Just like the hemline index – where skirt lengths rise and fall with economic times – so too is the world of horology seeing its own sizing index. Who can escape the recent spate of elegant, teeny-tiny watches that launched this year – for both men and women – and which perhaps channels the uncertain times that we are living in? With wars, elections and belt-tightening all around, a sense of limbo feels palpable, encouraging us to sit back, take stock and maybe dial things back a bit.
Leading the charge is Audemars Piguet, whose new trio of small Royal Oak Mini models made big news earlier this year. The watch revives the first Mini Royal Oak from 1997, which came in at a dainty 20mm and was designed by Emmanuel Gueit, the designer instrumental in the evolution of Gerald Genta’s original Royal Oak. Sized at 23mm and powered by a state-of-the-art quartz movement with a 94-month battery life, the re-edition features the Maison’s signature Frosted Gold finish created by Italian jeweller Carolina Bucci.
Sébastian Vivas, the watchmaker’s Heritage & Museum Director, calls the new Mini “small, charming, creative, almost frivolous” yet still standing the test of time. He believes this model “demonstrates the extraordinary plasticity of the Royal Oak collection, which transcends decades, gender, trends and sizes”.
Through her @dimepiece account, watch influencer and journalist Brynn Wallner highlights all things related to women’s watches, documenting the small-watch energy on the wrists of celebrities like Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber. Wallner’s own go-to is a Cartier Tank Française small model, which she says suited her best when she went to buy her first grown-up watch. Smaller timepieces work better with different looks, she notes – and no wonder that more women are opting for a more pared-down profile.
Versatile and easy to wear
“For women who are newcomers to watches, they want something that’s really versatile and easy to wear and stack. They’re also looking for something a little bit more practical, which will go with any outfit”, she says, adding that men too are cottoning on to smaller watches.
So it’s perhaps telling that Breitling, that most masculine of watch brands, has just dropped a new Chronomat line that comes in at an ultra-dainty 28mm. The house has been actively targeting women in recent years – cue its super cool, all-sold-out capsule collection with fashion powerhouse Victoria Beckham earlier this year – while the new Chronomat 28 collection taps into the style brigade with dial options in the likes of mother-of-pearl pastel blue or pink, on dual-tone steel and 18K rose gold, paired with lab-grown diamonds on the bezel and hour-markers.
Chopard too is a brand at the forefront of female watch trends and is embracing the teeny-tiny craze in elegant style. This year, its sporty-chic Alpine Eagle appears in a new 33mm size and is now up for the Ladies’ Watch prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Featuring a stunning Maritime Blue dial, its sunburst finish gains extra sparkle from the diamond-set bezel, further contrasted with cool, on-trend yellow gold.
Elsewhere, Chopard’s new geometric L’Heure du Diamant collec- tion, featuring a cool octagonal dial ringed with a chunky diamond bezel, now drops in at a dainty 32 x 32mm, as hard stone dials like malachite and lapis lazuli add zing. The round version is even more bijou – at a delicate 26mm – and exquisitely ladylike.
Ultra-femininity
Speaking of ladylike, Dior is a byword for ultra-femininity and its new La D My Dior collection welcomes two new designs in delightful 19mm and 25mm sizes. Fans of the brand will recognise the couture house’s cannage (canework) pattern, a house code dating from 1947 and the upholstery adorning the Napoleon III chairs at Paris’s 30 Avenue Montaigne, when Monsieur Dior unveiled his New Look. The watch bracelet further embraces couture elements and comes hand-etched with geometric patterns recalling the “ribbon that tells the time” brief of this eye-catching new model.
Omega’s take on the trend unsurprisingly goes galactic: its new Constellation collection features one-of-a-kind meteorite dials that hail from the Muonionalusta meteorite, believed to be the oldest on Earth at over 4.5 billion years old. The collection welcomes two new ultra petite sizes: a 28mm steel model with an icy blue dial paired with diamond-set hour-markers; and a more precious, 25mm version featuring a beautiful lilac dial, ringed with a diamond-set bezel and matching diamond hour-markers.
Finally, Raymond Weil made a small-watch splash in September with five new models sized at a vintage-chic 35mm. Celebrating its Millesime collection, the new timepieces offer choice galore in everyday style from a tone-on-tone number that pairs steel with a silver-toned dial (there is also a moonphase version), or two denim-blue designs, set with lab-grown diamonds on the lugs. The latter come with matching denim-blue straps – they’ll have you looking positively on-trend with cowboy core plus small-watch vibes. Yes, please.
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