's basically nothing to separate them on paper, but the dial alone should make the Norqain a more convincing option.
I'm well aware that most people won't be in the same boat on that, though. Tudor remains immensely popular, and it's deserved. But if you're in the market for that sort of watch, you should absolutely be checking out the Norqain too. You might just find yourself a lesser-known gem.
