Nooka Watches Review – Outrageous and Affordable
If you’re a fan of traditional styling and have an established idea of what a watch should look like and how it should work, you might be taken aback when you encounter Nooka watches. To describe their styling as outrageous would be to sell them short; there’s really nothing on the market that even vaguely resembles Nooka watches when it comes to design.
Founded by Matthew Waldman in 2005, the brand strives to create memorable timepieces that are thought to be intuitive to use; you shouldn’t even need to be able to tell time in order to use them. Of course, that means that you aren’t likely to encounter the normal arrangement of hands and numbers on the face, and in fact, many models don’t have anything on the face that one would ordinarily associate with a watch at all.
On the other hand, the timepieces are colorful, with odd shapes, unusual displays and very attractive pricing. If you’re looking for something unusual, you should definitely consider giving these interesting watches a look.
Read on for the full Nooka watches review.
Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary
Nooka Watches Build Quality
It’s hard to evaluate the build quality, as they’re simply unlike anything else on the market. Their cases are mostly plastic and rubber, with some steel components. Water resistance is modest but effective; most models are rated at 30 to 50 meters or so. The faces are protected with mineral crystal. We wouldn’t describe them as having the highest build quality, but then again, they’re quite inexpensive.
All of the models offered in the product line feature quartz electronic movements, and nearly all of them also feature some sort of digital display. That display may consist of the normal digits that one might expect to see on a digital watch, or they might consist of a series of bars or dots or just about anything other than numbers.
When it comes to displays, these timepieces are unlike anything else on the market. They do, however, offer a few models with analog displays, but they’re few and far between in the company’s product line.
The innovation of Nooka watches comes from their displays, which are often missing the traditional hands or numbers that one would ordinarily expect to find on a watch face. You might see them, or not, depending on the model and a few of their designs are so unusual that you might not even think of them as a timepiece and might instead mistake them for some sort of training device. If you’re looking for the truly odd design, you’ve found it here.
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Big faces, odd shaped cases, unusual displays, and bold, bright colors are the hallmarks of Nooka watches, which are intentionally designed not to look like any wristwatch you’ve ever seen. Most models seem to be unisex, and as the designs are so unusual, we’re not sure how one would identify a particular model as being for either men or women, anyway.
These watches are designed for people who really want to attract attention and if you wear one, you will, since some of the models in the product line aren’t even recognizable as wristwatches.
The care and maintenance is minimal; they all have highly reliable electronic quartz movements, so aside from replacing the battery every two years or so, you shouldn’t have too many concerns regarding maintenance. The usual warnings about storage apply; you should keep your watch away from extremes of temperature or strong magnetic fields, as these can damage the movement.
The warranty is quite possibly the worst warranty we’ve seen among any watches we’ve reviewed; the company warrants their products for a mere 90 days from the date of purchase against defects in materials and craftsmanship.
Given that the industry standard is two years, and some companies who make low-priced watches, such as Skagen, offer lifetime warranties, we think this warranty is on the weak side. That said, most defects should be apparent soon after purchase. Just be sure that you act promptly if you buy one and find that it isn’t working correctly.
As designer watches go, you’ll find that this brand is quite affordable. Models start at well under $100 and top out at about $395 or so, making them among the more affordable designer timepieces on the market. There’s not a lot of collector interest in the brand as of yet, as they’re all electronic models and the collectors prefer mechanical models as well as those from older, more well established companies.
We don’t expect to see these watches appreciating in price anytime soon, but we’ve been surprised before. On the other hand, these are very affordable wristwatches, so if you like them you may be tempted to buy more than one.
You can find the brand for sale at a number of brick and mortar retailers, including department stores and a few jewelry stores. You can also find them for sale on the Internet, and that will probably offer you the best opportunity to buy at a discount. The product line is huge, with several hundred models and variations, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see everything for sale at one store. That said, most retailers should have a good representative sample for sale.
Nooka Watches Summary
We’ll admit to having mixed feelings about Nooka watches. They’re truly unusual and if you like the bizarre and outrageous, they’re going to be right up your alley. They’re all quartz-powered, and some of the displays are just downright strange. They do offer a nice mix of styles and colors, and their pricing is hard to beat.
On the downside, their warranty is just this side of terrible. Then again, as you can find some of their models for sale for less than $50, the warranty may not be that much of an issue for you. We’ll say this – Nooka watches are unlike anything else on the market. If that appeals to you, then you should give them a look.