Nooka

Brand Overview

Nooka is a New York-based design company specializing in stylized, design-savvy wristwear with unique and unconventional displays. The word "Nooka" is the ancient Amararunk'thuh word meaning "future is now." The brand name has also been described as a contraction of "New Yorker" as pronounced with a native New York accent, as well as the first part of "New York" and the last part of "Osaka," expressing the global aesthetic of the brand vision.

Brand History

Nooka was founded by designer Matthew Waldman in 1997. In the early evolution of the brand, Waldman had experienced a flash-back to a first grade math class while staring at a wall clock in a London hotel. He was struck by how few options there were for time display, and this realization led to early sketches for Nooka prototypes. Waldman returned home to New York and began the process of registering a patent, which was later awarded for the original Nooka designs.

The linear and graphic representation of time in Nooka watches is intended to present a more intuitive way to view time. The visual mass increases as time passes, giving weight to an ephemeral and abstract concept. Once you're used to the new visual paradigm, the theory goes, you may never go back to standard analog and digital time displays for your wrist.

Initially licensed to Seiko in 1999, the Nooka Zoo enjoyed critical acclaim in the select markets it was released. Berrymatch now produces the line more truthful to Matthew's original vision. Nooka is included in the Museum of Modern Art shops in New York and selected as finalist in the Genart awards for the accessories category for 2005.