Looking for a High-End Watch? Think Square.

Circular watch faces may be the standard, but who ever said standard was the only way to go? If you're looking for a new high-end watch—one that stands out, but does it with subtlety—a squared-off timepiece might be exactly what you need. And thanks to trustworthy secondhand sources like Crown & Caliber, you don't have to rely on the vagaries of the market at any given time. Instead, you can shop around for newer and older styles at once, and pick what you like best. 

The shapes themselves run from slightly curvilinear rectangles with softer corners to, well, actual squares. But what brings them into the same family is a bit of geometrical edge that makes them feel markedly different than your everyday watch. And the pieces themselves—whether it's the newer Tetra from German brand Nomos or a classic like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso—are the kinds of things you'll be happy to have someone notice and ask about at the office or on the street. Here are five of our favorites to buy right now.

Longines Evidenza L2.642.4

The Evidenza collection is inspired by the aesthetic of the '20s, embracing what was then a revolutionary shift in style and now manages to feel both familiar and exciting at once. But while the Art Deco-ish lines are just under a century old, the inspiration for the tonneau shape of the case is even older, dating back to a Longines watch from 1911.

Nomos Glashütte Tetra 406

Situated in the German watchmaking capital of Glashütte, Nomos is a brand that embraces new design ideals while still celebrating the centuries of expertise that inform modern mechanical timepieces. The Tetra is a sharp-edged square with a distinctive look, blending stark minimalism with bits of levity, like bright blue hour and minute hands. If you've been hunting for a watch unlike any other in your collection, this may just be it.

Bell & Ross BR03-92 

Inspired by military history and aeronautical instruments, Bell & Ross is a brand that's not afraid to make a bold statement. The BR03-92 is a 42mm steel watch with an automatic movement, and it's just as hard-wearing as it looks.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 250.8.86 Watch

The Reverso is, quite possibly, the most elegant piece of proof that necessity is the mother of invention. Tasked with making a watch that could withstand the rigors of a polo match, JLC created a design where you could literally reverse the face within the case, flipping it inward to protect it from mallet strikes. You probably don't play polo, but the watch's clean, Art Deco lines and clever design are enough to have transformed it into a classic nonetheless.

Franck Muller Master Banker 2852 MB

Swiss brand Franck Muller is devoted to creating unique, highly complicated watches. Some of them can get a little crazy looking. But the Master Banker, which shows three time zones all controlled by the same crown, hides the impressive engineering inside the case and keeps the look relatively simple.

crownandcaliber.com

This story originally appeared on Esquire.com. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.