Nooka - History

History

Founded in December 2004 as somewhat of a side project, Waldman started Nooka as an opportunity to incorporate his graphic design skills in manufacturing a watch he designed for Seiko which had unfortunately been discontinued. Thus, the early Zoo model was born, and with the encouragement of fellow designers and his first client, the Museum of Modern Art, Waldman pursued Nooka designs as a full-time venture.

For Waldman the concept of Nooka began in London - "My inspiration was a memory. I was sitting in a hotel in London waiting for a client when i noticed a large clock on the wall. It somehow reminded me of the clock on the wall in first grade. This brought back the memory of being taught ‘how to tell time’. I then remembered being taught ‘how to tell time’ again in the fifth grade when digital clocks became popular. I thought if one has to be taught how to tell time, how intuitive is it really? surely there are other models, once learned, that can be as intuitive as what we are taught. That was my brainstorm. From that thought sprang forth a series of designs I now have patents for, of one which Seiko manufactured."

In 2009, James Gurney, editor of luxury horology magazine QP, stated "the renewed interest in digital watches is largely down to funky, New York-based watchmakers Nooka. Some of its models don't even have digits, just a row of lines and progress bars to denote the time. Tricky to read even when sober. 'If you aren't looking to spend money on a quality analogue watch, the digital market is really where it's at,' says Gurney."

Since its founding Nooka has earned recognition and awards in various areas dealing with fashion, design and sustainability. In 2010 the Zoo series and Zot series were inducted into the JIDA (Japan Industrial Designers' Association) Design Museum as part of the Vol. 12 Selection. And for their environmentally conscious "Origami Paper Pack" package design the company received first place in the 2012 Dieline Awards, for the category 'Books, Office & Art'.