Does Size Really Matter?

Tackling the eternal question, we break down the trend of smaller watches with insights from an avid watch collector.

- Brandon Chia

Not too long ago, watches serving big wrist energy-literally, the bigger the better - used to dominate the market. But as of 2023, watches are officially shrinking and demand for these subtle options have reached new heights.

While the Rolex Daytona, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore and the Patek Philippe Nautilus are still considered the "holy grail" for seasoned and budding collectors, men and women alike, models with dimensions ranging from 25 to 38mm like Cartier's Tanks and Vacheron Constantin's Overseas Selfwinding are on the lists of watch enthusiasts.

A-list men are leading the charge on this downsizing trend. Last year, Ben Affleck made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a 25mm Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex, gifted by JLo, and The Weeknd wore a diamond and yellow sapphire encrusted Piaget Limelight Gala timepiece at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Of course, most recently at the 2024 Golden Globes, Timothée Chalamet pulled out the 2013 ladies' Cartier Crash with a diamond bezel and a white gold bracelet, which was a huge red carpet moment on social media.

So, what gives-why are small watches experiencing a renaissance? For starters, watches with smaller diameters and thinner cases are more comfortable and wearable because they are lighter and, ergonomically, smaller watches tend to sit flush on our oval-shaped wrists, especially those fitted with a leather or rubber strap.

Taking into account that size is relative, Shawn Tan, founder of Singapore's acclaimed vintage watch boutique-Heirloom Gallery explains that smaller watches make sense for most Asian people because of their build, while the Americans and Europeans might gravitate towards 41 or 42mm watches as they look small on their wrists.