Guide

Small watches (38 mm and under)

15 references

For much of the 20th century, 34 to 36 mm was an ordinary size for a men's watch; the move to 40 mm and above came later. Smaller cases have come back into favour, and they suit slimmer wrists and slide under a shirt cuff.

Diameter is only part of fit. Lug-to-lug length and case thickness matter as much, and we do not hold those yet, so treat this list as a starting point and try our wrist-fit tool for a rough size range.

Every reference here has a case diameter sourced at 38 mm or less.

The list

Listed by sourced case diameter, smallest first. The order is by size, not a ranking.
101 Current

Nomos Glashütte · Tangente

Tangente 35

Diameter
35 mm
Movement
Manual
124270 Current

Rolex · Explorer

Explorer

Diameter
36 mm
Movement
Automatic
701 Current

Nomos Glashütte · Club

Club Campus

Diameter
36 mm
Movement
Manual
219.026 Current

A. Lange & Söhne · Saxonia

Saxonia Thin

Diameter
37 mm
Movement
Manual
SNK809 Discontinued

Seiko · 5 Sports

5 SNK809

Diameter
37 mm
Movement
Automatic
164 Current

Nomos Glashütte · Tangente

Tangente 38

Diameter
37.5 mm
Movement
Manual
Bicompax 002 Current

Baltic · Bicompax

Bicompax 002

Diameter
38 mm
Movement
Manual
Big Crown Pointer Date 38 Current

Oris · Big Crown

Big Crown Pointer Date

Diameter
38 mm
Movement
Automatic
SKX013 Discontinued

Seiko · SKX

SKX013 Diver

Diameter
38 mm
Movement
Automatic
TW2U22400 Current

Timex · Weekender

Weekender 38mm

Diameter
38 mm
Movement
Quartz

How we picked

Included: references whose case diameter carries a recorded source and is 38 mm or less.

Watchfari holds no prices, reviews or test results, so nothing here is ranked by quality or value. Many values come from a hand-curated seed that has not yet been checked against a primary source; each reference page shows where every value came from.

Questions

How many small watches does Watchfari list?
15 references from 11 brands meet this guide's criteria in the current catalogue. Most represented: Nomos Glashütte (3), Seiko (2), and Timex (2).
What case sizes do these small watches come in?
Among the 15 references with a sourced case diameter, sizes run from 34 mm to 38 mm, with a median of 37.5 mm.
Are these small watches still in production?
13 are listed as current and 2 as discontinued, going by sourced status values. Check with the brand before relying on availability.
Which movement types appear among these small watches?
By sourced movement type: manual 8, automatic 6, and quartz 1.