From around the 1980s, substantial watches larger than 38mm have dominated wrists, by offering a stronger presence, more room to house complications, and a larger dial to display more than just time, compared to the vintage timepieces that measured in the mid-30s. And these watches were hard to miss, from the 42mm Patek Philippe Nautilus Jumbo and the 42mm Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande Taille, to the 51mm Breitling Emergency, all the way to the 60mm Panerai L’Egiziano PAM 341.
But the times they are a-changin’: What goes up must come down, and the same can be said about watch case sizes. Smaller watches from dainty Cartier Panthères to Mini Baignoires have found favour with celebrities such as Timothee Chalamet and Emma Chamberlain, proving that tiny tickers are making a long-overdue return to prominence. With that said, here are five new watches that prove small watches are the biggest thing right now.
Omega Constellation Meteorite 25/28/29mm
Omega’s Constellation collection welcomes watches with dials crafted from the 4.5 billion-year-old Muonionalusta meteorite, whose natural patterns and striations mean that each dial is unique. Just 20 models make up the full selection, which includes a 29mm Co-Axial Master Chronometer in stainless steel and yellow gold, a 28mm version in stainless steel and Omega’s Sedna Gold, and a 25mm version in stainless steel and Sedna Gold.
Tudor Claire de Rose 26mm
Tudor’s Clair de Rose line has now been extended with dials in Tudor Blue; though it’s not an exact shade, it’s the latest in a long line of blue dials in the watchmaker’s history, starting with the 1969 Tudor Submariner with a blue dial. Complementing the blue dial on the stainless steel timepiece is a blue spinel cabochon on the crown, while diamond hour markers and Roman numerals provide contrast. Besides 26mm, the Clair de Rose novelties with the Tudor Blue dials are also available in 30mm and 34mm. The smaller two watches run on the self-winding mechanical movement T201, with 38 hours of power reserve.
Hublot Classic Fusion 29mm
Among Hublot’s novelties at this year’s Watches & Wonders Geneva is the Classic Fusion 29mm in combinations of titanium, Hublot’s proprietary King Gold, or yellow gold, with or without diamonds on the bezel, and with dials in black, grey, blue or green, all powered by the MHUB2915 quartz movement. This new member of Hublot’s Classic Fusion collection also happens to be the brand’s smallest timepiece ever.
Chopard L’Heure du Diamant 26mm
New to Chopard’s L’Heure du Diamant is the 26mm round jewellery watch, one of the smallest case sizes within the collection of diamond-set women’s watches. Made from ethically sourced and processed rose gold or white gold, this jewellery watch features a dial of mother-of-pearl or malachite, 12 brilliant-cut diamonds, a bracelet crafted with a veined texture that the maison describes as bark-style, and the remarkably thin manual-winding mechanical movement Chopard 10.01-C—just 2.90mm in thickness.
Audemars Piguet Mini Royal Oak 23mm
In the footsteps of the smallest Royal Oak ever created, the 20mm Mini Royal Oak launched in 1997, Audemars Piguet unveils the Miniature Royal Oak with the Calibre 2730 quartz movement. Made of yellow gold, white gold or pink gold, the diminutive watch brings a jewellery aesthetic to the manufacture’s most-recognised watch through its Frosted Gold finish, which stands out against the polished bevels of the Royal Oak’s signature octagonal case. The Frosted Gold technique was derived from traditional Florentine jewellery making, revisited by the jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, and brought into Audemars Piguet in 2016.
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