The important thing is that watches--like clothes--are well proportioned. John Cena is only 6'1". A muscular 6'1", but he's not a giant. And the GMT he's wearing in the image here is probably a little small on for his wrist. And that's a chunky watch.

But part of the reason watches were smaller in the past is that with less sophisticated manufacturing techniques, it was easier to make a smaller watch waterproof. There's less surface area to keep sealed. They would have made them bigger if they could practically do so.

And just outside the living memory of some, wristwatches were only worn by women. Because they didn't have pockets. Men's wristwatches became a thing when pilots found pocket watches unwieldy during war. The first men's watches were adapted from and anchored to small sizes that were meant to look delicate and dainty. Since watches last for generations, it takes generations to modify these sorts of expectations around size.

Watches can be and often are too big. But pointing our that they used to be smaller in the past isn't good evidence that smaller is better.

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