Beyond the circle: 10 shaped watches that prove non-round designs can be just as iconic

Round watches are the safe bet. They are familiar, versatile, and central to the identity of just about every major watchmaker. But some of the most interesting developments in watch design have happened at the edges – literally. From Breguet's egg-shaped watch of 1812 to Cartier's Tank in 1917 and Gerald Genta's Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet in 1972, the watches that rewrote the rules were the ones that refused to stay within the circle.

Today, shaped watches are enjoying a resurgence. Heritage houses are reimagining their non-round icons in new materials and with ever more complex complications, while independent brands are showing how much creative freedom comes from abandoning the default. These 10 watches prove that round is far from the only way to tell time.

AUDEMARS PIGUET: ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELFWINDING CHRONOGRAPH

When Gerald Genta created the Royal Oak in 1972, he upended the conventions of the luxury sports watch. Instead of following the round format of the day, he gave it a 39mm tonneau-shaped case, topped by a prominent octagonal bezel with eight visible screws inspired by a deep-sea diver's helmet. A textured Tapisserie dial completed a design that looked radically modern at the time and remains distinctive today.

More than 50 years later, Audemars Piguet has marked its 150th anniversary by developing a new ceramic shade that honours that legacy: Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50. Inspired by the night sky over the Vallee de Joux, where the manufacture has been based since 1875, it is a deep blue with roots in the original 1972 Royal Oak. Geneva-based dial maker Stern created the original tone by adding black pigment to a protective varnish, producing a clouded blue effect that became as recognisable as the case itself. Reproducing it in ceramic took years of development to ensure a uniform hue across every component.

The new shade appears across three models in the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore collections. The standout is the 42mm Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph, rendered entirely in Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 ceramic for a striking monochromatic effect. White gold hands and hour markers provide contrast and legibility, while the self-winding Calibre 4404 flyback chronograph offers a 70-hour power reserve.

BEDA'A: ANGLES STONE COLLECTION

Beda'a is a Doha- and Geneva-based independent watchmaker that may be unfamiliar to many readers, but its Angles 37 line deserves attention. With its clean octagonal form and stepped construction, the signature case is a study in geometry. The new Stone Collection introduces four natural-stone dials: blue aventurine, malachite, African hawk's eye and tiger eye. Each is cut to reveal its natural patterns, so no two dials are identical. Polished dauphine hands, a Swiss quartz movement and a Togo calfskin strap complete the 37mm watch.

BELL & ROSS: BR-05 BLUE DIAMOND EAGLE 36MM

The French watchmaker rarely ventures into jewellery watches, which makes the BR-05 Blue Diamond Eagle 36mm a pleasant surprise. Its signature round-in-a-square profile already gives the BR-05 a distinct presence, but here the 36mm steel case takes on a more poetic character. Set against a deep blue aventurine dial are seven diamonds arranged to recreate the Eagle constellation, while 12 more replace the hour markers, bringing the total to 19 stones in three different sizes. The watch is powered by the automatic calibre BR-CAL.329, which provides a 54-hour power reserve.

BREGUET: REINE DE NAPLES CRAZY FLOWER

The Reine de Naples collection has long been Breguet's most overtly feminine design statement. Its ovoid case dates back to 1812, when Abraham-Louis Breguet crafted what is widely considered the first wristwatch for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. More than two centuries later, its signature silhouette remains the collection's hallmark.

Created for the maison's 250th anniversary, this high-jewellery piece is inspired by the frangipani flower. Its 32.1mm by 24.5mm case in proprietary Breguet gold is surrounded by concentric corollas set with baguette-cut diamonds that move individually with the motion of the wrist, as if stirred by a gentle breeze. The diamonds on the dial are inverted – with their tables set downward and their points facing up – to mimic the pistils of a bloom. The watch is fitted with the self-winding calibre 586/1 and offers a 38-hour power reserve.

CARTIER: TANK AMERICAINE

Over the decades, Cartier has built an unmistakable design language around shaped cases – from the Santos de Cartier to the surreal Crash and the sensual Baignoire. But no other watch embodies it quite like the Tank. Designed by Louis Cartier in 1917, it is now regarded as one of the great icons of modern watchmaking. Defined by geometry, balance and precise proportions, it established a bold identity that has remained instantly recognisable for more than a century.

The Tank Americaine is one of its most graceful evolutions, stretching the original form into a slender silhouette. In this 28mm by 15.2mm white-gold version, Cartier turns the watch into a jewellery piece. Set with 569 diamonds, it pairs a silvered satin-finish dial and blued-steel sword hands with a diamond-set crown and an integrated bracelet that drapes fluidly around the wrist.

DENNISON: ALD DUAL TIME “SHADES” DIAL

Dennison is another name worth knowing. Since its 2024 relaunch, the British watchmaker has built a following around a case shape that is hard to categorise. Resembling a softened square, its corners are rounded just enough to blur the line between geometric and organic. At 37mm by 35.6mm, it wears more like jewellery than a conventional watch.

The “Shades” dial, designed by Emmanuel Gueit – the man behind the Royal Oak Offshore – is the main talking point. Though each dial is rendered in a single colour – green, blue or brown – the surface is split between vertical and horizontal brushing, causing the tone to shift constantly as the light changes. It is neither gradient nor fade, but a carefully controlled optical effect that makes one colour behave like several. For the first time, Dennison has added indices – Roman numerals mixed with Art Deco-inspired forms – giving the previously bare design a new layer of legibility.

Powered by twin Swiss Ronda quartz movements, the dual-time complication keeps the watch practical for frequent travellers. It is offered on either a taupe leather strap or a pebble-link steel bracelet, whose softly rounded links echo polished stones.

GERALD CHARLES: MAESTRO GC SPORT TENNIS WHITE

The independent Swiss watchmaker occupies a distinctive corner of shaped watchmaking, thanks to the Maestro case conceived by Gerald Genta in 2005. With its idiosyncratic profile and baroque flourish at 6 o'clock, the shape has become a Gerald Charles signature. In the Maestro GC Sport Tennis White, that familiar silhouette takes on a more athletic character. Inspired by the all-white dress code of grass-court tennis, the watch pairs a white textured dial and matching Velcro strap with a Darkblast Grade 5 titanium case, enhanced by a proprietary hardening treatment said to increase scratch resistance by up to 10 times.

Measuring 39mm by 41mm and weighing just 64 grams, the watch is engineered for movement, with Gerald Charles' ErgonTeq system improving wrist contact and stability. A screw-down crown on the left enhances comfort during play. The ultra-thin automatic Manufacture 2.0 calibre provides 50 hours of power reserve, 5G shock resistance and 100 metres of water resistance.

NITON: PRIMA

Every so often, a brand resurfaces from watchmaking's archives with a story too good to ignore. Manufacture des Montres Niton was founded in Geneva in 1919 by a watchmaker and two former Vacheron Constantin employees, and quickly earned a reputation for ultra-thin calibres and shaped movements. Through the 1920s and 1930s, it supplied movements to Patek Philippe, Cartier, Chopard, Van Cleef & Arpels and various independent jewellers. Economic headwinds eventually led to its gradual disappearance.

Now, more than a century later, the brand has been revived by Leopoldo Celi and Yvan Ketterer. The latter discovered a family connection to Niton while conducting genealogical research: A distant relative, George Ketterer, had served as president of Vacheron Constantin and was involved with the brand.

The Prima opens the new chapter, with just 19 pieces each in platinum and rose gold – a nod to the year Niton was founded. Its rounded rectangular case measures 27mm by 35.5mm and is just 7.9mm thick. Inside is an in-house manually wound calibre bearing both the Geneva Seal and chronometer certification – a first for an independent brand at launch. The dial revives Niton's jump-hour display from 1928, with a digital hour aperture at 12 o'clock, a rotating minute disc at the centre and a sweeping seconds hand at 6 o'clock. At each hour change, a hammer strikes a copper gong – a quiet mechanical heartbeat from a name the industry had almost forgotten.

RICHARD MILLE: RM 07-01 COLOURED CERAMICS

Few brands have done more to push shaped watchmaking into contemporary territory than Richard Mille. The RM 07-01, with its tonneau case and layered construction, has always projected a distinctly technical character. But the 2026 Coloured Ceramics collection – the final instalment in a series launched in 2021 – shows what happens when that engineering-led design language takes a more artistic turn.

Crafted from TZP (Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal) ceramic for colour stability and durability, the final trio comes in blush pink, lavender pink and powder blue, each limited to 50 pieces. Together, they push the series' exploration of colour, texture and light further while introducing gem-setting for the first time. Blush pink pairs diamonds with yellow and blue sapphires, powder blue combines diamonds with pink sapphires and tsavorites, and lavender pink brings together diamonds, orange sapphires and rubies.

The dials form a dense composition of guilloche, coloured ceramic details, rubber appliques and gems, creating a vivid abstract rhythm. The stone-set bezels are especially notable given the hardness of ceramic. Beneath the colourful exterior sits the in-house CRMA2 automatic calibre, skeletonised in grade 5 titanium and offering a 50-hour power reserve.

TIFFANY & CO: ETERNITY BY TIFFANY

The Eternity by Tiffany collection uses the cushion shape as a canvas for the American jeweller's stone-setting expertise. Making its debut in Japan, the latest addition features a deep blue aventurine dial whose glittering mineral surface evokes a night sky. Marking each hour is a hand-set diamond in a different cut – round brilliant, baguette, marquise, pear, heart, emerald, Tiffany True, Asscher, oval, triangle, cushion and princess – showcasing Tiffany's lapidary range.

At 12 o'clock sits the heart-shaped stone, a sentimental touch that suggests every day begins and ends with love. The bezel carries an unbroken ring of 44 round brilliant diamonds – a nod to the eternity band – while the crown borrows the six-prong setting of Tiffany's engagement ring. The 28mm quartz watch is set with 512 diamonds across the case and bracelet, totalling more than six carats. The bracelet alone requires 35 hours of hand-setting.