A Case for Shapes

Shaped watches are among some of the most collectible timepieces today

- BY NITIN NAIR

— Round, elliptical, rectangular, square, and tonneau—you could broadly dump most wristwatches out there into these five categories of shapes. As much as they would like us to think otherwise, the industry has always been conservative when it comes to case design.

It was the French maison Cartier that was central to the shaped watch movement—it broke the hegemony enjoyed by these forms with the introduction of models like the Cloche and the Tank Asymétrique in the 1920s and 30s. The launch of the iconic Crash, in the late 1960s, further established Cartier's avant-garde credentials when it came to case design.

Asymmetric watches fused form and function, took inspiration from modern artists and architectural movements.

Vintage asymmetric watches, especially those designed by Gilbert Albert in the 1960s, or Gérald Genta, stand out for their cultural significance, rarity, and design audacity. You can go an entire season at auction houses without spotting a Gilbert Albert-designed Patek Philippe model. When they do turn up, these watches are often among the highlights of the catalogue.