Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is thrilled to welcome you to The New York Sessions, Spring 2026, Online Auction, running from 12:00 PM ET, Wednesday, 1 April, to 12:00 PM ET, Wednesday, 8 April. The sale features more than 60 high-end luxury wristwatches, ranging from A. Lange & Söhne and Breguet to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
– By Logan Baker
Round watches dominate the conversation in modern collecting. They photograph well. They sit comfortably in the long history of the wristwatch. And they feel familiar in a way that makes them easy to understand.
But every so often, a watch comes along that reminds you that the story of wristwatches was never meant to be perfectly circular. Cushion and rectangular cases tell a different story. One tied to architecture, to the geometry of early wristwatches, and to a design language that rewards collectors willing to look slightly off center.
The earliest wristwatches rarely insisted on roundness.
In the early 20th century, watchmakers experimented freely with form. Rectangular, tonneau, and cushion shapes appeared as brands adapted pocket watch movements to the wrist or began designing movements specifically for new cases. These shapes felt modern then. In many ways, they still do today. A rectangular watch disrupts expectations. It changes how the dial reads, how the lugs flow, how light plays across the case. Even the simple act of checking the time feels slightly different.
The cushion shape sits in an interesting middle ground. It softens the strict lines of a rectangle while avoiding the predictability of a round case. The form gives designers room to experiment without sacrificing wearability. Corners create visual tension while curved edges keep the watch approachable on the wrist.
That balance is clear across the selection of cushion and rectangular watches in the catalogue for the Phillips New York Sessions, Spring 2026, Online Auction. Each approaches the shape from a slightly different angle, and together they form a survey of how watchmakers interpret geometry.
Consider the Audemars Piguet Edward Piguet Tourbillon Big Date Ref. 26009OR.
For collectors who associate Audemars Piguet primarily with the Royal Oak, the Edward Piguet collection offers a reminder that the brand has long explored alternative case forms. The elongated rectangular case frames the open tourbillon and oversized date display in a way that would feel almost conventional in a round watch, but becomes striking here. The movement's architecture aligns naturally with the case's vertical orientation, giving the entire watch a sense of order and symmetry.
A similar conversation between case shape and dial layout appears in the A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Moon-Phase in 18k yellow gold. Lange introduced the Cabaret in the late 1990s when the reborn manufacture was still defining its modern identity. The rectangular case allowed Lange to design a movement specifically for the form, rather than forcing a round caliber into a shaped case. The result feels unmistakably Saxon in character, with the moon-phase display and the outsized date arranged to emphasize clarity and proportion.
Patek Philippe has perhaps explored shaped watches more consistently than any other major manufacture (other than Cartier), and several examples in this catalogue highlight that tradition. The Gondolo Ref. 4972/1G-001 carries forward the Art Deco spirit that originally defined the Gondolo line. Its elongated 18k white gold case and diamond-set bezel feel unapologetically formal, yet the clean dial layout keeps the watch grounded in classic Patek restraint.
The Patek Philippe Ellipse Ref. 3848/8, with its distinctive oval geometry and integrated mesh bracelet fits naturally into the broader conversation about non-round watches. The Ellipse occupies a category of its own, built around the proportions of the golden ratio. Its smooth, flowing shape feels less architectural and more sculptural, which explains why it continues to resonate decades after its introduction.
Of course, shaped watches are not limited to traditional dress pieces. The Richard Mille RM010 Automatic demonstrates how the cushion profile can support a thoroughly contemporary design language. The tonneau-inspired case, here rendered in 18k white gold and diamond-set, emphasizes the layered architecture that defines Richard Mille’s aesthetic. The shape frames the movement like a structural chassis rather than a simple container.
Bell & Ross approaches the idea from yet another perspective with the Skeleton Tourbillon Ref. BRX1-SKTB-SAPHIR. The sapphire crystal case transforms the cushion form into a transparent stage for the movement inside. In a watch like this, the case shape becomes almost secondary to the mechanical spectacle it reveals, yet the curved square silhouette still anchors the design.
Even Patek Philippe’s Twenty-4 Ref. 4908/11R-010 shows how rectangular geometry continues to evolve. Originally conceived as a modern bracelet watch, the Twenty-4 embraces elongated lines that emphasize elegance and wearability, especially when rendered in warm pink gold.
What ties all of these watches together is not simply the shape of their cases but the design freedom that shape creates. A round case imposes certain expectations. A cushion or rectangular case invites experimentation. It forces the watchmaker to reconsider the relationship between movement, dial, and case architecture.
Collectors often discover shaped watches gradually. A first glance may feel unfamiliar, even slightly disorienting. But over time, that unfamiliarity becomes the appeal. A well-executed cushion or rectangular watch offers something a round watch rarely can. A sense that the design follows its own logic rather than the default geometry of the wristwatch.
You can view the complete Phillips New York Sessions, Spring 2026, Online Auction catalogue here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past ten years covering the watch industry from every angle. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo in early 2023 as Senior Editorial Manager, after previous roles at Hodinkee and WatchTime. Originally from Texas, he spent a decade in New York and now calls Geneva home.