My collection ranges from a 32mm dress watch to a 43mm military diver, but most days I wear watches between 35 and 40mm with 38mm probably my favorite size. For reference, my wrist is 7.25” and as can be seen, quite a bit of hair.

While the 32mm looks quite small on my bare wrist, it looks just right when sliding out and under a dress shirt cuff. This Credor has a high-accuracy quartz movement that runs at +/- 10 seconds PER YEAR, which is great for a formal watch that gets infrequent wear.

34mm-37mm all wear similarly, with a lot of wrist presence when paired with a long sleeve shirt, and a more subtle look on a bare wrist that fits a dress casual setting well, but would look a bit delicate with jeans and a tee shirt (these are dress watches, after all). My 1956 Omega Constellation is my best dress watch and is elegant enough for black tie, but sporty enough for (nice) jeans and a polo shirt. It doesn’t dress down to a tee shirt well though. The 36mm Cartier does everything the Omega does, though slightly dressier. The 36mm Poljot is a new arrival and is a bit dressier than the Omega or Cartier and would look too dressy even with business casual short sleeves. The 37mm Seiko is about the same level of formality and sportiness as the Omega, and actually slightly less presence on the wrist despite the 2mm larger diameter.

38mm is probably the most versatile size, with the blue Guilloche sector-dial Pinion as dress watch that is toolish and rugged enough to look good width jeans and a tee shirt, while the 38mm Christopher Ward is a field watch that is fancy enough to pair with a suit and tie. The Word War Two inspired Praesidus, also 38mm, is the most delicate (and cheapest) of my 38mm watches, but on a leather strap dresses up enough for business casual and on a NATO goes well with my military uniform, though with an acrylic crystal I won’t be taking it on any field exercises.

40mm is very close to 38mm in versatility, with my Vertex often put on a NATO and worn with my military uniform (it is rugged enough for field use, but probably too fancy), but also often on a bracelet to dress it up for the office (business casual). On leather it can even play dress watch in much the same way that a Rolex Submariner can. My other 40mm watches include a Boldr that wears a lot bigger than the Vertex due to its 14mm thickness, longer lugs and bulky bracelet. This one is great in casual or beach clothes, but the styling is a bit too industrial and the watch too thick at 14mm to pull off pairing with a suit or even a long sleeve dress shirt, though with a short sleeve dress shirt it looks great. Finally my 40mm Rolex Milgauss is not only the best watch I own, but also the most versatile. It is rugged enough for absolutely anything (probably the most rugged watch I own), but elegant enough for even full-on black tie formal events. Even though it is fairly thick at 13.3mm, it is so well shaped that it slides easily under a dress shirt, in fact easier than my 12mm thick Christopher Ward.

My 42mm Baumé & Mercier is currently my only chronograph, and doesn’t get much wear. It is very dressy, but a big and thick for pairing with a long sleeve dress shirt, while a bit too fancy for casual.

Finally at 43mm (but only 12mm thick) my CWC diver is strictly casual. The case lacks any polished surfaces and the watch has a definite military look, made more so by the fist spring bars that necessitate pass through straps only like NATOs or Perlons. I currently have it on the Zuludiver Octopod that is like a single piece NATO , but with a deployant clasp and no excess to fold (no keepers at all).

So without further ado, here they are, from 32mm to 43mm on my 7.25” wrist.

32mm Credor

34mm Omega

36mm Cartier

36mm Poljot

37mm Seiko

38mm Pinion

38mm Christopher Ward

38mm Praesidus

40mm Boldr

40mm Vetex

40mm Rolex

42mm Baumé & Mercier

43mm CWC

Nothing, absolutely NOTHING is uglier than this monstrosity.

7.25” is not large, and any watch marketed as a man’s watch should have enough bracelet links to fit (unless they were removed).

70s design was good, but 60s design was better.

Mine just arrived today. A bit bulky even on my 7 1/4” wrist, but that dial makes up for a lot.

Mine just arrived today. It’s a bit thicker than I prefer and the male end links on the bracelet extend the lug-to-lug a bit more than I’d like, but for the price this is a beautiful watch with a very special dial.

I’ve been looking at the various A-11 recreations as well, and just ordered the Praesidus Type 44 (38mm on Bonklip with aged lume). I thought long and hard about going fully authentic with the 32mm and standard lume, but at 7.25” I decided to get the 38mm.

If quality is as good as the reviewers say, I’ll likely add the 32mm with white lume in the future so I’ll have a choice of ultra-authentic or modern reimagined.

I also own the Vertex M100, which is a 40mm modernized take on the original Dirty Dozen watches. It is one of my favorite and most worn pieces, though I’m also hoping to get a Timor Heritage Field, which is period correct at 36mm and would also give me the choice of updated or authentic.