Not all superyacht-owning billionaires dream of sailing the seven seas onboard a vessel dripping in gold, marble, crystals, and precious stones. Some would rather do it on a brutalist, military-inspired superyacht that seems ready for war at any given moment and which is, because of this, instantly recognizable.
Charles Simonyi is believed to be one such billionaire. The Hungarian-American businessman, who made his fortune developing several products for Microsoft, is said to be the owner of one of the most recent builds from luxury shipyard Lurssen: the 90-meter (295-foot) Norn, also known as Project 1601. Norn is not only among the industry's most secretive builds, but it's also a vessel that immediately attracts attention for its very unlikely design.
Put differently, Norn looks like a battleship. In a virtual sea of white superyachts with sinuous lines and stacked superstructures, Norn looks like a brute about to kick some serious butt. But in the most professional manner.
It's painted a dull shade of matte gray and features very sharp lines and even sharper corners in contrast with expansive glazing and an aggressive silhouette with emphasis on mightiness, to the obvious disadvantage of the classic understanding of the term "elegant” in naval design. Norn also bears more than a striking semblance to Skat, another Lurssen build delivered in 2001. Simonyi actively took part in the design, so it ended up being a fully custom superyacht that he kept until 2001.
Trade publications believe that Norn is Simonyi's upgrade for Skat, so it features the same brutalist, minimalist styling but on a larger and more luxurious platform. Completed in February 2023 and delivered to the owner after sea trials in May 2023, Norn sailed into London this week, anchoring in front of Tower Bridge. This has allowed local superyacht watchers and photographers to get a better look at the secretive vessel – and even at some of the luxury features available onboard.
Though much of the exterior furniture was covered, it's clear that Norn features two exterior pools, with the bigger one located aft. It features adjustable depth, which means it can be emptied within seconds and repurposed as a dancefloor or maybe a smaller sports arena. It also features a large helipad on the upper deck, which was occupied by an Airbus Helicopters EC135 as it sailed into London, further adding to the air of competence and aggressiveness coming from the vessel.
Norn comes with an estimated price tag of $250 million. The interior is by Dölker + Voges but has not been shown to the public as of the time of press. Simonyi did show the inside of Skat on a couple of occasions after taking delivery, so maybe the time will come when he feels like doing the same with Norn. Until then, we can only admire it from afar.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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