Any purchases made on this website may earn us a small commission, please click if you want to learn more.
Often overlooked, the square or rectangle watch is certainly nowhere near as popular as its circular cousin. When you think of a clock or watch, the first thing you think of is a circular dial. Square faced watches have always played second fiddle to circles, with the only real reason being that people simply prefer the shape of a circle. Granted, gears and balance wheels within a watch movement are circular, but this doesn’t mean that all watches have to be this shape.
To further the point of popularity, square watches have circular movements inside them. There are some small exceptions to this rule, but it does show that the priority of watchmaking is certainly not a square or rectangle.
With that being, thanks to the progress in watchmaking over the centuries there is quite a variety of square watches to choose from, even though they are far less in number than circular. Square wooden watches are somewhat new, there are both quartz and square mechanical watches, as well as many other designs.
Table of Contents
Do Square Watches Look Good?
Whilst square watches are not really considered cool, they are a classic and distinguished design. You will rarely see a square dial watch that is too loud and over the top. In terms of dress styles watches, the square shaped dial is ideal, it looks both professional and refined.
The drawbacks to a square watch are that it is only ever really useful as a dress watch. There are no real sports, dive, or tactical watches in a square shape. No doubt there are some brands that have attempted these designs, but they have never caught on. You will find that in the world of watches, there is a set style for each type of watch. As square dials go against the grain in this regard, they are much less widely produced and not many people wear them.
Overall though, it is 100% a personal choice of whether you prefer square watches over circular. You certainly shouldn’t feel pressured or put off by people that dislike them.
Why Do Apple Only Make Square Watches?
This is simply their design. Apple is well known for having a very minimalist design throughout all of their products, not only this but they often look very different to rival brands within the same marketplace. As an example, the ipod and macbook are instantly identifiable from a still image. Compare this to an Acer laptop and you would likely not be able to tell it from an Asus.
Apple clearly wanted its smartwatch to stand out from the crowd and look different from other brands. If you take a look at other smartwatches such as Samsung, Garmin & Suunto, all of these watches are circular. Apple makes their product stand out by using a square shape with curved edges.
Why Rolex Does Not Make Square Watches
Almost every watch Rolex makes is instantly recognizable and iconic. Examples of this are the Daytona, Submariner and Datejust. The demand for circular watches is a lot higher than it is for square or rectangular watches, therefore Rolex would be limiting its potential sales by promoting a square model instead of a circle.
Overall, there are not really too many luxury brands that have an iconic or historic square watch. The only real model which comes to mind when thinking of memorable models is the Tag Heuer Monaco. Other than this design, not many companies have had too much success with making a square design stick around for decades.
Best Square Watches Under $500
G-Shock
There is not much that needs to be written about G-Shock watches that hasn’t already been said. For the last 20-30 years, they have continuously been the toughest digital watches that money can buy.
Somewhat unusually, there is also quite a selection of square military watches made by G-Shock. These do not really differ in function compared to the standard circular models, but obviously look quite a lot different. There is no real difference in price between the two shapes, allowing G-Shock fans to make an easy decision about which style they prefer.
Armani Ceramica
The Ceramic is only of the only square Armani watches that you can buy. Whilst the brand does have a history of making square watches in both the Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange ranges, these have long been discontinued and more circular watches have taken their place.
An unusual choice of material, there are many benefits of a wearing a ceramic watch. First of all, they are hypoallergenic, so will never leave a rash or irritate your skin. Secondly, they are very difficult to scratch, unlike stainless steel, ceramics resist scuffing very well.
Invicta
Measuring 48mm in case size, this is pretty much what you would expect from Invicta. As the watch is square, this wears even bigger than a 48mm circular dial, which is already pretty big. If that wasn’t loud enough for you, the watch is two-tone gold with a silver bezel.
In fairness to Invicta, this watch is pretty good value for money considering it is mechanical. As one of the only automatic square watches you can buy, under $150 for a Seiko NH35A movement is really not too bad at all. Of course, this is not the best movement to be made, but is very solid and reliable.
Casio Edifice
One of the very few square chronograph watches available. Sure you can get digital watches with a chronograph easily, but in terms of traditional analog watches, there is not a lot of choice. Edifice watches are usually very modern and look like they are worth a lot more money than they actually cost. The square version of the Edifice is not quite the same design and looks a bit more dated than your usual Casio.
With that being said, Edifice watches are very good value for money, and for some strange reason this model has a thermometer. Whether it gets used or not is your choice, but it does seem a weird inclusion.
Seiko Solar
Truly a vintage style square watch with a modern movement. This Seiko watch is not a modern and oversized piece that you will see most people wearing. Instead, it has just a 28mm case width and the design is straight out of the 1980s.
Overall, this is a very subtle timepiece that will often go unnoticed. As the movement is solar, you will not need to concern yourself with this watch running out of battery. The watch is powered by the sun and other artificial light, so once it is set, unless you keep it in a dark drawer, it will last for a very long time.
Bulova
The first thing that you will notice about this watch is that it is unusually large. Bulova is not really a brand well known for garish and oversize timepieces, so it comes as a shock this is a 39mm case size. In fairness, 39mm is not that big, but some people may be put off by it.
One of the main reasons for this watch’s inclusion is the blue dial. For some reason, it is very difficult to find a blue dial, square watch. Almost everything is either black, gold or white. Hats off to Bulova for making something that is very wearable and well designed in a rectangular shape.
Bering Solar
One of the most modern and fashionable square watches you can buy is made by Bering. This Scandinavian brand makes a variety of very minimalist watches, this one being in a square shape.
Whilst Bering watches are mostly known as a fashion brand, they are still very good value for money. All Bering watches use sapphire crystal as opposed to mineral glass, which makes the watch dial a lot more scratch resistant. This particular model also has a solar movement, which means once you’ve set the watch, you will never have to change the battery.
Tissot TXL
It’s not often that you will find a watch with an analog-digital movement, especially from a well respected Swiss brand such as Tissot. In general, these kinds of movements do not have a particularly good reputation, since quite a lot can go wrong, however you’re easily reassured by the fact that ETA are one of the best in the world, so there is nothing to worry about.
A fairly simple design, I am surprised more brands do not copy this idea. The analog hands tell the time, whilst the digital function is used for the alarm. This watch is a little more expensive than most other models on this list, although it is the most established brand, so is a fair price overall.
Casio
Although Casio were not the first company to produce a digital watch, they were near the front of the queue, releasing their best effort in 1974. This black square retro watch has really not changed a whole lot since the brand first began manufacturing digital models.
Overall, this is an extremely simple watch. It has an alarm, a chronograph and tells the time. You get nothing more out of this classic design other than its simplicity. Obviously this has not put anyone off, since this is the best selling Casio watch of all time and costs less than $15. Casio cannot really make a large profit margin on this price but they do not need to, as so many people love it.
Nixon -The Heat
In terms of digital watches, the heat by Nixon is one of the most stylish you can buy. This ultra slim watch is a little different from other digital watches such as the G-Shock range. Whilst most digital watches tend to have more of a military and durable style, the heat is more of a smart everyday type of watch.
In brief, there is a tradeoff between the appearance and functionality of this watch. As previously mentioned, it is not really like anything else and is made to be more fashionable than ergonomic.
Timex T-80
About as vintage and retro as you can get, this gives Casio a run for their money in the digital watch market. This watch is very gimmicky and a little on the expensive side, although well worth it for fans of the original Pac-Man games. There are no real standout features on this watch other than it has a 24 hour chronograph, which could be useful for people doing long physical activities. It should also be noted that the alarm on this watch is the original Pac-Man melody, which is a nice touch.
Citizen – Star Wars Collaboration
Call me slow, but I didn’t know this was a star wars collaboration watch until I had a closer look at the watch. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but perhaps I assumed it would say “Star Wars” somewhere on the dial. Instead of this, there are various Tie-fighters and X-wing jets dotted around the front of the dial, as well as the background of the analog dial being the same as when Luke Skywalker destroyed the death star.
This watch is a little on the expensive side for what you’re getting, but it does have a thermometer, both analog and digital time, as well as a world time function.
