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Joshua Hendren

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in jewellery, watches and pop culture


Rectangular watches have long occupied a unique spot in horology. Less ubiquitous than round exemplars, these cases are home to some of the industry’s most enduring designs.
Now, as dressier watches continue to outperform sports models, the shape is moving further into focus. According to a new report from Chrono24, an online marketplace for luxury timepieces, demand for rectangular cases rose 9.3 per cent year on year in 2025, suggesting buyers are increasingly looking beyond their rounded brethren.
“The growing demand for rectangular cases is driven by a broader market shift towards classic elegance and understated luxury,” says Kana Mackie, who is responsible for Chrono24’s Asia-Pacific business. “Buyers are increasingly looking for distinctive silhouettes that stand out from the standard round sports watch.”

The origins of the rectangular case shape can be traced back to the early 20th century, as wristwatches began replacing the pocket variety. World War I accelerated that shift, as soldiers and officers needed practical timepieces they could check at a glance. As production increased, so did experimentation with different case shapes.
A round wristwatch, of course, made total sense as it not only followed the silhouette of the pocket watch, but also proved easy to seal against water and dust. A rectangular case, on the other hand (pun intended), benefits from a streamlined look that is more closely aligned with the shape of the wrist.

The most famous rectangular timepiece is no doubt the Cartier Tank. Designed by Louis Cartier in 1917 and first released in 1919, it took its name from the military tanks then appearing on the Western front. Seen from above, the tank’s rectangular body and parallel tracks were translated into the watch’s case and brancards, resulting in a design unlike that of any of the round watches that had come before.
The shape also found its natural home in the art deco period of the 1920s and 30s, when symmetry and geometric lines transformed everything from architecture to jewellery design. In 1931, Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre added another icon to the rectangular line-up with the Reverso. Originally designed for polo players, its swivelling case enabled the dial to be flipped, protecting the crystal from mallet and ball impacts.

Rectangular cases also posed a new challenge inside the watch. Early wristwatches often used rounded movements, which fitted neatly into round cases but left unused space inside rectangular ones. Watchmakers responded by developing rectangular movements that fitted the case properly, rather than placing a round calibre inside and leaving empty space at the corners.
Today, models like the Tank and Reverso continue to drive growth in the rectangular watch category, with demand for the Tank up 17.4 per cent in 2026 compared with 2025, while the Reverso is up 8.7 per cent, according to Mackie. Beyond these established rectangular veterans, she says, demand for references like IWC Schaffhausen’s Novecento, Patek Philippe’s Twenty-4 and the Cartier Tank Américaine has more than doubled over the past year.

Demand for rectangular watches is concentrated around the 1980s, where buyers are drawn to the neo-vintage look; and the 2010s, where the attraction is more minimal and modern. “New releases from the past two to three years play a comparatively smaller role,” Mackie notes. “The current momentum is clearly built on established silhouettes rather than fresh launches.”
So who’s buying them? According to Mackie, buyers under 30 are 33 per cent more likely to choose a rectangular watch than those aged 50 to 60, suggesting the shape is finding a younger audience. Demand has also historically been strongest in Europe, particularly in the UK and France, though Mackie says the trend is now picking up in the US.
At auction, the market tells a similar story. Jonathan Darracott, global head of watches at Bonhams, says rectangular watches are “far more accepted and appreciated than they were a decade ago”, with Cartier continuing to lead the category. “More than 100 years after its introduction, the Tank has seen a strong resurgence in both popularity and value,” he says, pointing to models such as the Bamboo and Tank Allongée, as well as the Tank Basculante, which he describes as “probably the most rectangular watch, with a case made of three swivelling rectangular frames”.

Brands are now leaning back into that history. Audemars Piguet is the latest watchmaker to revive an iconic rectangular model with the Neo Frame Jumping Hour, which takes its inspiration from a 1929 model, placing a jumping-hour display and sector dial inside a compact rectangular case.
German maker A. Lange & Söhne, meanwhile, has returned to the shape with the Cabaret Tourbillon Honeygold, a 50-piece limited edition with a rectangular case and dial made in the brand’s proprietary Honeygold, with black-rhodiumed surfaces and a tourbillon with stop seconds.

For Eric Wind, a vintage watch dealer and owner of Wind Vintage in Palm Beach, Florida, the appetite for rectangular and uniquely shaped watches is part of a wider broadening of collector taste. “Collector interest in rectangular and shaped watches has increased significantly in the last few years,” he says. “I think part of it is the appeal of old-world glamour. Hollywood actors from the 20s through the 40s often wore rectangular watches.”
He doesn’t anticipate the momentum stopping any time soon, either. “It has been great to see the vintage and modern watch markets widen and deepen across all aspects,” Wind says. “I expect interest in rectangular watches to continue growing, and values for the best examples to also increase.”


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Timepieces

Rectangular watches are back, from Cartier to Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet

Rectangular watches like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Milanese are back in favour, with collectors seeking a more elegant and distinctive silhouette as smartwatches and fitness bands proliferate. Photo: Handout

Former NBA star Dwyane Wade wears a Cartier Tank at the 2024 Netflix is a Joke Festival. Photo: Getty Images

Jacob & Co The Godfather II. Photo: Handout

Tank Louis Cartier in yellow gold. Photo: Handout

IWC Schaffhausen Novecento Gold 18k. Photo: Handout

Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour. Photo: Handout

A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Honeygold. Photo: Handout

Tom Holland’s watch collection: Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier and more

Tom Holland arrives for the UK premiere of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in London on July 29 (left); the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Platinum (right). Photos: EPA; Handout

Tom Holland sports a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in platinum at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Photos: Getty Images; Handout

Tom Holland pairs his Ralph Lauren suit with the Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167R-001 at Wimbledon in 2018. Photos: Chris Allerton; Handout

The Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5940R peeks from Tom Holland’s suit sleeve at the premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home in Los Angeles in 2021. Photo: Getty Images

Tom Holland wears Cartier’s Drive de Cartier Moon Phases at the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming in Rome in 2018. Photo: @tomholland2013/Instagram

Tom Holland wears the Piaget Altiplano Skeleton at the 2018 Oscars. Photo: Getty Images

Tom Holland wears the Tag Heuer Monaco to the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix. Photo: Getty Images

Gucci, Hermès and Chanel all made time for big cats at Watches and Wonders

Slim d’Hermès Pocket Roaaaaar! Photo: Handout

Cartier Panthère Métiers d’Art Tortue. Photo: Handout

Gucci G-Timeless Métiers d’Art Tiger. Photo: Handout

Chanel Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition. Photo: Handout

Why modern watchmakers are ditching the crown, from IWC to Ulysse Nardin

No crown required: the IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive. Photo: Handout

The Ressence Type 11 is powered by the brand’s first in-house calibre. Photo: Handout

Ulysse Nardin Super Freak. Photo: Handout

Assembling the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari. Photo: Handout

Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Final Prototype. Photo: Handout

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Ludo Secret watch conceals a mother-of-pearl dial behind gold links. Photo: Handout

Panerai, Ulysse Nardin and other brands are reinventing watches with unusual materials

The new Ulysse Nardin Super Freak model is a limited edition piece marking 25 years of the Freak collection, built around the house’s patented diamond-coated silicon architecture. Photo: Handout

Norqain Wild One Skeleton Chrono. Photo: Handout

De Bethune DB28xs Dark Sand. Photo: Handout

Panerai Submersible Navy Seals Afniotech Experience. Photo: Handout

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Impact Sapphire. Photo: Handout

H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Pump. Photo: Handout

H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept Tantalum. Photo: Handout

Rolex to Patek Philippe: inside Knicks star Josh Hart’s luxury watch collection

New York Knicks’s Josh Hart is a horophile. Photos: @jhart/Instagram; Handout

Josh Hart in game two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 21. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Josh Hart holds the NBA championship trophy. Photo: @jhart/Instagram 

The Rolex GMT-Master II now has a Cerachrom bezel. Photo: Handout

The Rolex Yacht-Master 40 in Everose Gold. Photo: Handout

The Patek Philippe Nautilus Moon Phases in rose gold. Photo: Handout

The Pioneer Centre Seconds Spiced Aqua by H. Moser & Cie, with a steel case with black diamond-like carbon coating. Photo: Handout

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Driven by a revival in classic elegance, rectangular cases are capturing a new generation of collectors looking beyond standard round sports watches


Driven by a revival in classic elegance, rectangular cases are capturing a new generation of collectors looking beyond standard round sports watches.


Rectangular watches are back, from Cartier to Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Driven by a revival in classic elegance, rectangular cases are capturing a new generation of collectors looking beyond standard round sports watches

Driven by a revival in classic elegance, rectangular cases are capturing a new generation of collectors looking beyond standard round sports watches