Tips on determining the way watches wear
Hello Crunchers, In the short time since I have been introduced to the world of watches, I have read and watched many videos that say something along the lines of "This watch wears much smaller/larger/better than its specs". I have very little experience with different watch sizes, and trying on different watches so I was wondering if you all had any tip-offs, or tricks to figure out how a watch will wear in relation to its specs without actually being able to try it on. I would appreciate any advice!
^ This is the watch that brought this question about by the way.
42mm diameter, 14mm thickness, 46mm Case tip-Tip
Seems borderline large on my ~6.5" wrist - What do you think?
Just an amateur collector with a growing passion for everything watches!
The most important dimensions are lug to lug and thickness, in my opinion. Other things like male or female end links and the angle of the lugs can make a big difference too. It also comes down to your personal preference and tolerance for weight, etc.
Some of the things that affect how a watch wears beyond diameter are lug-to-lug, which you referred to as case tip to tip, and lug downturn, or how much the lugs curve around the wrist. The Islander you are looking at has a fairly short lug-to-lug, at 46mm, so it will probably fit your wrist fairly well. Additionally, the case has a Seiko SKX shape, so there is a slight downturn to the lugs. Marc has also released female end links for many of the Islander, and those will also make a watch wear smaller. I think it will fit your wrist as is, but if not, the female end links will improve the fit for smaller wrists. There are 38mm variants of this watch as well that you could look at.
Some of the things that affect how a watch wears beyond diameter are lug-to-lug, which you referred to as case tip to tip, and lug downturn, or how much the lugs curve around the wrist. The Islander you are looking at has a fairly short lug-to-lug, at 46mm, so it will probably fit your wrist fairly well. Additionally, the case has a Seiko SKX shape, so there is a slight downturn to the lugs. Marc has also released female end links for many of the Islander, and those will also make a watch wear smaller. I think it will fit your wrist as is, but if not, the female end links will improve the fit for smaller wrists. There are 38mm variants of this watch as well that you could look at.
Thank you! Just for future reference, what would you consider a "short" Lug-lug and a "long" lug-lug?
I think when people say a watch wears bigger/smaller than it’s dimensions, they’re often commenting on the size of the dial compared to the case. A 38mm watch with a thin bezel may appear larger than a 40mm watch with a wide bezel. I think this is how dive watches get away with being pretty large. The dive bezel takes us some real estate so the dial is smaller proportionally than that of a field watch.
So yes, case dimensions are important, but dial proportion has a lot to do with how your eye perceives the size of the watch.
I think when people say a watch wears bigger/smaller than it’s dimensions, they’re often commenting on the size of the dial compared to the case. A 38mm watch with a thin bezel may appear larger than a 40mm watch with a wide bezel. I think this is how dive watches get away with being pretty large. The dive bezel takes us some real estate so the dial is smaller proportionally than that of a field watch.
So yes, case dimensions are important, but dial proportion has a lot to do with how your eye perceives the size of the watch.
A good point, I hadn't thought of it that way.
A good point, I hadn't thought of it that way.
I think the same applies to integrated bracelet watches. Everyone gets caught up in the effective lug to lug, but your eye sees where the case ends not the first link of the bracelet. So that watch may be 54mm off your wrist, but on the writ it looks like it’s 46mm.
Thank you! Just for future reference, what would you consider a "short" Lug-lug and a "long" lug-lug?
Really, anything over 50mm is starting to get pretty long for me. But it varies for everyone depending on wrist size. I don't really think much about "short" lug-to-lug, but that is because I gravitate to smaller watches in general.
I think when people say a watch wears bigger/smaller than it’s dimensions, they’re often commenting on the size of the dial compared to the case. A 38mm watch with a thin bezel may appear larger than a 40mm watch with a wide bezel. I think this is how dive watches get away with being pretty large. The dive bezel takes us some real estate so the dial is smaller proportionally than that of a field watch.
So yes, case dimensions are important, but dial proportion has a lot to do with how your eye perceives the size of the watch.
This is very true. Dress watches tend to appear larger because they tend to have minimal bezels. Consider these two watches:
The watch on the top is 33mm and the watch on the bottom is 38mm, yet the dials are actually similar in size, making the watches wear similarly on my wrist despite being different size diameters.
The three things that I think make the biggest difference are:
Your asking permission to go on a blind date . If it’s a macca’s date go for it , if it’s high end seafood on a nice wharf , take a look …..
A huge factor for me that I didn't consider was how much dial there was relative to the case thickness. Believe it or not, these two watches have the same case diameter, but the Hamilton looks WAY bigger on my wrist because it's ALL dial.
For us with 6.25 - 6.5 inch wrists, dimensions matter a whole lot. You may want to listen to Brock who gives some well articulated thoughts on why getting smaller watches is a better direction to take.
https://youtu.be/kQDXIrTD9Ds
One final thought from a retail watch seller I spoke to last November: "Better to get a smaller sized watch that sits well on your small wrist, than get a popular model but looks like a water meter on your wrist."
Ideal size for your wrist generally is 40mm imo. But who cares, just wear what you want....haha 42mm it's not that big.
I simply avoid large diameters. 38mm is a large diameter.
Watch dimensions are really just a guideline. As other folks have mentioned, dial/bezel ratio, case shape, case length/width are all factors. The design of the case and the finishing also make a huge difference. Curved sides tend to appear smaller than flat sides. Polishing can make a soft edge disappear while brushing can make it more pronounced. Vertical brushing on the case sides emphasize thickness while horizontal brushing emphasizes length. Lug shape and gap also play into it. Honestly, you have only a vague idea how large or small a watch will appear until you actually strap it on your wrist.
Coming from the opposite end of he wrist spectrum I don't particularly like big watches. Dream watch for me would be something like a Patek elipse sitting on a wrist that's almost nine inches.
But.... Eyesight as I'm in my middle age I've noticed I need to hold my phone further away hence me starting to pick up a few larger watches 😂