Recommended watch sizes for an 18.1cm wrist?

Hello, 

I am currently shopping for my first mechanical watch, and I am hoping to get some guidance around what watch size range I should be looking at.

My wrist is 18.1cm.

I am not a huge fan of big watches (which I know was a tend for a while), so I have typically focussed on searching for 37-39mm watches.

However, I don't want to rule out larger watches if they are perfectly fine for my wrist size.

Is there a recommended size range base don wrist size?

Thanks

Reply
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I have an 18cm wrist as well. I limit my shortlisted watches to anything between 34 and 39mm (for sportier pieces) and a preferred lug-to-lug of under 47/48mm, since I believe that anything bigger than that tends to overpower my wrist in terms of overall proportions (relation between dial and visible strap when viewed from top down).

But that's just my two cents. Maybe the shape of your wrist is more oval, which could help with making bigger pieces look more proportional.

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its not so much case size as it is lug to lug or wingspan… I’m a 19cm wrist, so a 44 should be “too big” but because the Seiko samurai has a relatively short wingspan (c49mm) it’s pretty wearable 

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For your wrist size, I’d probably have 49-50mm lug to lug as the upper end. 

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Hey there my Wrist is really similar in size and Ive found that between 45 and 51mm Lug to Lug  and 38 to 42mm Diameter works always. 

Sweetspot for me would be 39mm and 47mm Lug to lug (20mm Lugs is a nice bonus)

But I do have a watch that's 40mm Diameter and 51 Lug-to-Lug that works great for me I love it. Check my profile for a Blue Chronograph that's the one. 

Cheers mate :)

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39-43 mm 

The larger ones depend heavily on the watch case design. E.g. a 43.5mm planet ocean will be more than fine, it is for my 172mm wrist as well ....

Also, i thought a 37mm seiko5 looked just too small for me.

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I have about the same size wrist. I've found that 37 mm to 43 mm watches work for me. Thickness is as much an issue as diameter, particularly if you wear long sleeves. For example, I have a flat/slim 43 mm watch that works with everything for size and comfort. In contrast, my smaller Casio G-Shock is super thick at about 15 mm high and has sharp edges on the top. I hate wearing it with long sleeves, even for sporting purpose. Winter jackets hang up and must be constantly readjusted. 

Lug length plays a role, but if it doesn't stick over the edges of your wrist it'll be fine in my experience. Short lug watches do wear smaller. I have a 50 mm case watch with "longer" lugs and it's comically huge -- like a little kid wearing an adult watch. It's also thick and smashes into things easily.

Dive watches versus other designs: The rotating bezel of a dive watch is typically tall and square, making the watch chunky and feeling larger. You may or may not like that feel. However, the bezel can make the watch appear smaller than a same diameter full-face watch. I have 37 mm non-dive watch that appears larger on the wrist than some 38 to 40 mm dive watches. The appearance of size depends heavily on the particular watch design and color combination. 

My advice: buy some inexpensive watches as size testers. These could be quartz or homages, but buy something you actually like and don't buy junk. Or, if you buy very cheap junk donate them to kids or charity. 

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Before I even translate this to freedom units, my answer is 33-35mm. Now for a conversion...7-1/8". The answer is still 33-35mm. Maybe up to 40mm for one of those novelty shower watches with the spinny thing.

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This conversation is now unintentionally overlapping slightly with another thread of mine, but I want to share some examples of watches I have tried on here purely from a size point of view.

I'd be interested to hear if the forum thinks any are too small or too large.

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Aqua Terra - 38mm

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Aqua Terra - Black 41mm

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De Ville - 40mm

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Grand Seiko - 37.3mm

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Nomos -38mm?

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Nomos Neomatik - 41mm?

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Nomos Zurich - 40mm?

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Float your own boat. I would have hoped watches have escaped the confines of social protocol by now.