It is logical to assume that we associate symmetry with consistency, precision with accuracy, order with exactness, and where else do we demand and expect these elements than in an instrument that is the essence of the aforementioned: a watch. Thinking back to those formative days in school, learning how to tell the time on a simple circular clock face dial, and even through the journey of a portable clock to pocketwatch, we take for granted that watches are in the first instance, geometrically round. Delve a little deeper and the round shape was not landed upon as some hit or miss choice – good design is rarely random. There are underlying reasons and principles that guide design choices, and in the case of early movements they were destined to be round, because it made it easier to fit the movement into a pocket watch, round shapes slide in and out more smoothly than other shapes. Mechanical components like plates, escapements, and balance springs too were arranged in a circular fashion because watch movements are most crucially, wheels.
Having to adapt these movements to non-circular cases would always be more challenging and potentially less efficient, and yet around the 1970s and in the midst of the ‘quartz crisis’ emerged a willingness on the part of watchmakers to depart from the standard circular mould, and explore the realms of non-traditional case possibilities, which in some instances resulted in some surreal outcomes. These daring designers proving precision and asymmetry can tick away independently of each other.
Of all the collected Swiss watchmakers, Cartier stands head and shoulders above the rest in their creative, daring and playful presentations of shaped watches, with a penchant for the oblique, irregular and distorted. Their daring departures continue to pay dividends as they rework and release editions of celebrated classics from the Tank Asymetric to Cloche to La Dona. But if there is one watch that can be credited with the assurgent interest in shaped watches then that lies fairly and asymmetrically with arguably the most arresting and unconventional designs in the history of watchmaking: the Crash. Conceived in Cartier’s London Boutique in 1967 this piece of melted metal is really a case of once you see it you can’t unsee it and can only be described as revolutionary.
Another pioneer in the asymmetric watch realm is the powerhouse Vacheron & Constantin, not only laying claim as the oldest continuous watch brand in the world, but along with Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe it forms one of the thee pillars of Swiss watchmaking excellence. And in saying that, you would think VC would be a characteristically restrained, safe and sober bet, instead what makes this brand so captivating and awe-inspiring is its foresight and innovation, a product of which is their asymmetric Prestige de la France released in 1972. The paradox being that even with an unorthodox case shape, it is still deceptively perfect as it actually follows the Golden Ratio, Euclid’s mathematical formula that has fascinated mathematicians and artists since antiquity. And if the eye-catching design wasn’t enough the brand received the prestigious Diplôme du Prestige de la France, an award for achievement and contribution to French heritage in recognition of their unusual ground-breaking trapezoidal timepieces.
Travelling across the pond we turn to another powerhouse in watch manufacturing, founded in Lancaster Pennsylvania, the Hamilton Watch Company. If ever there was a watch that challenged watch design status quo you’ll find it in all its rebellious glory in Hamilton’s very funky, Ventura. Imagined by American industrial designer Richard Arbib in 1957, the Ventura broke all existing moulds in its unusual winged, shield-shaped case design. Not only was it powered by an electric calibre 500 which could run by the power of a mechanical movement in combination with an electrical battery, the case design was the definition of anti-establishment and intuitively it found its ‘brand ambassador’ in the era’s foremost proponent, Elvis Presley, when worn by him in his film Blue Hawaii. Like the King, the Ventura’s impact was electrifying, a historical landmark whose impact continues to be felt.
Which is the precisely the point with this exciting subset of watches, collectors now appreciate and value these asymmetric watches as much for their distortion as for their precision.
By Patricia Kontos, Senior Timepieces Specialist
Top Image: Timothee Chalamet at the Golden Globe Awards wearing a Cartier crash watch / Alamy
May 2025