There’s nothing unusual about a Swiss watch brand attaching itself to a major sports league. What is unusual is when it doesn’t feel forced. Norqain’s new multi-year partnership with the NHL, announced just ahead of the Global Series games in Stockholm, doesn’t land like a PR strategy. It feels like the continuation of a relationship that already existed, now formalized on paper.
The basics are clear. Norqain becomes the Official Luxury Sports Watch of the NHL. The deal includes international licensing rights and full branding access across the league’s 32 teams. In return, the brand gets global visibility across broadcasts, arenas, and events. On the surface, it’s a solid growth move for an independent watchmaker looking to expand in North America. But it’s not just about reach.
Norqain was built with hockey in the room. Mark Streit, the Swiss-born former NHL captain, helped found the company after retiring from the league. Two of today’s top players, Sidney Crosby and Roman Josi, are not just brand ambassadors. They’re investors. That kind of connection can’t be replicated with a sponsorship fee.
When Crosby’s Penguins play Josi’s Predators in Stockholm this weekend, it will be more than just two captains facing off. It will be two shareholders competing while representing a brand they’ve helped shape from within. To mark the occasion, Norqain will award a one-of-one 18-carat white gold watch to the Player of the Game after each match. Not available for sale. Not mass produced. Just a single watch for a single performance. That kind of gesture speaks louder than most product launches.
This move also gives Norqain something it’s been building toward. Deeper access to storytelling. The NHL is a league built on long seasons, quiet grit, and the kind of loyalty that doesn’t show up in stat sheets. Norqain’s brand language has always leaned into that same space. It’s not about flash. It’s about showing up, owning your time, and doing things on your terms. That’s more than branding. It’s alignment.
Of course, it’s also business. The NHL has loyal fans, strong TV coverage, and solid attendance numbers, particularly in the U.S. and Canada. Norqain has already built a foothold there. This deal should help widen that. A special NHL watch is expected next year, and if Norqain stays true to form, it will likely avoid the generic logo-on-a-dial trap. The brand tends to favor substance. Materials that serve a purpose. Movements that are built to last. Designs that feel considered.
If anything, this partnership reinforces what Norqain has always tried to do. Build a modern watch company with real roots. Not heritage borrowed from archives, but relationships built in the present, with people who wear the watch because they believe in it. That’s not marketing spin. It’s just good alignment.
And sometimes, that’s enough.
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