Reply With QuoteThis was also inspired by me seeing an advert for the XL sized Breitling Navitimer. At 46mm I think it's completely unnecessary!
38mm or less
40mm or less
42mm or less
44mm or less
45mm+
I was a bit surprised when I read quite a few people considered 39mm to be the upper limit of the diameter of watch they would wear. I've got thin wrists but happily wear a 43mm Breitling or even my 45mm Citizen Skyhawk...it's often weight or bulk that puts me off rather than size. Just thought I'd poll what everyones preferred watch size is to gauge the current trend.
So, what is your preferred size to wear?
This was also inspired by me seeing an advert for the XL sized Breitling Navitimer. At 46mm I think it's completely unnecessary!
Big watch on a small wrist is a bad look IMO. Current watch fashion favours bigger watches so a lot of folks end up persuading themselves that it looks OK; I`m not one of them. It's not only the diameter, it's the thickness of many modern watches that looks wrong too. I spend my time working on older watches from an era when slim watches were seen as a tribute to the manufacturer's ability. Watches were made to fit under cuffs comfortably.
34-36mm normal watches are absolutely fine IMO; Chronographs and divers are OK up to 40mm and my favourites are around 39mm. The 42mm Seamaster Pro is stretching it to the limits for me, but the relatively slim case makes it wearable. I`ve got 6.75" wrists which are slim; a 42mm Planet Ocean just looks silly on me......and I`m not alone!
Paul
It's difficult to say because watches wear differently depending on whether they have a bezel and how much 'dial to bezel surface area' the particular model has. I have 7 inch wrists and am happy to go to 40mm (maybe 41mm) for a divers type watch with a large bezel but I'd only go to 36mm for something that is 'all dial' with a thin bezel. A Nomos Orion for example in 38mm looks too big but the 35mm is perfect. Also, something with a slightly larger bezel to dial size can work out ok too (like the 38.5mm Seiko Sarb 033/035 and Sinn556i).
Also, there is the all important lug height. I like to have some space between the edge of my wrist and the end of the lug. The prs18As 47.5mm lug height is close to maximum for me.
Where's the "I don't set a limit" option?
Some watches work in a large (or small) size and others simply don't.
For example, a 36mm watch with no bezel, I find perfectly wearable, but stick a bezel around it and it looks comically small.
Equally, some big watches suit me better than others, so I tend to judge on how they look to me, on my wrist.
I've had a Skyhawk and I've got a MM Panerai Homage and a Steinhart Apollon, all big watches, but I'm happy with the way they wear on my wrist.
That said, most of my watches are in the 38mm-42mm range.
M.
Its a bit difficult as they dont all wear the same, one watch at 42mm can look smaller than another at 39mm so whilst we focus on size it is infact proportion and fit that will be the true influence
RIAC
I was going to write the same thing, I have flipped a few watches due the height, and not having it sit comfortably under a cuff. That all very much depends on your usual attire I suppose. My biggest watch is my 42mm Seamaster pro, which doesn't wear as big as it is. Anything between 35 and 42 mm is my sweet spot depending on bezel thickness, a 42mm Nomos (et al), would look huge on me.Originally Posted by walkerwek1958
I find 40 to 42mm to be optimum for the sort of watches that I wear, which tend to be 'all dial' in style.
Don't really go for massive bezels and tiny dials nestled in the middle like the yolk on a fried egg.
As others have said though it's the height that is more of an issue - although my PAM0048 fits nicely under a cuff.
I voted 44mm or less.Anything under 38mm just does not feel right as its just too small.In the main my watches are 42-44mm.
That would be my choice.
I have a Yema Bi-Pole which wears 'small' at 47mm. because of the sleek design and very light weight.
Even the heavy duty 46mm vodolaz wears less ponderous than many a far smaller watch sitting proud on top of a convex case back.
These four per example;
span 7mm in head diameter difference but on the wrist don't differ all that much since the lug width spread is less and also the way they perch on the case back or not is just as important as the lug width.
So all in alll, the head diameter is a non criterium for me.
I don't have a set max that I'd never go over, but most watches over 40mm look huge on me.
sports watches can onviously go a bit larger than dress, but then i see people wearing this style with a suit and it looks a bit daft with a 44mm chrono or diver dwarfing the rest of their outfit. for me it's up to 42mm if suiting and larger if casual (both depending on your own size as people have mentioned, on some 36-38mm in bang on, i'm 6'5 tall so tend to go a bit larger)
The poll so far confirms my suspicions - a third of people find the current 'standard' size of 42mm oversized. That's quite a big share of the market for manufacturers to be ignoring so regularly, even if it is kind of in the middle. You certainly don't see a third of watches built for this segment.
And now have a look at the size of boutique watches and then realize how small most women's wrists are.
Bottom line it is all about fashion. Both the anachronistictoc thing and the oversize. Heck, even the whole dive watch AND chronograph looks are!
42mm or less for me but bigger for G-Shocks only
Generally 40mm or less, I have one at 42mm and I certainly wouldn't go any bigger.
My preferred size is 40mm or less. Having started this journey with mainly larger watches i have recently been focusing on more vintage pieces and feel very comfortable with 36-40mm.
Having said that i have just bought a 45mm Radiomir which i love.
This watch lark can be a contradictory affair.
39-42mm for me, although I do hanker for an original Heuer Carrera or Rolex Datejust.
42mm is the max for me for sports watches as a rule.
However much of the size comes down to case design, lugs length/shape, dial propotions, thickness and the person's arm.
My AP for example is a 42mm but wears more like a 45 due to the integrated braclet, on the other hand, my 44mm JLC looks visually smaller and the size only becomes apparent that it's larger when the two are directly next to each other.
Rolex sports models i'm quite happy at them being 39-40mm, any bigger and they'd look like clown watches, i don't think they look right being scaled up, nor do large bezel-less watches (which put me off the older JLC memovox,, as the 42mm case with internal bezel looked a bit wrong on my wrist).
40mm is ideal for me but can comfortably wear up to 42mm. Agree with previous posts that it can depend on the integration of the bracelet, general heft etc- a 42mm PO is stretching it for me whereas a speedy pro is perfect but I believe is the same size (albeit significantly lighter)
In my opinion the size is irrelevant, it is all to do with the lug length across the watch and how much dial or bezel there is. Here is an example of a 38mm dornbluth and 38mm NHC either side of a 36mm Journe I bought. The Journe looks tiny and wore tiny. It was replaced by a 40mm which wears like the 38mm dornbluth.
The Daytona is 38.6 mm -> perfect size.
^^ Does look a lot smaller - I wouldn't have guessed that was only 2mm difference.
Agree that case size versus dial size makes a big difference on how a watch looks. Although I voted 42mm, I feel comfortable wearing anything from 36mm for a G10 style military watch up to a 45mm Skyhawk. To me, the larger watches must wear 'light'. For that reason, Panerai are out for me as they look too bulky. Also, dress watches must be 40mm or below for me.
Started this thread because I was amazed that a few thought the 39mm Seafire was on their upper limit - for a tool watch I would have thought anything from 39-42mm perfect.
Someone obviously hated this thread immediately giving it a 1* - wonder if he voted!
I voted 40mm or less. Wrist size just under 7".
As other have said, depends on other factors.
I have a Seiko 5 at 42mm, which I think is my upper limit. My zenith el primero at 40mm sits better.
For a dress watch or bezel-less watch I'd be looking at 39mm or less, e.g. the JLC master calendar on SC
(*) I wish....
I agree with you up to a point - watches used to be tiny and now they are relatively huge, so is it all in the mind? But I try 42mm watches on my 6.5" wrist and they look daft to me, and this is in an era when big watches are supposedly fashionable. I've never changed my point of view on this, regardless of the prevailing fashion: some watches fit me, and some clearly don't. For me it's like trousers - flares or skinny jeans may be in fashion, but your waist size is your waist size, and some things just don't fit.
NB - interesting on the poll - currently out of a sample of 77, 39% think that 42mm watches are too big and prefer less. I really do think current trends and accepted norms are doing a disservice to a huge percentage of potential buyers. When will they realise that they are alienating almost 40% if their market by not offering smaller choices in their range?
Last edited by Itsguy; 20th November 2014 at 15:05.
Presumably 44mm or less means 43-44mm?
I have a 44 mm on and have grown quite used to it which is unfortunate as I would like a Rolex Sub but when I tried one on it looked too small.
What year?
I thought all post 2000 were 40mm, Rolex certainly seems to think so according to their brochure
It all depends on the watch. My 43mm Ball Fireman II looked huge, but not as big as the Railmaster 41.5, and both wore smaller than the 44mm U1. And I've also comfortably worn the 556A at 38.5mm.
Generally speaking though, 40-41mm is my sweet spot.
i prefer 44mm and over. sizing is weird though i tried a massive breitling super avenger at 48.something mm and it was shockingly large, way too big for my tastes but my orid pro diver at 49mm feels fine. i also have a 41mm seamaster chrono which is my smallest watch by far and it feels fine.
as mentioned above, there is a whole lot more to the subject than the diameter.
I would say under 40mm is the best size for me but have larger watches which I think I can get away with at least! As mentioned before, some watches "wear" much larger/smaller than their measurements suggest.
That pretty much sums it up - the guy with slim wrists and an oversized watch is like the skinny guy in an xxl vest on the beach...
I'm most happy with 36mm, often wear a 40mm diver and have a few in between. My smallest is 34mm and the largest watch that I wear is a Speedmaster, others I've tried look like clown's watches on me, so I tend to steer clear of them.
I have a 7 inch wrist. The largest watch I wear is a 41.5mm Aqua Terra. I onced had a 45.5mm PO and it just looked bloody stupid. My smallest is a 36mm datejust
Anything between 36mm and 42mm is fine by me. I have small wrists and feel that bigger watches look disproportional. Also I feel that bigger is not always better (at least for watches) and a small watch can be a nice understatement.
It depends... For me 34-36 is about right and as slim as possible. But divers are ok up to about 40mm as long as the lugs aren't too bulky. I do wonder if the giant watch trend will end or if we will keep going up and up!
Wis who prefer smaller watches are a faction within a small minority.
As I wrote earlier, have a look at boutique watches versus women´s wrists and those watches are getting larger still.
But doesn't it really depend on other factors, like height, weight, wrist size, arm size etc? The poll results could just be reflecting the various sizes of the forum members and tell us little of the relative upper watch size limit.
A larger case worn by a larger person can be proportionally the same size as a smaller case will be on a smaller, more slender person.
Next we should take a poll of our favorite shoe sizes. Or perhaps shirt collar sizes?
+1.........I`m happiest with 34mm vintage watches (ie Omega Constellation pie-pan, 50s/60s Seamasters) or 36mm Rolex Datejust/Explorer 1.At last, I am part of a faction and a minority!
Anyone like to join me on a protest march or to lobby parliament?
I guess that puts me in the faction....or is that a sub-faction of a faction?
Time for a whisky methinks
Paul
I don't really worry too much about watch size as i have never found a watch too large or too small for my wrist
I am firmly in the 'wear what makes you happy' camp, i detest some peoples judgemental and rude attitude towards larger watches
got to agree with this and all my watches are over 40mm, i put 45mm but its any size as long as i liked it and didnt look ridiculous to me
I chose 40mm and under and very nearly 38mm down. Although lug to lug length, height and crown size play a part too. I would love to get away with larger watches, The 44mm PRS-20 Radiomir design especially. I even had my second one modified to put the crown on the left. I have a real fondness for the Unitas 6497/98 which being a pocket watch movement is only found in larger watches.
But... I cannot wear this size of watch for more than a few hours before it becomes uncomfortable. On the other hand I have worn a 38mm Hamilton daily for most of the last year without much thought. The most comfortable watch I have owned was a 36mm Explorer. Currently I own the Hamilton, a 36mm PRS-29A and a 39mm Bremont. I keep trying bigger watches but they never stay long.
Dave
40% of their market?
It depends what you take as 100% and who ´they´are.
For Fossil, Guess et al the market is the female part of the 95% of the watch market, which may very well be 60% of the market.
Of the remaining 40% the smaller watch preferring wis are hów large a fraction?
Also I wonder what makes you think the larger watches would alienate that f(r)action???
Take Panerai. The ´alienated´ are quite happy to buy downscaled versions of the ones that caúsed the whole thing....
Itsasimple: If you don´t like um big, just buy um smaller and move on.
can we have an option for "its not the size, its how you use it"?
i have a collection from 34mm to 48mm. as said above a few times the simple 3-9 measurement is only 10% of the story. the height, lug2lug, dial and bezel type and style of watch (48mm dress watch i will concede is a no go for my eyes) i think a lot of people put a watch on and look at it from 1ft away and decide its too big or small whereas if you have a look in the mirror to see how it actually sits in proportion to the rest of the wearer normally its not that big a deal (tiny Asian wrists and 47mm big pilot excepted!)
Don´t let that fool you.can we have an option for "its not the size, its how you use it"?
I would never ever have guessed it, but my most clumsily large watch has invoked more spontanuous positive remarks from C-company than all of my other watches together.
As to Asian wrists and pilots watches I agaín point out 50+ mm boutique watches on tiny women´s wrists.
Now where did I store that replica original size Type A B-Uhr????
Last edited by Huertecilla; 20th November 2014 at 22:07.
I've got 36 to 46 on the wrist, width doesn't matter.
What matters is lug-to-lug distance and the way these are curved.
F.e. a 44 mm 6309-7040 fits perfect, however a 40 mm hamilton khaki seems to "float" over the wrist.
point away, it looks dumb to me. they may as well wear size 10 shoes on size 4 feet. my point "again" was that when people look at watch photos taken from less than 1ft away it skews the perspective of the observer and makes the watch appear too big or in some cases lost in a blanket of arm fur. maybe that could be the next poll......how hairy is too hairy for dress/dive/chrono? or maybe "does my 36mm gold 3hander look ok with my greying arm hair?" then we could have the "to wax or shave" debate.
Fair enough.
That is probably what watch lovers said when branding first appeared in their faces on some dials.
This is all about exposure, of getting accustomed to it.
Today we think it ódd when the dial is ´sterile´.
8" wrists, 6'5" tall.
42 PO is the smallest I'll wear, just about all Rolex look to small. I prefer about 45mm, with a few 47mm that I like
It's the weight and case height that annoy me mostly.
nope, different people think differently, if you like the look of an anorexic sandwich dodger with a big watch on her twigs you knock yourself out mate. it did/does and always will look dumb to me. im not missing out on anything or lacking any form of spiritual insight. its just my view of a disproportionate feature of an individual and i don't think its odd to see a sterile dial i like them.
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