Micro watches steal the show at Watches and Wonders
Among all the anniversaries and innovations there was one stand-out thread that linked together many brands showing at this year’s Watches and Wonders: shrinking case sizes.
From Cartier to Audemars Piguet to Rolex, almost every brand dipped their toe into the world of micro watches.
Rolex offered one of its 100th anniversary Oyster Perpetual models in a dinky 28 mm dimension, with a vibrant signature green lacquer dial for the ultimate in unisex appeal.
Also designed for either gender is the dashing new Tudor Royal, which comes with three options in a 30 mm case, and Chanel’s J12 sports watch, now shrunk down to 28 mm.
First revealed in March, Audemars Piguet had two new Royal Oak Minis on display at W&W. The two new black onyx and rose gold, and mother-of-pearl and yellow gold, come in a mini 23 mm. The style was reintroduced in 2024, and proved an instant smash-hit.
Meanwhile, Cartier’s ever-popular Baignoire model got a new look for 2026 with the maison’s Clous de Paris motif, either in yellow gold or set with diamonds. At 19.3 mm wide, it’s irresistible (if you have the budget) and will predictably be sported by every It-girl (and boy) in the coming months.
Gerald Charles also dialled down the size of its Maestro model to 30 mm, pairing its geometric shield silhouette with diamonds around the bezel.
Top of my personal list was the Grand Seiko Hana-Ikada 32 62GS, a compact recreation of the watchmaker’s highly popular SBGA413 Cherry Blossom model, now with a 32 mm dial. ‘Hana-Ikada’ is a poetic Japanese phrase for the sight of fallen cherry blossom petals on water, interpreted in this case with two dial versions, one in pink (the blossoms) and one in blue (the water).
As well as reflecting the current voracious appetite for all things vintage-inspired, the trend for micro watches makes sense from a business perspective: unisex appeal means a market twice the size. Smaller is also more wearable for every day (perhaps not applicable to the new diamond-set dashed Baignoire), reflecting the growing appetite for watches that are neither too big, nor too bulky, nor too statement.
