Gen Z can’t get enough of teensy ‘grandma watches’

[LONDON] After more than two decades of oversize cases dominating wrists, watchmakers are pivoting to smaller diameters as younger consumers – particularly women in their 20s and early 30s – embrace so-called grandma watches for their versatility, vintage appeal and ability to be styled alongside jewellery. It’s one of the fastest-growing watch segments on the market.

Pop culture and social media platforms reveal both male and female celebrities donning tiny watches once dismissed as outdated: Actor Timothée Chalamet is often seen wearing a slim Cartier Panthère or a wee 34-millimetre Jaeger-LeCoultre. Bad Bunny has been spotted in a diminutive Patek Philippe Ellipse. Serena Williams chose a miniature Audemars Piguet Royal Oak for the Met Gala last year, and Hailey Bieber opted for a little jewelled bauble from the same brand.

These sightings, along with savvy watch buyers’ desires for more versatile watches, are accelerating the size shift. Top watch brands are steadily shrinking down from their standard 42mm-and-above case diameters, to 38mm or 36mm and even sub-34mm designs. Additionally, gender labels are starting to disappear as lines blur about not only sizes but also materials and even colours.

“The nontraditional watch collectors gravitate towards these styles,” says Brynn Wallner, the 34-year-old founder of Dimepiece, a platform dedicated to women and watches. “As more women are getting into watches and going for their first one, they want something smaller that is more versatile, easy to wear and that goes with everything without making a huge statement.”

Tiny watches meet the trend of quiet (or private) luxury, but another key factor in their popularity is stackability “with the bracelets women have in their wardrobes already,” says Melanie Chud, president of retail for the 1916, owners of dozens of retail jewellery and pre-owned watch stores in America. “When we show a customer how great her bracelets match up with the small watch, suddenly her face lights up because they’ve been styled at a level that feels really good for them.”

This consumer desire for versatility and wearability add up to one thing: The smaller the case, the bigger the opportunity for heritage brands like Rolex, Cartier, Piaget, Dior, Jaeger-LeCoultre and others.

Rolex just added two new Oyster Perpetual watches in 28mm and 34mm sizes at the recent Watches and Wonders show in Geneva, and fans are crooning over the 28mm 18-karat yellow gold version with a green stone dial and Oyster bracelet.

Similarly, Cartier unveiled a few new small watches this year, including an oval shaped Baignoire bangle with artistic Clous de Paris (pyramid-shaped) studding all over the case and dial, as well as several tiny Tanks.

Cartier has a long history of innovative shapes in smaller sizes. According to its director of image, style and heritage, Pierre Rainero, the Baignoire of today was born in 1958, but the oval shape has been a signature of Cartier from the beginning of the 20th century. That of consistency of form, says Rainero, is key to the Baignoire’s success.

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“The new model offers the Clous de Paris all over the case and even on the dial,” he continues, “and it demonstrates Cartier’s specific approach as a jeweller: to study a piece as jewellery, but then to take innovative and creative licence.”

In fact, many brands are making small changes in vintage references to render them contemporary – from decorative finishes and accents to gem setting on cases or dials to using two-tone materials such as steel and yellow gold that allow the watch to blend beautifully with existing jewellery collections. Shapes such as square, rectangle and oval, plus asymmetrical motifs, can liven the look.

The shift to smaller watches is happening across all price points. At the upper end of the spectrum, in the tens of thousands of US dollars, high-jewelled mini watches reminiscent of 1950s cocktail watches are prominent. But there are plenty of options in the several thousand US dollar range and even in the several-hundred-US dollar world, like the new Citizen Eco-Drive Fio and Frederique Constant Manchette with turquoise dial.

According to Wallner, younger women are finding watches at thrift stores and even raiding grandma’s old jewellery boxes for these small watches – and then modernising them with their own personal style.

“What once seemed too old-fashioned is now being embraced by a new generation. It’s just a matter of styling,” she says. “Maybe they wear it with streetwear, or jeans and a T-shirt, and all of a sudden it looks cool. You wear the watch; it doesn’t wear you.”

Wallner adds that the smaller watches from elite brands also tend to be undervalued on the secondary watch market, so smart shoppers can find good deals.

Eugene Tutunikov, chief executive officer of pre-owned watch retailer SwissWatchExpo, concurs. “We are finding the demand for sub-30mm cases is soaring, driven by nostalgia for the ‘80s and ‘90s glamour, and because women want a watch that plays nicely in a stack,” he says. “Turns out Grandma had spectacular taste all along.” BLOOMBERG