Israel-based independent watchmaker Itay Noy has been balking at convention since he first established his brand in 2000 in Jaffa. Producing about 120 watches a year, the watchmaker seems to take joy in creating timepieces that convey the usual information in unusual ways. From the Time Quarters to the Part Time to the Reorder, Itay Noy has constantly surprised with innovative takes on time-telling. With the all-new Itay Noy Seven Day Cycle, offered in three versions, he reframes how we think about the weekday.
There are two English versions of the Seven Day Cycle. The first is the less traditional “Rest Day” dial, offered in blue or white, that offers the days written out in ordinals rather than their proper names, with “Rest Day” at the top. The days are cut out of the top dial layer, with a white wheel (blue for the blue dial) rotating underneath and highlighting the current day in red. Itay Noy quotes Genesis 2:2 (“…and he rested on the seventh day…”) as inspiration, and goes further to state that the watch can be used for any faith, as the owner gets to choose what day serves as the rest day. But I think there’s broader appeal—what about someone on a diet or someone on a workout regimen?
The other dial is a more traditional day-date display, with a segmented dial and the English day abbreviations. It’s also offered in blue or white, still with red day highlighting. These versions also have a small date display (also in red) at 6 o’clock. All the models feature a slim elongated teardrop handset that was previously used on Itay Noy’s Fractal watch, with a long red seconds hand conveying a minimalist style in its lack of counterbalance.
While the English-language dials may have broader appeal, I think the black Hebrew dial is the headline act here. The watch features a repeating Star of David motif throughout, save for the day track, rendered in black with a white plate rotating to indicate the day (the text is the same as the Rest Day dial), plus a Hebrew date wheel. Certainly a bit busier, but I’d argue it’s intricate rather than cluttered, and it demonstrates more fully what I believe to be the original faith-based intent of the watch.
The case of the Seven Day Cycle is what I’d describe as Itay Noy’s signature design. In stainless steel and 40mm across, the three-part case is made to stand out with its screw housings that protrude from the typical circle form as if extruded. Those screws, of course, hold the case together, and their symmetry yields a 4:30 crown (though this is a common feature on almost all Itay Noy timepieces). The case is brushed throughout and has 50m of water resistance and a sapphire crystal which brings the thickness to a modest 10.4mm. With angled scroll-style lugs and a hand-made leather strap with embossed ribbing, the case looks like it will wear quite nicely.
The Itay Noy Seven Day Cycle runs on the automatic Itay Noy IN.S200, based on a Swiss Sellita SW240 day-date caliber. This 26-jewel caliber isn’t nearly as common as the SW200/300 or the SW500 series but should provide just as reliable timekeeping, with a beat rate of 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 38 hours (Sellita quotes 41 hours, but Itay Noy says 38, so there may be some modifications that affect the power reserve). In any case, the movement is put on display through a sapphire crystal, allowing you to see the top-notch decoration.
I think Itay Noy has made a smart play here. He’s created a display informed by faith, but in offering three variants has ensured the watch can be appreciated by anyone, especially with the more traditional day-date display for those who are more interested in the general Itay Noy design ethos. It’s difficult to strike the balance between unique design, unique function, and broad appeal, but I think these watches do that almost perfectly. The Itay Noy Seven-Day Cycle is priced at $4,900 USD and limited to 77 pieces. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
