Watch shapes – a retro style or an evolution?

Let’s face it, watches are meant to be round, not only they managed to house 12 numbers in perfect harmony and symmetry, but they are naturally intuitive. As they become more and more an expression of taste and less focus oriented, watch designers can let their hair down and bring to life different shapes to interpreter time.

We have seen an explosion of different case shapes, and we started to wonder, is this a trend that is temporary or are they here to stay. When there is design involved, we can see new techniques mixed with cues from the past, things that were not possible before and are pushing our beloved hobby further.

That is not to say that we had some non-round designs in history, art deco and plenty other movements had a good saying on how objects were perceived but somehow everything got lost with current mainstream offers as objects got bigger. This meant that shaped watches lost their place, until now.

As vintage started to appear into the watch scene and seems that small is ‘’in’’ again, today we have 3 contenders to showcase what is to come over the next few years. One watch from an independent French brand, another from a Singaporean microbrand and lastly, an icon from a powerhouse.  

Despite the difference in terms of pricing and shape, there is something in common with these 3 pieces: they are all succeeding on bringing a different way to wear watches, and to us this is quite exciting. Let’s begin.

Oval and unapologetic – Serica 1174 Parade  

Oval watches have their own cult following and our first dress watch is from Serica; a French brand brings the tool aspect with a mix of minimalism and class. The Parade is one of those watches that can be worn with a tuxedo and in a casual setting. The lugless design, lack of date and seconds hands with no name on the dial creates this spectacular vision on what an avand-garde object should look like.

With an oval case measuring 35mm in diameter and 41mm lug to lug, the Serica Parade fits like a charm for women and men wrists alike. It is a unisex option and this is something that shaped watches are managing to transcend, there is a design for everyone out there. The thin case profile of 8.3mm also brings a great wearing experience.

There are subtle lines engraved on the brass dial which culminates in a polished pip, another testament to delicacy with functionality as it does helps with the reading of the time. Elements like the brushed bezel, automatic movement and case construction (which allows the watch to be 100-meter water resistance) are the benefits of having a tool watch company designing a dress watch. What we enjoyed more about the Parade is that is not controversial despite its design, it’s a watch that is here to stay and will stay well.

There is a black version also but for a dose of antique chic flair we believe that the brass/golden dial is the way to go. Cannot say enough good things about this watch, it is truly unique.

The Parade is available on Serica’s website at 1311 GBP. For more information https://serica-watches.com/en/products/1174-parade-brass

A beautiful pebble in a round world – The Nectere Order from Chaos

When I first saw the Nectere creation, I did not know what to think, I liked the watch a lot but my eyes were trying to adapt to the shape and how to read time. Once I understood the design ethos of the brand and his founder, everything started to make more and more sense.

The Order from Chaos is not a watch to be understood in a conventional way, it is created to be asymmetrical, chaotic and we loved it. The unusual trapezoidal shape is a breath of fresh air and the small art deco details like the minute track and markers elevate the watch from a basic off the shelf offering to something special. The crystal mimics well the shape of the case and you can have a sneak peak of the ST-17 manual wind calibre from back.

The triple step bezel gives the effect of movement, it draws your eyes to the dial, specially to the sub-seconds counter which is also placed at the bottom left corner of the dial. Everything is where it shouldn’t be but somehow it works.

The case finds a similar approach to small watches with a 38mm of diameter (if you can measure it correctly) with a 40.5mm lug to lug, it is small, but the wearing experience is spot on.

As mentioned, put the Nectere on the wrist and it becomes obvious that organic shapes make the best wrist companion, the comfort here is unmatchable. The also odd crown on the side feels unintrusive and the semi-lugless design keeps the watch in tune with its oddity, nothing looks like, and we mean that as a complement.

 We also must highlight that unlike Serica, Nectere is a brand that launched its products on Kickstarter and the reception was overwhelming, we were very happy to take part on the launch of a watch that is demonstrating that jewellery like watches must not cost a fortune.

The price of the Order of Chaos is USD475. For more information on the Order of Chaos, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jameswong324/nectere-shaped-watch-inspired-by-butterfly-effect/

The Icon – Cartier Tank Must Black WSTA0108

When it comes to watches, it doesn’t come more Iconic than the Cartier Tank. Sure, this is more fitted to a dress watch category and, it is not the best value watch out there, in fact, it is the only battery power piece of the trio, and it has a very spartan dial.

All put all that on a side for some reason, Cartier got it right from the first moment on. The rectangular shape is easily recognizable and it is sort of a chameleon watch, change the dial colour or small details on the printing and a new watch will emerge.

Cartier not only got it right with the Tank, but they also got it right with plenty of models in their line-up, this is a testament that when a design is well executed, the watch will become timeless.

I am sure that a square shape would also work here but these dimensions are timeless and the best part of the Must, is that the folks of Cartier picked up the original measurements of the Cartier Tank Louis leaving the watch at 25.5mm in diameter by 33.7 mm lug to lug, tiny but classy.

The dial is the party trick of this reference, a glossy black with Cartier right at 12, there is nothing else to look at apart from the mall spade hands and if you can spot the Swiss Made at 6. It is so easy to describe that somehow I feel that I am being lazy, perhaps the people at Cartier are also guilty, but this is one of the watches I enjoy to wear the must (no punt intended). The Tank Must has this odd look, it is very elegant but looks like a smartwatch ready to take swipe and turn on, also what I like about it is that it is instantly recognizable. The blue cabouchon feel ornamental and breaks the clean lines of a very minimalistic excersice, kind of like a vanilla ice cream with French fries, its odd but tastes good.

The mechanical version of this watch is quite lovely as well but the versatility of an all-time running watch is also appealing. My personal Must is fitted now with a Fostner bracelet that drips un my wrist, it feels so old school and gives an even more sophisticated look to the ultimate elegance that the Must give to the wearer.

With 6mm in thickness and a water resistance of 30 meter, this is hardly an everyday watch but because is made of steel, it can take a little bit of a beating, again it is very pleasant to wear.

It does feels like we started this Cartier mini review with a price comparison, and 3500 GBP it is quite a sum to leave for this small companion, but the more I think about it, with the history of the brand and the plethora of famous wearers, it might be kind of a bargain.

For more information, please visit www.cartier.com 

So, there you have it, 3 watches that fall into a different price bracket, shapes and even different dial colours. This could be a very good 3 watch collection as the theme here is to go out and try something ordinary. Some of us are tired of seeing those Speedmasters every Tuesday, why not stay away from the herd?