After more than a decade dominated by oversized cases and attention-grabbing wrist presence, the pendulum is swinging firmly back toward comfort and wearability.
The wave of 2024 releases — a movement that has only strengthened throughout 2025 — signals a definitive return to refined proportions: dive watches subtly scaling down from 43 mm to 42 mm, dress watches leaning into elegant 38–40 mm silhouettes, and men confidently embracing traditionally “women’s” models.
Across the industry, reports point to one clear conclusion: smaller is not only back, it’s leading. New launches are increasingly landing in the 34–39 mm range, reflecting a collective shift toward practicality, versatility, and genuinely wrist-friendly design.
This embrace of modest proportions transcends gender, as both men and women gravitate toward compact cases, unisex dimensions, and vintage-inspired aesthetics — a modern celebration of subtlety, elegance, and timeless style.