Facing change: square watches that work around the clock

Forget the Trump-Kim how-did-the-orange-guy-get-played-so-badly-non-summit, the biggest news of the past few weeks has been the seismic change in the world of pancakes. American restaurant chain International House of Pancakes (Ihop) changed its name to International House of Burgers (Ihob). OK, I can see it was a marketing stunt, but, boy, did it work!

All this messing with a tried-and-tested formula got me thinking about square watches. The round case is your typical, classical, boringly familiar shape and has been since wristwatches were introduced in the 16th century (they were called arm watches then and were primarily worn by women). Square watches, on the other hand, are an acquired taste, just like burgers at Ihop. If you like to be “different” in a conformist way, however, there are some rather spiffy square watches out there.

A nod to Nomos’ Tetra and the Hermès Carré H, both of which are worth a look, but we begin our deep dive with the alpha papa of square watches, the Tag Heuer Monaco. The iconic tribute-to-racing watch, which, to me at least, looks bizarre, made its debut in the 1971 film Le Mans, starring Tag Heuer devotee Steve McQueen.

The latest model retains that 1970s design, which was disruptive for its time and gives more room for the chronograph subdials. Tag Heuer didn’t change much but a nice retro flourish is the old Heuer logo on the dial with the legend Monaco above it. The pictured watch is the Calibre 11, as identified by the crown on the left side of the 39mm by 39mm steel case. The watch, which comes with a perforated calfskin strap, is priced at about HK$41,500.