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That is so impressive. How did the collaboration with Jean- Claude Biver come about, and what key learnings have you gained fromworking with him? During Covid, I received a phone call from a mutual contact of Jean-Claude Biver, who I hadn’t personally known at the time, mentioning that Mr. Biver would like to visit us at the NORQAIN HQ in Nidau, Switzerland. Of course, I was very honoured that he showed interest in our brand. During our meeting at the NORQAIN office he mentioned being impressed by the core collection and what the brand has been doing so far, but that the next step would need to be innovation, that it was up to the next generation to create the ultimate high-performance sports watch aligned with our sporty and adventurous DNA. And the rest is history! It was incredibly inspiring being able to work alongside Jean-Claude Biver. We respect each other’s opinions and share a passion for innovation and the watch industry. It feels like we have been working together for decades and I am grateful for his valued contributions to the brand. How did the partnership with Kenissi for manufacture calibre movements impact NORQAIN’s watchmaking capabilities? Through our partnership with Kenissi, we are able to offer our customers chronometer-certified products with a weekend-proof 70-hour power reserve, underlining our commitment to offering our customers top quality timepieces. We currently have a 3-hand movement as well as true jumping hour GMT movement. We are excited to be working on future products with their team. What are some of themost exciting novelties, innovations, or developments in store for NORQAIN? 2023 was a great year for us because we managed to take the innovation of the Wild ONE that we launched in 2022 with the NORTEQ® material to the next level. We went for new skeletonised designs making the ultra-light Wild ONE even lighter from 84g to 78g and we added flashy colours to the collection such as Turquoise and Burgundy and Gold, compared to more conventional colours used so far. We were able to underline the versatility of the Wild ONE collection with all the exciting variations we are able to create on the basis of one model. The Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise was a great success and we are extremely grateful for all the positive feedback received. We also added two new additions to our NEVEREST Glacier collection. Based on the best-selling NEVEREST Glacier we created black and grey variations with the golden cracks inspired by the crevasses of Khumbu Icefall, the most challenging part on the climb to Mount Everest. And last but not least, we launched the first Wild ONE fusing solid 18ct gold and our NORTEQ technology to deliver a high-performance, shock- resistant luxury sports watch: the Wild ONE Gold. Can you elaborate on your collaborations with individuals like Dean Schneider and the goals associated with these partnerships? Our NORQAINERS all have a unique story and what they have in common is their “my life, my way” spirit which they fully embody. Dean Schneider is a perfect example of the NORQAINER spirit: after quitting his job in finance he moved to South Africa where he created a wildlife oasis taking care of wild animals such as lions, with which he has been able to create an incredible bond over the years. Our main goal is to inspire people and have a positive impact. For example, with the Wild ONE Hakuna Mipaka Limited Edition watch we are able to combine innovation, inspiration and positive impact. The Wild ONE with its revolutionary case construction was the result of innovation driven by Jean-Claude Biver, we are able to able to inspire the NORQAINER community by sharing Dean’s story, and we are able to make a positive impact by supporting the Hakuna Mipaka oasis with 10% of the proceeds of the Special Edition timepiece. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals for NORQAIN? For NORQAIN it will be very important to continue with the development of the brand and expand to more markets. That’s for sure one part of it, but the second part is to keep the NORQAIN Spirit in the company. Especially with the brand growing and teams getting bigger globally, I would like to ensure that our teams continue to be creative and innovative, and that everyone has a voice. We now have 70 employees globally and I would like to keep the young and dynamic spirit alive as we grow. We are thus investing a lot of energy in our people and will continue to do so to ensure people are happy and proud to be working at NORQAIN. On the product side, we want to continue to innovate, challenge the status quo, and do the unexpected. How does NORQAIN plan to expand its community of enthusiasts and brand ambassadors? We are very grateful for the growing NORQAIN community around the world. It’s really about getting in front of the people, so they are able to get a hands- on feel for the products and hear us talk about the NORQAIN story and vision. The growing teams have enabled us to host more and more local events, which is an important way for us to connect with the community. We love face-to-face encounters with the community, and events have played an important role in enabling this. What distinguishes NORQAIN watches from other luxury watchbrandsintermsofcraftsmanshipanddesign? Each of our collections represents a different take on a sports watch and features unique design elements, such as our revolutionary case construction and our proprietary NORTEQ® material in the Wild ONE collection, distinctive NORQAIN pattern dial in the Adventure collection, or the modern twist on a vintage sports watch in the Freedom collection. Our customers appreciate all the watches being adventure ready and that they can be worn with an active lifestyle. The Wild ONE collection is tested up to 5000g and is thus a great companion for high-impact sports such as tennis, golf, or mountain biking. 190 | Simply Abu Dhabi