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Is it finally hip to be square?

- Alvin Wong

The new Hermès Carré H got us thinking: why aren’t there more square-cased watches out there? After all, the brands which have enlisted the geometrically proportionate profile have been rather successful with their output. There are only a handful from recent memory, but all have proven to be heavy-hitters: TAG Heuer’s Monaco, Bell & Ross’ BR-01, and Cartier’s Santos, just to name a few. With the easily identifiable (and bafflingly underutilised) case shape demonstrating to be very handy in helping the aforementioned collections achieve iconic stature, we wonder if the humble square case can also do the same for Hermès Carré H?

For all its attempts at horological legitimacy since the mid-2000s – from investing in Vaucher Manufacture in 2006 to enhance its production capabilities, working with specialist master watchmakers like JeanMarc Wiederrecht, to releasing its own in-house movements – Hermès has taken an esoteric route with its watch designs.