M01, the watch for MONOFORE

Monofore is a new London-based watch brand with a love of rectangular timepieces and minimalist design. They approached us to help them design their new range of watches – and to bring an iconic style right up to date.

There’s no doubt that the most common watch shape is the round face. However, some of the most iconic watches of all time are rectangular – defined by clean geometry and classic proportions. The issue is that this style hasn’t moved with the times. While the shape remains pleasing to the eye, many watch brands have failed to put in the craft needed to make a rectangular case feel modern, sleek and relevant today.

THE CASE

Our starting point was to make the design less stern and gentler as its circular counterpart. Monofore pride themselves on clean lines. So rather than going for a mechanical feeling, we created a case that’s formed by two soft surfaces intersecting. The result is a case that curves upwards from the wrist and a slightly curved bezel with an ergonomic feel.

THE DIAL

The same friendly design was used for the dial: instead of the steep inside sidewalls you find on older rectangular watches, the Monofore dial gradually curves upwards to seamlessly join the case underneath the glass.

We also embedded the crown of the watch into the side of the case, so it’s invisible from the top, giving it the cleanest possible silhouette. Finally, we finished the face with classic hands and indexes, without digits, so it’s easy to read and crystal clear.

THE STRAPS

We also designed stitchless Italian leather straps which come with a quick release spring bar so they can be changed easily, without tools. So you can choose your colour at purchase or swap your strap to suit your mood.