The original Nooka by Matthew Waldman for Seiko

Today's watch is the watch that began the Nooka watches.

This watch was designed by Matthew Waldman in 1997 with an "intuitive interface to tell time" using fractions and bars. The design was licenced by Seiko who released this watch (which was a variation on Matthews original design).

The watch has an LCD display split into several sections. The top line shows the hours in blocks (up to 12) and a pm markers. The main number display shows the minutes, with a small display for seconds.
Mode-wise, the watch has time, date and alarm. For the date, the bar shows months, the main display shows date, and the small display shows the day.

Unfortunately, according to Waldman in a 2004 interview on the Wristfashion blog (link), Seiko never marketed the design (no ads, no events), and made it from a steel that couldn't be exported to Europe (which should have been the biggest market). This meant they didn't sell too many units, and the watch production stopped (2003). Waldman then ceased the licence agreement, and the Nooka range was started (2005). The Seiko Nooka is similar to the Nooka Zoo which has the hours and minutes switched.

The watch is designated the W524-4A00, and and this one was manufactured in 2002. The model number is STN001, and the strap part number is 3030-Z.C