Are you ready to leave your mark in the world of watches, in the hegemony of round cases, with the straight, angular character of rectangular watches?
A circle is the best geometric shape to symbolize time's never-ending cycle. The non-stop rotation of the hour, minute, and second hands express an endless eternity standing at a different angle at every moment. Let the philosophy part aside, a circle is also the best shape in terms of functionality in symbolizing the expressions about time. On the other hand, people want novelty, difference, and extraordinary. Until a few years ago, I had a deep belief that I could not be interested in any watch other than the round form. I don't know how I fell in love with angular designs.
While trying to find the grounds for this situation, a thought came to my mind. As a result of both my evolving tastes and the dictates of the manufacturers to watch enthusiasts over the years, I now like smaller watches. Of course, I also try not to choose models that look like coins on my wrist. When specifying the dimensions of the watch cases, mostly the width information is given, excluding the crown. Some manufacturers include the length value, which I think is more important than the width, among the technical features. With a simple geometric calculation, if we assume that the width and height values of round-shaped cases are close to each other, we can reach the area occupied by the watch on the wrist. For example, a 40mm diameter circle, which became more like an industry standard, occupies approximately 12.5cm2 on the wrist. Let's add four lugs of 1 cm2 each to this number, and we end up with a 16.5 cm2 area. Unlike a round watch with a diameter of 40mm, we have width and length values in rectangular forms. For example, the Cartier Tank XL model, which looks quite large on the wrist, occupies an area of approximately 12.7 cm2 with its 41mm height and 31mm width dimensions. With these figures in mind, can we say that the cases may look bolder on the wrist despite their much smaller sizes? Although it is difficult to agree on a mutual idea over subjective thoughts, we must admit that the feeling of fullness, especially in the corners of rectangular cases, has a different appeal.
I have put together six different rectangular watches available in the market, appealing to different budgets and tastes.
At the top of the list is the Cartier Tank model, as you can guess with the clue you got from the above paragraph, but I have to admit that I find the reference coded Large much more elegant instead of XL. Crowned with a 33.7mm x 25.5mm x 6.6mm case that can write the book of elegance and a timeless dial, unfortunately, the watch is not suitable for those who are allergic to quartz movements. Thankfully, the model's MSRP is within a relatively affordable range due to the battery-powered caliber ticking inside.
It would be unthinkable not to include Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, another rectangular watch legend, in this list. Reverso Tribute Duoface Small Seconds is my favorite version of Reverso, a legendary design that could be the subject of an article in its own right with its flipping case. The model, which comes with a stainless steel case measuring 47mm x 28.3mm x 10.3mm and a manual-winding caliber, has a blue dial on one side and a silvery-white dial on the other.
For those looking for a more affordable rectangular watch, Longines and Oris come to the rescue. Dolce Vita and Rectangular models, especially with sector dial alternatives, appear as two of the most striking rectangular watches on the market. While Longines has stainless steel case alternatives measuring 27.7mm x 43.8mm x 10.1mm and 28.2mm x 47mm x 10.3mm, Oris comes with a single, 25.5mm x 38mm case with four different dial colors. Both models have automatic calibers.
For those who look for a top-luxury watch without worrying about retail prices, I would like to talk about two exclusive models that rest at the top of the rectangular watch world. The first of these is A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst. The model, which was produced in a limited number of only 30 pieces in 2021 and had a list price of 315,200 EUR, comes with a 39.2mm x 10.25mm platinum case, a manual-winding tourbillon caliber, and a handcrafted dial.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque, on the other hand, comes in an 18K white gold case measuring 51mm x 31mm x 15.15mm featuring eleven different complications such as tourbillon, perpetual calendar, jumping hour counter, and minute repeater. Limited to 10 pieces, the list price of the watch is just 1.35 M EUR.
