Journal

The case for thirty-nine millimetres

The industry spent fifteen years growing, then quietly reversed. The reasoning is worth understanding.

Stylish wristwatch on wrist in an urban outdoor setting, black and white.

Case sizes peaked around 2012 and have been shrinking since. The correction is not nostalgia — it is a return to proportions that were arrived at for reasons.

Lug to lug

Diameter is the number quoted, but lug-to-lug decides whether a watch sits on a wrist or overhangs it. A thirty-nine millimetre case with long lugs can wear larger than a forty-two with short ones.

Dial legibility

Past a certain size, hands must grow to stay proportional, and heavier hands demand more torque. The dial stops improving well before the case stops growing.

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