In the world of horology, shapes are more than mere design choices—they tell stories, evoke emotions, and can even challenge the concept of time itself. We often hear about timepieces being as much art as they are instruments of time, after all, each watch has its own story to tell. Some watches embrace symmetry, while others revel in breaking away from it. Design and functionality blur into art, and they challenge how we perceive it. This is our curated selection of watches that do it best.

A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk Date

Zeitwerk Date.

Circles are inherently paradoxical if you think about it. By definition, they are a perfectly balanced geometrical shape—from the centre to its circumference, every point is of equal length. Yet, this very perfection leaves them vulnerable to imbalance. The slightest nudge can set a circle rolling in any direction, and the smallest irregularity can cause it to deviate off course. We like to think that A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk Date captures this delicate tension.

On top of the perfectly round 44mm case, the timepiece’s dial perpetuates this symmetry through jumping digital displays positioned at opposite ends. Around them, a grey expanse colours the dial, representing the ambivalent space, the in-between—the balance and the imbalance. The 31 days of the month marches along the dial's circumference, encircling the dial. As time passes over the course of a month, each new day is highlighted in vibrant red, disrupting the equilibrium of the watch.

Hublot Square Bang Unico All Black Diamonds

Square Bang Unico All Black Diamonds.

To call someone “square” is to label them rigid, unbending, immovable. In some contexts, it can also suggest a lack of creativity. However, in the world of horology, where square watches are a rarity, the opposite holds true. Hublot’s Square Bang is the brand’s first foray into square-framed timepieces, and the limited edition Unico All Black Diamonds, in particular, drew us in. With its all-black aesthetic—from the rubber strap to the case and the exposed skeleton dial revealing its inner workings—the watch is a study in darkness. Like a black hole, this little black box on your wrist exerts a gravitational pull, drawing eyes to its depth.

In keeping with the square's reputation for strength, the case is constructed from microblasted and polished black ceramic, an ultra-durable material that’s almost entirely scratchproof. Yet, there’s a muted elegance behind its tough exterior with black diamonds carefully tracing the edge of the case. Rugged yet refined, darkness and sparkle—the Square Bang Unico All Black Diamonds isn’t afraid of stepping out of line.

Bvlgari Serpenti Tubogas

Serpenti Tubogas.

Snakes have long been linked to time in various cultures. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, the Ouroboros—an iconic symbol of a snake devouring its own tail—represents the cyclical nature of life, death, and time. Hindu mythology has Shesha Nāga, a cosmic serpent that controls the flow of time by coiling and uncoiling itself. Bvlgari carries this idea forward with the Serpenti Tubogas, a watch that is a snake; a snake that tells time.

The case of the watch mimics the skull of a serpent, while its bracelet elegantly coils and wraps itself around the wrist in two-toned rose gold and steel. The watch blends softness and intensity, exuding both vulnerability and ferocity—one might even call it a “women’s watch”, which is ironic considering watches were historically made for women. But I’d like to think the Serpenti Tubogas, much like its celestial counterparts, can transcend boundaries—even the rigid societal ones of today.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon

Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon.

Rectangles are natural frames, they create boundaries between worlds. The shape itself is a creative tool, and has long been prevalent in art. Think about it, rectangular frames are used in cinema to give films structure in a closed, controlled space. In painting, rectangles can be used to reinforce themes of isolation. Recall Edward Hopper boxing characters into rooms, or utilising window frames to cut them off from the outside world. Perhaps this is why rectangular watches resonate with me most. Take Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon, for instance. Its rectangular frame offers a captivating glimpse into the past.

Measuring just 27mm in width, its sunrayed grey dial with striped engravings on the case evokes the hedonistic elegance of the Art Deco era. However, the hand-assembled flying tourbillion sitting at 6 O’clock is what draws eyes. The case can be flipped to reveal a different face on its underbelly—one that’s more raw and exposed. Whatever you choose, you can rest assured knowing the flying tourbillion will be visible on both sides of the rectangle.

Cartier Crash

Cartier Crash.

The Cartier Crash needs no introduction. Its elongated case resembles something that’s been melting under intense heat, creating a surreal, pulled effect. The watch is steeped in irony, which shouldn’t come as a surprise with a case as expressive as this. The melted case gives the impression of distorted time, yet it tells time precisely as intended. As if suspended in a moment of chaos, even the Roman numerals have been elongated and stuck in time, yet the sword-shaped blued-steel hands continue their steady ticking. The Cartier Crash’s rarity and desirability on the market almost elevates it to the level of an artefact—one that plays with the idea of time as something mutable. It presents a surreal interpretation of the concept, one where past, present and future twist and meld into one.

Illustration: Joan Tai using Adobe Firefly

If someone handed me a pen and asked me to sketch the most majestic, elegant, and imperial-looking watch I could imagine, I wouldn’t—frankly, because I can’t draw. But if I were to describe it, it would probably look something like this Datograph Handwerkskunst from A. Lange & Söhne.

Hand-stitched dark brown alligator leather strap, a deployant buckle, a case made from 18-karat yellow gold contrasted by a black-rhodiumed dial, Roman numeral-inspired indices, an intricate movement composed of 426 parts, and a flyback chronograph. This is A. Lange & Söhne’s Datograph Handwerkskunst, a timepiece so dreamy it had me daydreaming of hypothetical situations. The features highlighted would typically be touted as the key selling points of any watch, but I haven’t even touched on the most interesting aspects of this one yet.

The Movement

Comprising of 426 parts and 43 jewels, the Lange manufacture calibre L951.8 is a manually wound movement that aptly represents the pinnacle of A. Lange & Söhne’s meticulousness and artistry. Assembled and decorated entirely by hand, the calibre’s architecture features black-polished chronograph levers. This rare, time-consuming technique causes the surface to reflect light only from specific angles, appearing jet black at times, and glossy at others. The hand-engraved balance cock, adorned with a delicate vine motif, rises subtly from the surface, setting the mood for the rest of the movement. The untreated German silver plates and bridges contribute to a sense of organic growth within the movement. Would it be remiss to suggest that the overall architecture of the movement is reminiscent of intertwining vines? You can be the judge of that by examining the caseback, where every polish, grain, and engravement is showcased, revealing the hard work of the artisans’.

This movement powers a 60-hour power reserve and a flyback chronograph with a precise jumping minute counter, allowing for seamless resets and efficient timing adjustments. The outsize date display, a signature of the house creates an elegant symmetry so pleasing it could bring tears to Leonardo da Vinci’s eye. All this can be adjusted through a crown for winding and setting, two chronograph buttons, and a button for rapid correction of the outsize date.

The Dial

Immediately, the surface of the black-rhodiumed dial is what draws eyes. Brought to life by an intricate tremblage engraving—a historical technique practised by very few artisans due to the years of training required—it creates a fine-grained, 3D texture that captures and reflects light in subtle ways, lending the 41mm timepiece a certain air of mystery rarely seen in modern watchmaking.

As the eighth model in A. Lange & Söhne's special HANDWERKSKUNST series, the Datograph Handwerkskunst is limited to just 25 pieces worldwide, but it makes sense. I’ll let Anthony de Haas, Director Product Development explain, “Manually executed with the highest degree of precision, the decorations and finishing exhibit aesthetics that no machine in the whole world could possibly achieve.”

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