The minimalist smartwatch gets a thoughtful update with Norm 2

Norm 2 has landed on Kickstarter with a focus on doing less, but doing it well. It’s a smartwatch with a clean, classic design and a screen that stays hidden until you actually need it. The idea is to give you useful features without adding more noise to your day.

Now this isn’t the first time the company has gone down this path. The original Norm watch shipped to over 1,600 backers and made a name for itself by avoiding the usual flashy smartwatch design. That was back in 2022. This second version builds on that same thinking, but adds more polish, new features, and a few quiet upgrades based on two years of feedback.

This is what has changed

The company has taken its time with the follow-up, which is probably a good sign. The Norm 2 doesn’t shout about being a smartwatch. That’s still the core idea. Instead of big bezels and animated dials, you get a hidden screen that only comes to life when you need it.

The display now covers the entire watch face, minus the outer ring. It remains invisible until activated, preserving the feel of a mechanical timepiece. When it lights up, it offers enough interaction such as message previews, live weather, sports data, and music control. But without tipping into smartwatch overload.

Two new color options are in play, Rose and Stainless Steel. Both are cut from premium materials, and the overall construction hasn’t changed much: 316L stainless steel, sapphire glass, and now a strap made from bio-based leather created from apple by-products.

Practicality, not performance

Most smartwatches lean on high specs or sensors. Norm 2 is more about getting the basics right and offering control where it matters. There’s a new app built specifically for this model, and it’s handling more tasks than before. Notifications can be filtered and sorted into folders. The watch keeps tabs on activity, heart rate, and sleep, and it now includes a breathing/mindfulness feature.

You can flick through messages, emails, and missed calls. There’s support for Google Fit and Apple Health. Basic things like brightness and vibration can be tweaked right from the watch, and there’s a phone finder feature built into the quick settings.

Battery life is split across two modes. In full-display mode you can expect around three days. With just the mechanical hands, the thing can keep going for up to 3 months. The hands can even auto-calibrate themselves when you switch time zones.

A quiet iteration

Norm 2 doesn’t chase trends. There’s no LTE, voice assistant, or contactless payments. No flashy OS trying to do too much. Instead, the focus stays on making the watch feel like an elegant analog device, with just enough digital functionality tucked away when you want it.

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This won’t appeal to someone looking for a wrist-based command center. It’s for those who just want a good-looking timepiece that subtly extends a smartphone’s reach.

The Kickstarter is now live, with production already lined up. If everything goes as it did last time, Norm backers should get what they paid for, when they expect it.

Price: €400 (10% off the expected retail price)

Raised: €143,590 of €10,000 goal

Estimated delivery: June 2025
38 days to go

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