The 10 best rectangular watches for those who think outside the box

Jamie Weiss

When someone asks you to picture a watch, you’re probably thinking of a circular one. Ever since the days of sundials, we’ve been accustomed to telling time on circular faces. Indeed, virtually all the mechanisms of mechanical watchmaking are by their nature round: gears, springs, barrels and bearings. Yet there’s something indescribably classy and alluring about a rectangular watch – maybe it’s because they’re subtly contrary to most people’s mental image of a watch. Anyway, rectangular watches are cool, and there’s plenty on the market to choose from today. Note that while all squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares – if you’re looking for a guide to the best square watches out there, read this. Otherwise, read on to discover our picks for the best rectangular watches on the market today, at a wide range of price points.

Casio G-Shock DW5600

While most rectangular watches tend to be quite dressy (and you probably aren’t picturing a Casio when you think “rectangular watch”), we couldn’t have a list of the best rectangular watches without including this bad boy. The first-ever G-Shock ever made, the DW5600 series is, simply put, one of the most iconic watches of all time. The quintessential G-Shock, it features a tough-as-nails boxy resin case as well as more features than basically any mechanical watch, including a 1/100-second stopwatch, an alarm, a backlight and a full auto-calendar accurate to 2099. They’re also cheap as chips and sold just about everywhere, making this an exceptionally easy rectangular watch to add to one’s collection. Price: US$75 (or cheaper)

Hamilton American Classic Boulton

Slightly voluptuous but definitely more rectangular than tonneau-shaped, the Hamilton American Classic Boulton is a great affordable option for those looking for a dressy, classic rectangular watch. First introduced in 1941, the Boulton can be had these days with both mechanical and quartz movements – this gold PVD model features the latter, and was actually created in collaboration with the Indiana Jones franchise – the diminutive watch appearing on the wrist of the adventurer in 2023’s The Dial of Destiny. Price: US$745, from the Time+Tide Shop

echo/neutra Rivanera

One of the stand-out microbrand releases of 2024, the echo/neutra Rivanera is an intriguing dress watch. The juxtaposition between its traditional rectangular form and its brutalist grade 5 titanium case is unlike any other timepiece of its kind on the market – this isn’t your daddy’s dress watch. Feather-light on the wrist, two dial variants are available – a black and a case-matching grey – and each Rivanera comes with both a pebbled calfskin and a Horween shell cordovan strap. Under the hood beats a Peseux 700, one of the most-respected entry-level, manual movements for its longevity, accuracy, and slimness. Price: US$1,570, exclusively in-store at our Time+Tide Discovery Studios in London and Melbourne

Longines Mini DolceVita

Another classic rectangular watch, the Longines Mini DolceVita might be coded as a feminine watch but has a versatile and timeless design that would complement all sorts of wrists. An extremely clean design with a circular “Cosmo” minute track and numerals within a boxy case, this too features a quartz movement. It’s available on an alligator leather strap, but its newly-designed 5-link stainless steel bracelet is a must-have, with its bullion-like appearance really emphasising its rectangular character. Price: US$1,850

Baume & Mercier Hampton Polyptyque Edition – Musée Soulages 10th Anniversary

Normally we like to avoid including limited edition models in our buying guides, but this Baume & Mercier Hampton is too good to not highlight. This all-black model is the Swiss brand’s second watch paying homage to the famed French painter Pierre Soulages, who was known as the “master of black”. Fittingly, its minimalist rectangular case is imagined here in black DLC, with its dial modelled after Soulages’ work Peinture 324 x 362 cm, 1986, Polyptyque I. A black vegan leather strap completes the picture, and it’s powered by an ETA 2892. Price: US$6,900

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

The archetypal rectangular watch, the Cartier Tank (in all of its many forms) is almost single-handedly responsible for popularising rectangular watches. In fact, it’s hard to pick just one version of the Cartier Tank – I’ve opted for one of the most classic incarnations of this legendary watch, the manual-winding Tank Louis Cartier in rose gold. It just screams class: a classic white dial with Roman numerals, blued hands and a guillochéd centre; smooth, straight brancards with that classic cabochon-topped crown, and an alligator strap – this is as timeless as it gets. Price: US$11,700

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Chronograph

You can’t talk about rectangular watches without talking about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, but I’d like to highlight the Reverso Chronograph as one – it’s worth featuring a complication on this list, and two –  it’s one of the Time+Tide team’s favourite watches. Based on a model from 1996, it offers the opportunity of having both the appeal of a crisp, two-handed, dressy watch and a busy-in-the-best-way chronograph. Complications aside, the Reverso in any guise is pure Art Deco goodness, with its elegant reversible case and angular design simply oozing cool. Price: US$25,000 (stainless steel), US$38,800 (rose gold)

Lang & Heyne Georg

A slightly more obscure rectangular watch, the Lang & Heyne Georg is the signature model of this prestigious independent German brand, and epitomises classical Saxon watchmaking design. While the clean and classic dial is pleasant to look at, the really delectable part of the Georg is its stunning in-house Caliber VIII movement. With watches produced to order, each Georg can be made slightly different, with hands, dials and case materials all up to the customer (and the size of their wallet). Price: US$46,250 (rose gold), US$59,000 (platinum)

Franck Muller Long Island Evolution 7 Days Power Reserve

When you think of a Franck Muller, you probably think of a tonneau-shaped case, perhaps some stylised Art Deco numerals, and potentially loads of complications – and that’s no surprise, as it is the look that brought the brand to where it is today. However, that isn’t the only case shape the rebellious watchmaker has up its proverbial sleeves. The side profile of the Long Island Evolution 7 Days Power Reserve reveals that it’s still a curvaceous watch, but from the top down, it’s definitively rectangular, with a black PVD titanium outer housing a green anodised aluminium inner case, all of which contains a manually-wound in-house movement with a week-long power reserve. One can peek at this movement through its sapphire dial, which has printed floating Arabic numerals that create an almost stereoscopic 3D appearance that brings to mind the rev counter of a mid-2000s sports car. Price: US$48,000 

Richard Mille RM 16-02 Automatic Extraflat

Like Franck Muller, Richard Mille is virtually synonymous with tonneau-shaped watches, which similarly makes it all the more intriguing when they break out and explore a different form factor. The RM 16-02 is an evolution of the ultra-high-end brand’s first rectangular watch design from 2007, and really goes all-in on a rectangular theme, with the bridges, mainplate, rotor, crown knurling, lume plots and even numerals of the watch all featuring rectangular forms – an interesting design-forward approach from a brand that’s all about complications, weight-saving and exotic materials. However, the RM 16-02 doesn’t disappoint on those last two points: it also debuts a terracotta-coloured quartz TPT case option, and is characteristically feather-light on the wrist thanks to a mostly titanium construction. Price: US$134,000 (titanium), US$156,000 (terracotta quartz TPT)

T+T Timeless Pick: Rolex Cellini Prince

The Cellini Prince might be one of the least-known Rolex models ever created – an obscure model from Rolex’s most obscure collection which has now been discontinued in favour of the 1908 range – but it’s by no means forgettable. The first Prince models were produced in the 1920s (one was famously worn by Al Capone) with the design revived most recently in 2005 only for it to drop back off Rolex’s catalogue once again in 2015. Unlike most Rolex models, Cellini Prince models of all vintages are manual-winding, with modern examples featuring the nicely-finished calibre 7040 – which is also, atypically for Rolex, visible through an exhibition caseback. Price: from US$8,000