Tonight we are looking at another affordable watch that has some inspiration from Scandinavian design, but it comes from Hong Kong. So I was browsing the internet and found this watch that we are looking on today, the SQ38 Plano watch. I really liked the dial and the case back this watch has.

So here is a little story on the story behind Squarestreet watches.

Founded 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden by Alexis Holm, squarestreet designs and develops elegant contemporary timepieces with one foot in minimalist modernity and the other firmly rooted in traditional wristwatch aesthetics. A completely new type of shopping experience was brought to the people of Hong Kong when David Ericsson and Alexis Holm decided to share an office located on the ground floor at 15 Square Street in Sheung Wan. The duo, each working on their separate brands, David with VOID Watches and Alexis on gram Footwear, and slowly an open space environment mixing showroom, office and workshop emerged. All Squarestreet products are designed and developed by the founders themselves, who are both born and bred Swedes, thus granting the store a natural integrity and a touch of Scandinavian aesthetic. Apart from watches and footwear, high quality leather goods, eyewear and jewelry can also be found at Squarestreet. The duo firmly believes that simplicity, functionality, quality and pricing are all vital components, and the pivotal point around which Squarestreet spins.

So the watch arrived in pretty fast from Hong Kong. It took about 7 days, which is pretty fast. The box is this rectangular one, but a bit nicer than regular. You open the box and here it is. First impressions I really like the dial and those textured overlay rings are really cool. I like these kinds of dials. I once saw it on some boutique brand watch and was searching for something similar on some affordable watch.

The case is made from stainless steel which is ion plated matte black. The finishing is really nice and seems to be very thick and wouldn’t scratch easily. I banged the watch couple of times on a doorknob and it held ok. The case size is only 38mm, which is one of the smallest watches I reviewed. But it wears like 40mm due to lug shape. The watch is quite slim, only 6,7mm. The lug width is 20mm. The springs bars are held in with screws, I kind of don’t like this, it makes it harder to swap straps because not anyone has these small flathead screwdrivers. I think they need to get rid of this or include the screwdriver with the watch. The case back is a screw on and has this X to open it, instead of classic holes for the case back removing tool. I really like how it looks. I just have something for these small design things in watches, no matter what the price, some watches have interesting designs that aren’t appreciated. The crown is in this almost disc shape, it is very close to the case, it is easy to operate. I don’t know what crystal sits over the dial, but it seems like it is mineral.

The dial is in lacquer black colour. The dial has this interesting overlaying circle texture. I really like that, makes the dial look richer in the sun and also it looks more expensive. The dial is made busy with many hours, minutes and seconds indexes, they all are in gold colour. On 12 o’clock there strangely is a lume pip. That is strange because you don’t have lume on hands, so it makes no sense to put it there. To me, that is a design flaw. On the 3 o’clock you will find circular date window to go with that circular pattern dial. The hands are gold too, to match the markers on the dial. 

The movement inside is Ronda 705, nothing particularly amazing about this movement, but it has 3,5-year battery life. Usually, it is 2 years. The strap is made from Swedish reindeer leather. The strap is really soft and it wraps your wrist nicely. The buckle I think doesn’t suit the watch, it would suit more to a WW2 watch, as it looks vintage.

Overall I think the watch is good looking, it has some quirks. But I think it is overpriced. I know you get Swiss movement and all that, but you can buy a lot better watches for this kind of money. Seiko, Orient, Citizen offers really good watches in this price range. Of course, if you really are into Swedish design watches and don’t want the DW that everyone has these days, the go for it.

Price: $285.00 USD @ squarestreet.se

• Case: 316L Stainless Steel
• Case Colour: Matt Grey
• Hand: Polished Gold
• Dial: Black
• Crown: Matt Grey
• Strap: SWEDISH Brown Reindeer Leather
• Strap Lining：SWEDISH Brown Reindeer Leather
• Movement: Swiss Ronda 705
• Case Diameter: 38 mm excl. crown
• Case Thickness: 6.7mm incl. case back & glass
• Water Resistance: 5ATM
• Battery Life: 42 Months / 3.5 Years
• Warranty: 2 Years
• Packaging: Black paper gift box
• Product Code: SQ38 PS-23

____________________________________________________________________________________

Also, they sent me a strap that they made. It is called SUPLON Nylon strap. SUPLON straps are Light Weight, Breathable, Durable, Machine Washable, Hypoallergenic, Eco-Friendly, Vegan, Flame Retardant, Anti-Fungal and extremely adjustable, as well as being incredibly elegant and generally super good looking.

I put this strap on my GT&FQ Rider M100 which I reviewed about two years ago. A great watch with a great Sea-Gull movement btw. The strap suits the watch I think very well. It is between dressy and sporty. I really like that after you spent a week outside with it sweating, going swimming, beeing in that sand and then putting it in the washing machine to wash it, and it is as new. It is also good for the summer because it breads. Actually, my first thoughts were of knitted jumper when I saw the strap 😀

After some time of using it, it stretched a little, but I put it in the washing machine and it got back to its size. The buckle probably is the one thing I don’t like and I already ordered one that will suit it better and will match the case of the watch. Overall it is a great summer strap for your watch. Go check it out, they have many colours on their site, so there are plenty to choose from to match you watch!

Price: $35.00 USD @ squarestreet.se

• 20mm width
• 20mm buckle is INCLUDED, please indicate which colour (Black or Gold) you prefer while checking out
• Strap changing tool is NOT INCLUDED
• Completely machine washable after buckle and tubes are removed
• Hypoallergenic, meaning it does not cause any allergic reactions with the skin