The Zenith A386 is technically smaller still at 37mm, but has a chunkier case. Still, it's not that long lug-to-lug.

Modern chronos don't really get much smaller than that. If you're prepared to buy used but still want something relatively modern, try the Speedmaster Reduced. Lots of Speedmasters get called "Reduced", wrongly; it's a specific reference in the range, not just a smaller Speedmaster. The most recent ref is 3539.50.00. It's around 39mm across, but thinner than both the Speedmaster 38 and other Speedmaster automatics.

 

I’ve tried A386. Although it was 37mm, it wore slightly larger than Chronomaster original which was 38mm but a round case shape.

 

Check out Sinn, they make a number of small sized chronographs.

 

Serie 155 - Guinand Pilot Watches

A legendary chronograph A mechanical chronograph with an silver-plated dial, 3 stop totalizers together with the central stop second enable stop time measurements up to 12 hours.

www.guinand-uhren.de

 

This is a great watch for the money they are going for and only 38mm

 

This one

 

I would go vintage, watches weren't supposed to be this big.
You can easily find nice chronographs in 35 mm to 37 mm range.
Wakeman, Vantage, Gallet, Longines, Concordia, Maty, Seiko... Whatnot there's a bunch of those
Cheers

 

“Vintage” Blancpain villeret

 

Blancpain Leman 2385F-1130-71 is 34mm x 11.7mm thick!

 

If you don’t mind an older quasi-vintage watch, the Heuer Carrera reissues from the 1990s are very nice and compact at 36mm. Eg CS3111, CS3110, CS3113.

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If you don’t mind an older quasi-vintage watch, the Heuer Carrera reissues from the 1990s are very nice and compact at 36mm. Eg CS3111, CS3110, CS3113.

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I would going to recommend this. I think they look great!

 

Was going to recommend the Zenith 38 when I first saw the post. Sinn 356 certainly is an option but can be a bit chunky. If you want to go smaller, Longines produced the conquest chronograph at 36mm (quartz). here's an example:

Longines Conquest | Chrono24.com

Longines Conquest on Chrono24.com. New offers daily. In stock now. Save favorite watches & buy your dream watch.

www.chrono24.com

 

Nice suggestion, though with those crown guards, it's bound to wear larger. Slightly older Longines chronographs tend to be smaller and also thiner, both dressy and sporty ones:

This Edox Les Bemonts is also pretty small, I've seen it in person:

And this Rado Diastar could fit the bill, too, due to its shape, though it wears a bit tall:

 

If you like steam punk kinda style, this inexpensive B Swiss by Bucherer is 37 mm and wears pretty compact. Lume is modest, but present.

Brand not available

Bucherer luxury watches and jewellery

www.bucherer.com

I would also advise on bracelet, that for small wrists make it more comfortable and better looking. There are few color combinations too. I went with
SS/gilded combination for better readability.


s

 

I had a 38.5mm Sinn 356 for years and it wore nicely on my 6.25 inch wrist. It's a bit thick, but a lot of that is due to the domed acrylic crystal and the case back so visually it's not too bad and has relatively short lug to lug.

 

For a different kind of classic vintage, you could look for a Seiko 7a28 - these were early quartz analog chronographs that came in many different designs in the 1980's. Many of these came in at 38mm across and only 10mm thick, and a number of them are pretty cool.....

 

What about a Blancpain Leman Automatic Flyback Chronograph. I believe it's 38mm.

 

What about a Blancpain Leman Automatic Flyback Chronograph. I believe it's 38mm.

There is the even smaller 34mm version of the Blancpain Leman Flyback Chronograph which I think is also very thin, around 11.5mm.

 

I have seen the Longines Chrono and it looks very sharp in person. Not large, not too thick and smaller L2L as well.

Good luck with your selection.

 

Don’t try a Daytona - you might find it fits you just fine then you’ll be left trying to source one. I’ve found that quartz chronos are a lot kinder to us skinny wristers.

 

OP you more or less have this figured out. There just aren't too many options for a smaller thin chronograph at 3 to 5k.

The Zenith you mentioned would be my suggestion. The Heuer and Sinn have smaller diameters but generally thick so it's not exactly idea either. The Speedmaster FOIS comes to mind. But if you think the 38mm speedy is on the large side. Then I assume that's also out of the running.

At $250 the Seagull 1963 is a great small chronograph. But that is way below your price range.

A Patek 5170 at 39mm is a great size, but thats way over your price range.

 

I have been down this journey, and discovered that my small wrist I just cannot wear a 14mm thick watch--even in smaller diameter it feels like a hockey puck on my wrist. (plus I discovered the cost of repairing a chrono the hard way!).

So I've settled on the Seiko "SNA" military chronos, now discontinued but you can find them for $150-$300 (though you will likely have to add a repair cost on top of that depending on condition). Very "Sinn 356-like" design. They are listed at 40mm but wear small AND THEY ARE THIN--around 10mm. They made 7 models in steel and titanium, 4 dial colors, and they look great on natos.

Notice the timer is 60 minutes, not 30--perfect for timing my dog walks and smoked chicken on the grill. Good lume and 200M water resistance--yes 200M...and also can run a second timezone in the 6 o'clock dial if you want.

I know your budget is 10x this, but in my experience these should not be overlooked.

Good article about them here:
Seiko SNA141P military chronograph review - Quartzimodo's Time Journal

 

The new Seiko Solar Chrono's look very attractive - particularly the SSC813 'Daytona' homage. At 45.3mm lug to lug size and 39mm case size, these should fit most smaller wrists. Only downside is that they are 13mm tall.

 

I recommend checking out credor phoenix chronographs or seiko 6138/7016

 

The Omega Deville Prestige from the 90s is 36mm and has the same movement as the Speedy Pro- they can be had all day for about $3000.

 

As far as modern is concerned, it seems like 38mm is about as small as they go (at least for the most part). If your ok with something vintage, that might be a good choice. I have a Lemania (1947) chronograph that is only 30mm, so they can get pretty small in the vintage side of things.

 

I would second Blancpain Leman Flyback or Zenith Prime or HW.
My Zenith Prime is 10mm thin and here's a wrist shot on 6.5" wrist...

 

+1 For the TAG Heuer 1964 Re-edition. I have the CS3140.

 

36MM IWC Meca quartz...Flieger...no longer made but great watch..Just had mine tune/cleaned by IWC recently...may sell...original owner

 

36MM IWC Meca quartz

Or a dressier option, I believe its a 36/37mm

Or a sportier version in a Genta case with added alarm function @ 34mm

 

Maybe a bit less than you were looking to spend, but the 38mm Hamilton Khaki Chrono fits my smaller wrist nicely. It is a bit thick at almost 15mm but somehow it's still comfortable. I don't understand why, the specs made me think it would be unwieldy, but somehow it works for me. It's been discontinued for a while though.