Söner Watches Review – The Legacy and the Swedish Rectangular Brand

Söner is one of those Swedish watch brands that has truly dared to go its own way. While the rest of the industry drowns in round dials, Söner has bet everything on the rectangular – and it has paid off. We were one of the first to review the brand, when we tested the Söner Legacy back in 2022. A lot has happened since: the brand has been featured in the New York Times, won a German Design Award and even ended up on Russell Crowe’s wrist.

Here is our original review – updated in 2026 with everything that has happened since.

A quick word on Söner – the Swedish rectangular brand

Söner was founded by west-coast Swede Freddie Palmgren and is named after his two sons, William and Widar (söner is Swedish for “sons”). We have been in direct contact with Freddie ever since the start, and it is hard not to catch his drive. He has built the brand mostly on his own, without big financiers, with one clear idea: someone ought to make rectangular watches properly again.

The design draws inspiration from Art Deco and the middle of the 20th century, and Söner has deliberately built its watches to hold their own against names like Cartier and Longines – but with considerably better specifications for the money. Holding so firmly to a niche is a risk, but it is exactly what has made the brand recognisable.

Söner Legacy – our first-hand impression

We wore the Söner Legacy for a few days before forming an opinion – our piece was the colourful version with a gold-tone case and green dial. And the first thing you notice is that this is a substantial watch. It is no small thing; it takes up space on the wrist and gets noticed when you wear it.

The second thing we noticed was the robustness. With a larger watch it is extra important that it feels solid and can take some knocks – and you get that feeling straight away with the Legacy. The case, crystal and bracelet come together to give an impression of quality far above what the price tag suggests.

Design and colour

Colour is something Söner dares to do. Green, gold and a brown strap – together they make the Legacy a little colour bomb that adds to the watch’s presence. On a cold February day it felt almost too cheerful, but we saw immediately that this is a watch that comes into its own in summer, on the jetty or by the sea.

The rectangular shape is, of course, the whole point. It gives a different, more distinctive expression than a round watch, and Söner has fine-tuned the proportions so that it feels balanced rather than clumsy. Today the same case comes in a range of colourways – from a discreet white dial with steel mesh to more expressive variants.

Strap, buckle and the clever logo on the side

We always place great weight on the strap and buckle, because they decide how a watch feels to wear. The Söner Legacy is a heavy watch, which puts extra pressure on exactly those parts – but the buckle really holds up. That type of buckle can easily go slack and feel cheap, but this one truly doesn’t.

The absolute favourite detail? The logo sits on the side of the strap, right below six o’clock, instead of hidden on the underside. It is a surprisingly smart solution we have never seen on any other brand – why hide the logo under the watch when it can sit where you, the wearer, actually see it? A small detail that says a lot about how thoughtfully Söner works.

Quartz then – automatic now

Our Legacy was powered by a Japanese Miyota 2035 quartz movement, a reliable and easily serviced choice that suits a watch in this price bracket. But Söner has not stood still: as early as late 2021 the brand launched its first automatic watch via Kickstarter, and today there are mechanical models alongside the quartz variants – the same look and case, but with a movement that lifts the watch another notch.

From a Swedish jetty to TV – and Hollywood

Seeing a watch you have tested on someone else’s wrist often gives you a whole new picture of it. The Söner Legacy turned up on the arm of Swedish singer Tommy Körberg during a summer TV appearance – and suited him perfectly as a summer watch.

https://youtu.be/yOY9zv6k1x4

Since then the celebrity shine has taken a real leap. In 2025 Hollywood star Russell Crowe ordered a full 30 Söner watches for the crew behind his new film – and showed them off on TikTok to hundreds of thousands of followers. You’ll find that whole story, straight from Freddie, in our article Russell Crowe buys Swedish Söner.

How much Söner has grown since our review

When we wrote this review, Söner was a promising Swedish upstart. Today the brand is something else entirely: the New York Times featured Freddie and Söner in the article “His Watch World Has Right Angles” (February 2025), and in 2026 the brand won a German Design Award in the Excellent Product Design, Luxury Goods category. For a small Swedish maker to get there on pure design is impressive – and it confirms exactly what we felt back in 2022.

Our verdict

In short: the Söner Legacy was one of the more memorable watches we have tested from a Swedish brand, and Söner is one of the few upstarts that has genuinely delivered on its promise. If you want to check out Söner’s current range, you can do so on Söner’s own website.

Frequently asked questions about Söner