Traditionally, however, watchmakers offer one primary measurement by which you're ostensibly supposed to be able to get a sense of the watch's size and how it wears. They might even have a square dial aperture, but their cases will almost always be vertically longer than they are wide. Most watches casually referred to as "square" are, in fact, rectangular. But if you're familiar with evaluating watches based on their measurements, square watches break all the rules that typically apply to round watches. What gives a square or rectangular watch that timeless look on the wrist is the right proportions. (Just to avoid overload, we're giving the Apple Watch and the original G-Shock as well as other Casios or digital watches a mere honorable mention in this list - but only this time!) The Problem of Dimensions When Shopping for Square Watches Square watches are polarizing, but the number of icons within this watch category suggests that the form holds a basic appeal. Rather, watches like the Heuer Monaco were funky and sporty. But the 1960s and '70s saw all kinds of design experimentation and different watch shapes, including square and rectangular ones that didn't seem to reference earlier decades at all. To our modern eyes, they look hyper formal but they can also have a quality modern wearers increasingly seek: they're classic.Įventually, the round watch overtook the watchmaking landscape, obviously. Look through vintage bins at wristwatches from the century's first decades and you'll find a significant proportion are of this shape. A square or rectangular design helped distinguish them as something new and purposefully conceived.Ĭartier was instrumental in introducing and popularizing the wristwatch itself with the squarish designs of the Santos and Tank watches. But some of the very first men's watches specifically designed for the wrist were considered a new product category at the time (the early 20th century). The first watches worn on wrists (by men, at least) were round pocket watches, essentially modded. The History of Square and Rectangular Watches If you're drawn to this fundamental and yet simultaneously niche category of watches, here's what you need to know. But those that do pull off the right mix of design and proportions of a square watch offer a powerfully timeless appeal, whether they're of the dressy or sporty variety. The square or rectangular watch is an archetypal look - but, uncommon today, it makes for a deliberate and interesting choice among an ocean of round watches.įew watchmakers dare to even attempt it nowadays - and even fewer are successful. Either communicates the basic idea effectively and accurately. But what if it were squarish? You probably wouldn't give it a second thought. It might have a couple lines for the hands, a couple lines for the strap and a circle for the case.
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