Thirty-eight millimetres has always been my favourite case size. Small enough to not look like I’m wearing a man’s watch, but large enough to show that I am serious about my watches, it just sits right on my wrist in every sense.
A case in point
Case sizes have fluctuated greatly over the last 30 years, going up to 50 mm and beyond at the turn of the 2000s. Over the last few years, however, the average watch size has been slowly decreasing with the typical men’s watch measuring around the 41 mm mark. This is most probably due to the exploding trend for vintage timepieces, which were historically much smaller and have played a big influence on today’s horological aesthetic.
Sizing up
One brand with its finger on the pulse in terms of sizes is Audemars Piguet. It kickstarted the big watch craze in the 1990s with the Royal Oak Offshore that went up to 48 mm in diameter, starting a trend for oversized and impressive timepieces that would dominate the watch landscape for over two decades. This was a trend that was – and still is – favoured by those with large wrists who love the look of a big and bold wristwatch.
For all those whose morphology doesn’t rock the sizeable and flamboyant, the trend for smaller more elegant timepieces has been welcomed with open arms (excuse the pun)! The introduction of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet in 2019 brought about a new refined approach to watchmaking with two case sizes, 41 mm and 42 mm, featuring a distinctive three-part case design. Incorporating an octagonal case middle, an ultra-thin bezel, and a round case back, all meticulously finished with satin brushing and polished chamfers, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet ushered in a fresh and sophisticated form of elegance.
A petite revolution
Continuing this move towards a smaller refined style, Le Brassus-based Manufacture is unveiling a new 38 mm size today with two pink gold variations. These new models – in a choice of purple or ivory – follow the collection’s latest design evolution unveiled earlier this year, which includes embossed dials and matching alligator straps with large square scales. The eye-catching dials reproduce a gradient structure that was developed by Audemars Piguet in collaboration with Swiss guilloché craftsman Yann von Kaenel and include hundreds of tiny holes that move outwards from the centre in a ripple effect. The purple and ivory hues are created using PVD and accentuate both the dial colour and the play on the light.
The latest generation Calibre 5900
This new-sized Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection is powered by the latest generation self-winding Calibre 5900 which indicates the hours, minutes, seconds, and a date. This calibre first appeared in 2022 on some of the 37 mm Royal Oak references. The manufacture movement combines a slim 4 mm thickness, a high 4Hz frequency, and a 60-hour power reserve. The movement is also fitted with a 22-karat pink gold oscillating weight and is decorated with refined finishing – such as polished angles, vertical satin brushing, Côtes de Genève, circular graining, and chamfering – that can all be admired through a sapphire crystal caseback.
These two new timepieces may have been designed with feminine tastes in mind, but 38 mm is becoming increasingly stylish with all the sexes, so I think we are going to be seeing more and more of these in the future, which is definitely good news for me, and hopefully good news for you too!
For all the details: Audemars Piguet
