The fluidity factor or: The melting viscosity coefficient
One of the great pleasures in our hobby is that no matter through how many pictures of a watch you scroll, how precisely diameter, lug-to-lug and height have been measured an documented: it never gives you the full picture of how well (or awkward) any given watch really conforms to your individual wrist. You have to try it on.
One of my pet peeves is when a noticable gap between skin, lugs and bracelet/strap appears, even when the watch sits dead-flat on top of the wrist. However, when a watch really seems to melt around my wrist, that's when I really connect with it, because it feels like it's been made for me. That rare bespoke feeling you can get from a mass-produced design, that sense of fluidity in terms of fit - that's what determines whether a watch is not only great but also great for me. My Oris does that, even if I bend my hand at a right angle.
What's your most fluid "second skin" watch?
Classic menswear enthusiast, shoe aficionado, collector of vintage perfumes and colognes... Oh, and I love watches. Preferably sub 40mm.
This is actually a great argument for smaller watches. As you point out, it’s not always easy for a watch to conform to your wrist, but I think the smaller you make the watch, the easier it becomes.
My first thought was of my 36mm Datejust. I’m too lazy to put it back on the bracelet to take pic, but my recollection is that it’s always felt like it just fit perfectly, and I think part of that is the size. It’s just much harder to make a 44mm watch fit like that.
It's the definition of knowin your wearing but not feeling your wearing,like second skin it's there but not obtrusive.
This is a major reason why I'm so drawn to Seiko. They do an excellent job designing cases that conform to the wrist. It's impressive how they manage this even with their larger watches. Here's my Seiko LX (44.8mm diameter, 50.9mm lug to lug) on my 6.8 inch wrist. A watch with these dimensions from another company would probably look like a dinner plate on me, but with the Seiko, I can just pull it off.
Honestly, the best watch I have in terms of disappearing onto my wrist is my F91W. Perfect size, featherlight, feels like I'm wearing nothing at all!
That’s easy — my new Hammerhead.
I have two watches which do this well. Direnzo DRZ04 on rubber strap (pictured below) but also the JLC Master Geographic on either sailcloth or bracelet. Both are 40mm, sub 12mm height, 48mm lug to lug.
Needless to say then: my Oris is - of course - 36mm. 😁 Tried on the 40mm Roberto Clemente at my AD. As I expected: ugly flaring lugs hovering in the air. As you've said: it's just math.
Most if not all classic proportions (in product design, in menswear...) are just applied math, well beyond the rule of thirds. Thus, the difference between clumsy and elegant is the difference between division with remainder and without.
41-43mm depending on how you measure it and fits perfectly.
You're so right. I love more and more with the time to feel that my watch becomes part of my wrist.
That's why i'm now drastical on my purchase. Lug to lug must be under 48-49mm. Here is my 38mm Timex S1 giorgio galli (45mm lug2lug)
I love so much how it sits on my wrist. Same for my Farer, my little Q&Q but also my GA-B2100. It's really something I take in count before adopting a watch
For me it's any Seiko turtle. Somehow the shape and short lug to lug distance just makes it the most comfortable thing out there for me, despite its (relatively) large size.