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JLCman
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A visit in Itay Noy's studio in Jaffa

Two days ago I told you in another short thread what can happen when you like us meander though the streets of one of the oldest Harbour towns of the world - the 4000 years old center of Jaffa, or Jafo, as the Tel Avivi call it: Just by accident you may stop a a tiny studio, where an independent watchmaker does his work - Itay Noy.




So curious as we are we enter his small shop and workingplace in the souterrain of an old building close to the Uri Geller Museum to have a look at Itay’s magic...





As it seems Itay himself is absent, and one of his employees is talking with an Israelian couple. We take our chance to inspect the watch displays.

Almost everything we had found by checking the usual sources like ablogtowatch etc. is there: his ethnically inspired designs of the Identity series, the skeleton edition, a lot of unusual interpretations of his concept to show time in an unseen way. So is he a designer of watches or a “true” watchmaker? That’s not so easy to answer. Maybe a bit of both. His biography shows, that he has an arts background. Itay Noy graduated with a BFA from the Jewelry department in the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, followed by a M.Des. from the Design Academy in Eindhoven. His work has been exhibited in museums around the world and he won several prices. Since 2005 he lectures on timepiece making and design at the Bezalel Academy Of Art and Design in Jerusalem. He started his business in 2000 without knowing that his German grandfather had been a watchmaker himself. A nice coincidence?


In the meantime Noy’s attractive young employee finds time to answer our questions and to show us a few pieces. And yes, Itay gets his basic movement from Swiss sources. Each watch is assembled by hand. The dynamic modules, gears and complications some of his designs need, are developed, built and integrated in-house.






So not only his working space is that of a true watchmaker.


Especially the new 2019 collection named Reorder makes use of additional modules and gears. 12 digit shaped windows indicate the hours. They are scattered across the dial by a secret mathematical rule.







I have no idea how it may work: The hour switches softly to red, even at bigger distance to the following hour indicator. This series is limited to 24 pieces each - blue, gold, and white dial.


We had a look to a few other pieces, a date and a moon phase watch...






Also very interesting was a skeletal watch Itay has not yet in his catalogue.


The backside looks as good as the frontside.


As it seems Itay Noy is represented in several watchmaker bibles. His work may not be everybody’s darling. But at least he follows his own concept. Chapeau for a watchmaker who produces about 150 watches per year in the collector friendly four digit range and is able to make his living by it.


After a last look at the finish of his movements we leave...


...for a nice and typical lunch in a less known seafood restaurant in the old town of Jaffa.