Israeli watchmaker Itay Noy presents these two new Hyper Scape collection watches for 2013. The Hyper Scape collection includes the Hyper Cityscape and Landscape watches, each in positive or negative color tones – that roughly translate into being a day and night feel for the look. The watches further contain a new movement used for the boutique brand, as well as a brand new case design.
This is the first square-style case for the brand and it looks very lovely in brushed steel with those rounded corners. The case is a perfect square being 42.4mm wide and tall. It isn’t too thick at 11.6mm. Of course there is a sapphire crystal over the dial as well as for the exhibition case back window. Water resistance is 50 feet, which is understandable given that water resistance in watches with non-round sapphire crystals is difficult.
The soft feel of the case mixed with the lugless style makes the Hyper Scape look like a frame for the dial. Which is perhaps why the dials are so much like pictures versus traditional watch dials. In his typical clean, graphic design style, the dials are either scenes from the middle of a city or in nature. Going deeper, you’ll notice that the scenes attempt to be the same thing, but from either the civil or social perspective. You have the real mountains or the man-made mountains (skyscrapers), a real field or an open road, and a real bird or an airplane. The concept is cute, and poetic. Very much in Itay Noy’s style.
On the rear of the watch you see a really lovely custom automatic rotor from Itay Noy as seen through the case back window. This is a nice, and unexpected detail. It is also a form of “mystery” rotor, where the weighted part is out of view. Attached to the Hyper Scape cases are black or brown rubber straps, as well as optional hand-stitched leather straps. Brown rubber straps are a rare option and I like the under-side texture (non-slip!).
Itay Noy always does a great job of making the best use of a design. From just two dial designs you get four watches. The day/night variations are an interesting, and inherently marketable design trick. I probably like the night time nature scene the most. The scenes are actually quite beautiful in that modern, graphic design sort of way. This isn’t fine art, but it is a form of art you don’t see all that often on watch dials. As limited editions, it is interesting to see the limited edition unique numbers right on the dial.
Inside the Hyper Scape watches, Itay Noy uses movements from Swiss TechnoTime. In this case, it is the automatic caliber TT651-24H. This mechanical movement has the time, second smaller time zone above 6 o’clock, a day/night indicator (which is especially nice given the theme of the collection), and a big date indicator window. Power reserve is about 42 hours and it operates at 28,800 vph. Each of the four Itay Noy Hyper Scape Landscape and Cityscape watches will be part of a limited edition of just 24 pieces. Price is $6,900. itay-noy.com