[Discussion] Has your sweet spot for watch case sizes permanently shrunk over time?

When I first got into watches a decade ago, anything under 41mm felt small to me. I gravitated toward chunky divers and large chronographs because that was the prevailing trend, and "wrist presence" was all people talked about on forums.

Fast forward to today, and my entire preference has shifted between 36mm and 39mm. A few days ago, I was trying on some pre owned sport and everyday references at a couple of secondary dealers around TST, Kowloon. Comparing a 36mm Datejust and a late 90s 39mm piece against modern 41mm+ ceramic cases on my 6.75inch wrist made it glaringly obvious. The sub 40mm pieces just hug the wrist flat, slip under a jacket sleeve without snagging, and disappear during a desk workday in a way bulky modern cases never do.

It feels like the industry is finally dialing down lug to lug lengths, but plenty of buyers still think 36mm looks like a vintage dress watch rather than a capable daily.

For those who have been collecting for a while, has your preference steadily trended smaller, or do you still prefer 40mm to 42mm for everyday wear?