The 15 Best Square Watches Available Right Now

Contrary to the shape of the product they so adore, enthusiasts of square watches tend to be anything but. A strain of horological design that over the years has attracted iconoclasts like Andy Warhol and Pierre Cardin, people occasionally make the mistake of thinking that the square watch is antediluvian.

Look through this Buyer’s Guide (consisting of over half a dozen of our enduring favourites) and you’ll soon realise it’s quite the opposite. The Euclidean origins of the square — and its quadrilateral cousin the rectangle — have been pivotal in influencing the highly specific sort of personality who is interested in wearing watches in this shape.

It’s no coincidence that a lot of people who love square watches are equally keen on the visual arts; fashion; and at a broader remove, pursuits of a creative nature that inspire us to talk about horology in a tenor that isn’t purely mechanical. Turns out Huey Lewis was right: it really is hip to be square.

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BH Approved: The Best Square Watch You Can Buy In Australia Right Now

Handily the square watch which takes up the biggest chunk of conversation at Boss Hunting HQ, it’s been really edifying to see just how staunchly Hermès has stood by the H08: the Philippe Delhotal-designed collection of “sporty-chic” wristwatches that debuted just a few years ago.

Though initially maligned as a mere trinket of fashion (although Hermès’ background is one grounded largely in artisanal leather goods — a very different thing) many savvy watch collectors have gradually changed their tune on the H08 models.

Equipped with a date-bearing movement exclusively manufactured for the Maison by Vaucher and a square case in titanium (the proportions of which have been carefully considered) there’s no reason why you wouldn’t choose this over the predictable Tudor or Omega three-hander if you were in the market for something with more je ne sais quoi.

BH co-founder James Want is an avid proponent of the style: having snagged this original brushed titanium numbers on orange rubber recently. I believe he described it as “the king” of mechanical square watches, and the H08’s unique look and thoughtful design certainly make it hard to argue with such claims.

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All Of The Best Square Watches To Add To Your Collection

Cartier Santos de Cartier

A legendary design from the ‘King of Jewellers’, the Santos de Cartier famously lays claim to the title of the world’s first pilot’s watch. Regardless of the truth in that statement, it’s undeniable just how impactful the design has been over the decades.

The square shape’s historical origins (inspired by Brazilian aeronaut Alberto Santos-Dumont, who needed a replacement for his pocket watch) have spawned several vintage-themed releases; yet we’re equally keen on this classic modern version.

Not only does it confirm the design’s viability for the 21st century, but it also brings a touch of class to the ceramic bezel-heavy contemporary sports watch category. With an eye-catching blue dial (or green, if that’s more your speed), a nice blend of polished and brushed surfaces, and a reliable 100m of water resistance, there’s a lot to love here.

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Swatch Bioceramic WHAT IF?

Even discounting the importance of including a variety of watches at affordable price points, Swatch’s latest WHAT IF? releases are a real credit to our list.

Consisting of four integrated bracelet designs in an array of “timeless” and “contemporary” hues, each is fashioned out of the same ‘bioceramic’ material you’ll find in the funky, still-notoriously-popular Moonswatches.

Sure: on occasion, you’ll have to change the battery a few times in the year. But it’s a small price to pay for an object design that’s so funky it looks like it’s been transported (via DeLorean) from the year 1982.

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G-Shock DW5610SU-8D

Part of Casio’s bestselling family of DW-5600 digital watches, the DW5610 is probably the consummate model most people think of when one utters the phrase “G-Shock”.

Made out of a hyper-dense resin derived from biological matter, this model is exactly what the doctor ordered if your prescription happens to be a square watch that can survive a range of high-octane situations.

And while we have included a handful of traditional complications in a geometric format for the purposes of this list; none come close to giving you as much gadgetry for so few dollars as this.

Stopwatch; alarm; countdown; a calendar that auto-corrects until the year 2099 — we wouldn’t be surprised if this thing also turns into a personal homing beacon.

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Apple Watch SE

Variously billed as the ultimate “entry-level” smartwatch for those new to the world of electronic wearables, we don’t include the Apple Watch SE in this list full of traditional Swiss mechanicals lightly. Underpinned by the same ultra-fast S8 chipset present in Apple’s Series watches, the SE gives wearers a host of features synonymous with those more premium offerings — notwithstanding the latter’s advanced health sensors (e.g. EKG and on-demand blood oxygen monitoring).

A fantastic means of noncommittally dipping one’s toe into the smartwatch pond; you still get a majority of the features that have won the current crop of Apple Watches such a wide following. Running metrics; a revamped Compass app; the new low-power model; and to top everything else off, compatibility with the full range of bracelets/bands. How good.

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Longines Dolcevita

A vertical of traditional mechanical watchmaking that Longines has always seemed hellbent on targeting towards women, the Dolcevita (in English, “sweet life”) is so much more than the storied heritage brand’s riff on the ubiquitous rectangular wristwatch.

Much like Cartier’s legendary Tank Cintrée — the infamous standard bearer for rectangular watches — the Dolcevita is loosely inspired by Art-Deco design; utilising motifs like the sector dial or chemin de fer style minute track in order to convey a rather classic sensibility.

Of course, this being a Swatch Group joint, the tech’s solid too. The latest batch of men’s Dolcevita references is equipped with an automatic movement (45-hour power reserve) and a beat rate that’s highly impressive too.

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NOMOS Glashütte Tetra 27 Karat

NOMOS’ geometric flagship, the ‘Tetra’ epitomises everything we love about the independent German watchmaker’s approach to square watchmaking.

There’s the hand-wound Alpha calibre (built from scratch by NOMOS in-house); the functionally beautiful Bauhaus design language; and, in the case of this Tetra 27 Karat, a galvanised and gold-plated dial that brings a nostalgic warmth to the dial.

Classic and thoroughly modern all at the same time; you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better square watch at this very achievable price point.

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Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari

Richard Mille is known for pushing the boundaries of watchmaking and this RM UP-01 Ferrari (produced in collaboration with the Italian automaker), is one of the wildest watches ever made by the brand. When it was launched, the RM UP-01 Ferrari was the thinnest watch in the world at just 1.75mm from front to back — about as thick as your average credit card.

While the folks at Bulgari have since eclipsed the record (by a wafer-thin 0.05mm), nothing can be taken away from the mechanical ingenuity of the RM UP-01 Ferrari. With a case crafted from grade 5 titanium, the movement was developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi and — true to Richard Mille’s sporting credentials — is capable of withstanding 5,000gs of acceleration.

A favourite of Pharrell Williams (who was spotted wearing it at his debut Louis Vuitton show), the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is a technical tour de force from every angle.

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Bell & Ross 03-93 GMT Blue

Built around Bell & Ross’ characteristic ‘circle in a square’ motif, this variation of the brand’s best-selling BR 03 family of pilot’s watches takes things out of the cockpit and into the business class cabin — courtesy of the GMT complication.

More subtle and refined than a certain infamous Pepsi-themed travel watch, the 03-93 adds a dab of colour to what was already a practical and intuitive design. Between that, the 10 bars of water resistance and Bell & Ross’ clever choice to bundle this with two fabric and leather straps; this gets our co-sign as the ‘best adventuring watch’ on our list.

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Patek Philippe Twenty~4 Ref. 4910

Patek Philippe has created many square watches over the decades, but this Patek Philippe Twenty~4 Ref. 4910 is among the few in the Genevan watchmaker’s current catalogue. It’s also one of the most affordable timepieces that Patek Philippe currently sells thanks to its stainless steel case and bracelet and in-house quartz movement.

Featuring an attractive sunburst blue dial that’s framed with twin rows of diamonds, the bracelet enjoys similar dimensions to the case of the watch, giving it the visual impression of a cuff or jewellery bracelet on the wrist. Elegant, chic, and wonderfully proportioned.

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Ralph Lauren RL867

Before you say anything: no, we haven’t gone mad. Inspired by the iconic Ralph Lauren flagship store at No. 867 Madison Avenue, the US brand’s signature square watch is inspired by the same strain of Art-Deco design that you’ll find in Lauren’s own clothing lines.

Technically an overhaul of the original 867 collection (launched back in 2009) the new 867 watches are now available in two perfectly square formats — the larger of which tops out at 32mm x 32mm. Made with thoughtful details such as sterling silver cases and a sapphire crystal that is intentionally convex, this is one to wear with your go-to blazer or a beautiful tuxedo.

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TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph

There aren’t many more iconic square watches than the TAG Heuer Monaco, but after launching back in 1969, it remains one of the brand’s most enduring designs. The original Monaco directly inspires this specific reference and is one of the few contemporary Monaco models that features the crown at 9 o’clock, with the chronograph pushers on the opposite side of the case.

With a deep blue dial, white subdials, and pops of red on the hands and minute track, the layout of the dials is nicely symmetrical with a date window at 6 o’clock and the curved sapphire crystal over it creates the visual impression of depth. If it was good enough for Steve McQueen — who wore the original Monaco for his role in Le Mans — it’s good enough for us.

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Small Seconds

Inarguably the most classic style of rectangular dress watch you’ll find on this list, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is a best-in-class design object, collectible, and platform for complications all rolled into one.

Rather than pointing out the bleedingly obvious (i.e. recommending you buy one of the brand’s monoface ‘Tribute’ models) we’ve instead opted to point you in the direction of its two-faced sibling.

Aptly named the ‘Duoface’, these variations represent a slightly unconventional take on the GMT watch. Flip the main dial over and on the reverse side, you’ll find a display providing the time in a secondary location (complete with a sub-dial that indicates whether the home time is in the ‘AM’ and ‘PM’).

Personally, one of my favourite pieces to be included in our Buyer’s Guide; this Reverso’s only arguable shortcoming is the size of its movement. The integration of a second time zone brings the total thickness to 10.5mm (admittedly not that much chunkier than two HB pencils).

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Cartier Panthère de Cartier

After enjoying rampant popularity in the 90s, the Cartier Panthère fell from favour for a decade or so as the classic Tank returned to the fore. That was, until the last couple of years when the Panthère staged a comeback, spotted on the wrists of everyone from Timothée Chalamet to Dua Lipa (and even in Succession).

This Medium-sized model (measuring 27mm wide and 37mm in length) is a great unisex option — while the Large-size that was launched in early 2024 is a chic choice for those hunting for a reliable daily watch. Powered by a quartz movement, it’s a set-and-forget kind of watch that’s only going to get more popular in the years to come.

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Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921

Inimitable, idiosyncratic and most definitely an icon in the making, Vacheron Constantin’s vintage-inspired American 1921 is the heaviest hitter in our line-up of the best square watches for 2024.

It’s been in the Holy Trinity brand’s stable of ‘Historiques’ timepieces for a few years now (available in the various expected strains of precious metal) but really, our pick of the litter has to be the pink gold variation in a versatile 40mm square.

Inspired by the historic pursuit of motoring (a by-product of the economic boom of the Roaring 20s) the American 1921’s signature feature is its off-kilter dial. Realised within the contours of a polished gold case, itself embellished by Vacheron’s hand-wound calibre 4400AS movement, this is a watch that all but demands a beautiful, naturally aspirated GT to go with it.

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If you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best square watches, here are a few more of our favourite horological stories to keep you reading:

• The 11 Best Patek Philippe Watches For Your Endgame Dreams
• The 11 Best Audemars Piguet Watches — And Not All Of Them Are Royal Oaks
• The 12 Best Rolex Watches To Buy
• The 33 Best Affordable Watches
• The 12 Best Omega Watches To Own
• The Self-Taught Aussie Watchmaker Crafting $50,000 Timepieces