(This has nothing to do with video games, but when I break news, I want someone to read it.)
One of the random images to appear on watchmaker Nooka's Japan Web site is of a man, naked, at least from the waist-up, wearing a watch never before seen by the public.
The watch has a white, especially horizontal face not centered on its white strap. 12 dots in a circle, presumably representing hours, are in the upper-left corner of the face. The Nooka logo is to the right of the circle of dots. A horizontal bar, likely for minutes, is on the bottom, centered. Three more dots; probably a.m., p.m. and alarm; are just above the right side of the bar and directly below the logo. This watch does not appear to display seconds, unlike all other Nooka watches.
This watch has not yet been announced. It does not appear on Nooka's English-language Web site, nor on Web sites that sell or cover timepieces.
Zirc: unannounced, currently unavailable watch from Nooka
Additionally, Internet-based furniture retailer 2Modern is now selling Nooka's fall 2005 line of leather-strapped digital watches (Zot V2, Zoo V2, Zen V, Zen H) with blue or gray faces and matching leather straps. These watches do not appear to be available in these colors elsewhere.
Zot V2 watch in blue
Nooka has not yet responded to a request for a comment.
Nooka, founded in 2005 by designer Matthew Waldman, specializes in digital watches that display time in non-traditional ways, often using dots or bars. Prior to Nooka the company, Waldman collaborated with Seiko to produce a watch called Nooka, which is similar in appearance to Nooka the company's Zoo line of watches.
[UPDATE] Nooka estimates that the new watches will be added to its English-language Web site by the end of the week and start shipping next week. The company does not make it clear whether this applies to the blue and gray versions of its already known watches, the unannounced watch on its Japan Web site or both.
[UPDATE 2] The unannounced watch is named Zirc. It will be available in late November or early December.