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International Press Coverage
The New York Times · Fashion & Style · February 12, 2025
Söner Watches
Featured in
The New York Times
The New York
Times
Founded 1851 · New York, USA · Global readership of 10+ million
In February 2025, The New York Times named Söner Watches in a feature on the global rise of rectangular watch design — the first major international newspaper to describe the angular watch movement as a genuine cultural shift in contemporary horology.
The article, written by journalist Alex Hawgood and published in the Fashion & Style section on February 12 2025, examined why rectangular watches are increasingly capturing the attention of collectors, stylists, and fashion editors worldwide. Söner was cited as a key voice in that shift — the only brand in the world building exclusively around the rectangular form.
For an independent Swedish watch brand founded in 2016, editorial coverage in the newspaper of record is a signal that what we have been building for nearly a decade has crossed from niche interest into mainstream cultural conversation. The rectangular watch is no longer a footnote in watch history. It is becoming the story.
"Square and rectangular watches represent an elegance and balance that round watches simply cannot achieve. They break away from convention — offering something for those who value individuality."
Freddie Palmgren — Founder, Söner Watches · As quoted in The New York Times, February 2025
The timing of the article was significant. Rectangular watches had been gaining ground with major houses — Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines — all doubling down on their angular collections. But the NYT feature acknowledged something broader: that the shift was no longer driven only by heritage brands. Independent labels built around the rectangle from the ground up were part of the story too.
Söner was founded in Kungsbacka, Sweden in 2016 with a single conviction: that the rectangle deserved its own brand. In a market where roughly 98% of watches are round, we chose a different path — one grounded in Art Deco geometry, Swedish minimalism, and Swiss and Japanese precision. The NYT feature confirmed that the world was beginning to see what we had seen from the start.
The article is available to subscribers at nytimes.com. Söner's full press and media coverage — including the German Design Award 2026, Wikipedia documentation, and 21 independent YouTube reviews — is listed on the press and media page.
Why it matters
The Rectangular Watch Moment
The NYT feature was not just about Söner — it was about a movement. Rectangular watches had long been the domain of a handful of heritage houses: the Cartier Tank, the JLC Reverso, the Longines DolceVita. But by 2025, the form was gaining broader momentum, and independent brands built entirely around the rectangle were part of that shift. The article named the angular watch movement as a cultural development in contemporary horology — the first time a mainstream publication had framed it that way. For a brand that had been making that argument since 2016, it was validation of the long game.
2025 Year of feature
10M+ NYT global readership
2016 Söner founded
Explore Söner Watches
The World's Only Rectangular Watch Brand
Söner Watches is exclusively dedicated to rectangular analog wristwatches. Four collections. Swiss and Japanese movements. 4.93/5 from 524 verified reviews. 10-year factory warranty. As featured in The New York Times and winner of the German Design Award 2026.
