A Primer on Watch Case Shapes

While watch type generally describes the functionality of a timepiece, watch style is more about aesthetics. This is where shapes, colors, and materials come into play. One of the most obvious and important design details of a watch is the shape and style of its case, which can range from traditional round to stylish square to unconventional asymmetric. While there are many different watch case shapes, here’s a quick primer on the most common types of watch cases you’ll come across.

Round Watch Cases

Round cases are the most traditional and common of all the watch case silhouettes. As men’s timepieces moved from the pocket to the wrist in the early 1900s (women adopted wristwatches much earlier than men), most of the then-new “wristlets” retained the classic round shape of pocket watches.

From Rolex to Omega, Patek Philippe to Vacheron Constantin, and Breitling to TAG Heuer, the vast majority of watch brands focus predominantly on making round watches.

Square Watch Cases

Alberto Santos-Dumont was a pioneering aviator that lived in Paris at the turn of the 20th Century. He complained to his friend, Louis Cartier, that it was too cumbersome to deal with a pocket whilst trying to operate an aircraft. So Louis Cartier developed a square-cased wristwatch for Alberto Santos-Dumont, which is not only noted as being the world’s first purpose-built men’s wristwatch but also paved the way for the square case to be a favorite Cartier design.

Aside from the Cartier Santos watch, other famous square watches include the Cartier Panthère, TAG Heuer Monaco, Bell & Ross BR 03, and NOMOS Glashütte Tetra.

Rectangular Watch Cases

Rectangular watches gained prominence during the Art Deco period and continue to be a relatively popular timepiece shape—particularly for vintage-inspired dress watches. Cartier is known for its mastery of non-round watches, which the brand refers to as “shaped watches.” The Tank watch is one of Cartier’s most popular watch models and it sports a rectangular-shaped case.

Price Guide: How Much Does A Cartier Tank Cost?

Other famous rectangular watches include the Patek Philippe Gondolo, Rolex Cellini Prince, and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.

Discover: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso at Watches & Wonders 2023

Tonneau Watch Cases

Tonneau is the French word for “barrel” and it is used to describe rounded rectangular watches. Yet again, Cartier is credited for bringing this non-round watch to market first when it introduced the Cartier Tonneau timepiece in 1906.

There are a handful of luxury brands that favor tonneau-shaped watches including Franck Muller, Parmigiani Fleurier, and of course, Richard Mille.

More on Richard Mille: What Is The Current Market Price of a Richard Mille Watch?

Cushion Watch Cases

Cushion-shaped cases are defined as square cases with rounded corners. They can look more circular if they’re paired with a round bezel and dial or more square when the bezel and dial follow the shape of the case. The use of cushion cases dates back to at least the 1930s when Panerai made watches for the Royal Italian Navy. Panerai remains the brand most associated with cushion-shaped watches.

More from Grey Market: The Most Trending Brands from Watches & Wonders 2023, According to Google

You’ll also find plenty of cushion vintage watches from the mid-20th Century from the likes of Omega, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Longines. Some popular modern cushion watches include the Drive de Cartier, Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921, Laurent Ferrier Square, and Panerai Radiomir.

Related: How Much Does a Panerai Luminor Cost?

Oval Watch Cases

Oval-shaped cases can be placed either horizontally or vertically, depending on the watch. An oval case placed horizontally is sometimes referred to as a carriage-shaped watch.

Some well-known oval watches include the Audemars Piguet Millenary, Cartier Baignoire, the Patek Philippe Ellipse, the Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye, and a selection of ladies’ watches made by Piaget.

Octogonal Watch Cases

Thanks to the massive influence of watch designer Gerald Genta, octagonal cases are a favorite shape of ultra-luxurious sports watches.

The most famous octagonal watches are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore. However, there’s also the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Aquanaut, Bvlgari Octo, Girard-Perregaux Laureato, Cartier Octagon, and the fan favorite G-Shock.

Octagonal Watch Price Guides:
How Much Does An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Cost?
How Much Does a Patek Philippe Nautilus Cost?
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Price Guide: How Much Does an Aquanaut Cost?

Asymmetrical Watch Cases

When a watch brand wants to flaunt its creative side, it can turn to asymmetrical cases. While certainly unconventional and not to everyone’s taste, if you prefer designs that stand out, an asymmetrical watch case may be just what you’re looking for.

Some famous asymmetrical watches include the Cartier Crash, Rolex King Midas, Vacheron Constantin 1972 Prestige, Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari, and most creations by MB&F.

There you have it, our guide to the most common types of watch cases in the market. Keep these various shapes in mind the next time you shop for a watch and you’ll start to notice which particular designs you like (and dislike) most and which turn out to be most comfortable on your wrist.