The Ultimate Birthday Celebration: Stan Wawrinka Rings in a New Decade with a Norqain Collab

We live in a world that largely values youth over the wisdom gained with age. This is particularly true in physical areas like sports, where your 40s or even 30s can be considered, quote, too old. However, if you look closely, midlife is really the peak when people catch their stride.

I’ll go ahead and out myself – I firmly fall into the “ish” category of Watchonista’s 30 Under 30(ish) list. I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t get in my head a bit. I wondered, am I, quote, too old to be celebrated? So, when I had the opportunity to sit down with an athlete who’s proudly celebrating his 40th birthday with a co-designed commemorative watch, I jumped at the chance.

Stan Wawrinka isn’t just a tennis legend among the Swiss – his reach spans worldwide. The Olympic gold medalist and three-time Grand Slam title holder has been a longtime fan favorite on and off the court. Speaking of fandom, Wawrinka found himself captivated by the brand Norqain.

Back in 2023, he slid into the brand’s DMs on Instagram, commenting on his affinity for the widely beloved turquoise Wild ONE. This simple message opened the door for a conversation with Norqain’s founder, Ben Küffer.
 

From there, the two developed a friendship, bonding over their mutual passion within their respective industries and their abilities to challenge the norms. “Early on, it was clear we shared the same values,” confirms Küffer, “there was natural synergy between us.” This ultimately led to the creation of a collaborative timepiece and Wawrinka joining Norqain as an official business partner.
 

“When I met Ben, I really appreciated his mindset and the spirit of Norqain,” Wawrinka shares. “As my career has progressed, I’m always thinking about what’s next, and investing in brands felt like a natural next step.”
 

Thus, from that simple social media exchange, the stars aligned for Wawrinka to get involved beyond the mainstream role of brand ambassador and as a true member of the Norqain family.

In typical Norqain fashion, the new limited edition Wild ONE Skeleton Stan The Man is a 360-degree canvas for material innovation thanks to a powerhouse trifecta of creative genius between Küffer, Wawrinka, and Norqain’s longstanding partner in material development, Biwi.
 

The bracelet or strap of a watch can often play second fiddle to the dial or movement. However, with this model, the strap is certainly not an afterthought; it’s the star of the show.
 

“There's no other rubber bracelet on the market quite like it,” emphasizes Pascal Bourquard Jr., the third-generation leader and CEO of Biwi. “It’s a brand-new protected process, launched as a world first, which enables us to have a vulcanized gradient rubber strap covered with a highly technical texture, also vulcanized.

The material play doesn’t end there. Make your way to the case, and you’ll find the signature Norqain nameplate on the left side. Here, the detail has not just been color-matched to that instantly recognizable hue of a tennis ball – it actually contains tennis ball fibers, another world first.
 

“When we first started working together, I knew we would create something special, but I certainly didn’t think it was possible to make a watch that was such a reflection of who I am,” Wawrinka confesses. “It’s perfect on the court – lightweight, shock resistant – but the fact that it actually contains tennis ball fibers, that level of detail is so meaningful to me.” Let’s get down to that shock resistance
 

So often, we see athletes on the court or on the green swinging racquets or clubs with a four, five, or six-figure watch strapped to their wrist. Nine times out of ten, no watchmaker or regular collector would recommend this. The average watch is not made to withstand the impact of thousands of G-forces, but, thanks to Biwi, the Wild ONE Skeleton Stan The Man Limited Edition is.

In 2022, Norqain and its partner Biwi forever changed the watchmaking landscape with the introduction of Norteq, a proprietary carbon material that has become a trademark element of the Wild ONE’s case design. This, along with rubber integrated into the case, acts like a suspension to absorb shocks
 

“I can even say this watch withstands much more than 5,000 Gs, the ISO 1413 standard,” confirms Bourquard Jr.

The Wild ONE Skeleton Stan The Man Limited Edition has just been unveiled this evening at an exceptional 40th birthday party for Wawrinka held in New York City at Bucherer Time Machine in the heart of Manhattan. Fittingly, the limited edition is produced in just 85 pieces in honor of Wawrinka’s birth year, 1985.

The model is presented in a bespoke watch box shaped like a tennis ball alongside a tennis ball individually signed by Stan himself, a visual of Stan wearing the watch, and a commemorative plate recording the dates of the player’s three Grand Slam victories.
 

Priced at just $6,990, this watch sits firmly in Norqain’s lineup of wildly accessible watches, especially given the level of technical innovation and genuine heart and soul poured into the designs. Run, don’t walk, to snag one of these 85 beauties.

For more information, check out Norqain’s website.