This is the Identity Hebrew watch made by Tel Aviv, Israel based watch maker Itay Noy. Part of the Identity collection, this watch focuses on using Hebrew letters for the hour indicators. One thing you should know about Hebrew is that letters are also specifically assigned numeric values. As such, the hour indicators actually do indicate 1-12 on the numeric scale. The background of the dial has a special repeating pattern of star of David. A symbol that is featured on the Israeli flag. You can see in the middle dial the plate has been skeletonized. The star of Davids there are retained, but skeletonized – the overall look is good.
The dials are flat pieces of metal that underwent cutting via photolithography and then applied with a black enamel. This approach is Itay Noy’s preferred dial style, and he makes very good use of the medium. If you browse his collection you will find many ways the brand has played with this concept. As applied to the identity collection, Itay Noy plays with the concept of different types of numeric indicators from different cultures. The numerals are then mixed with a pattern made from images that are associated with the culture. The star of David makes sense with Hebrew letters, and likewise there are associate elements with other Identity pieces that have Japanese numerals, Roman numerals, and more traditional Arabic letter numerals (not Arabic numeric numbers that we are used to).
Itay Not uses most, but not all of the face for the watch dial itself. I would probably argue that the hands are too short, but in this instance they are not. This is because the actual watch dial fits the proportions of the hand, while the rest of the watch face is used for artistic purposes. The view of the movement in center of the dial is a nice, and welcome “horological” touch. Also on the dial is the number in the limited edition. At the bottom of the dial is a small panel where this is indicated.
For the Identity collection Itay Noy uses Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movements. They are done in the tone tone, and are kept clean looking. Itay Noy has a custom automatic rotor with the brand logo and some polishing. He does a good job at making the humble 2824 look pretty nice, and the lack of complex decor actually helps give it a clean modern feel. You’ll notice that clean, modern lines are a consistent feature of Itay Noy watches. The case is very clean, but also has a unique shape to it. The back of the case is free from text, and the entire watch has a really nice presentation and feel in your hands. I think you’ll agree that Itay Noy did a good job with this case, which is 42.4mm wide and in steel with a sapphire crystal (water resistant to 50 meters).
Sitting comfortably on the wrist, the watch is attached to a hand-made leather strap. Itay Noy literally acquires them leather themselves to make to the strap by hand. The straps are brown on the outside and black on the inside. The also have an interesting “indentation” in the leather to give it a more interesting look. The strap has a butterfly deployment clasp.
Being a boutique watch from Israel with a unique design does add value to the brand for me, but even if this was a mainstream watch, I still like the design and ideas behind the watches a lot. There is a subtle poetic message to Itay Noy’s creation. And artist and design at heart, he hasn’t neglected the necessities of watch making, and has been able to incorporate watch making and art together nicely. The Itay Noy Identity Hebrew limited edition watch retails for about $2,000.
