Do you like to have midsize watches available or do you avoid them?

[Walrus]

I have no problem with and do like many 40-42mm watches although I try not to go much bigger than that. I have a couple omega in that size range as well as numerous other brands but for a plethora of reasons I like to have a number of midsize on hand.
I suppose some might avoid them for issues with resale but I don’t buy watches with the thought of reselling them.

Certain interactions I have with other humans make me feel funny if I have a large “expensive” watch on but believe me I don’t judge others, when I ran into the gentleman with the Daytona a week or two back it really didn’t strike me as ostentatious. My neighbors buddy got that 200k watch he was wearing when he showed me his new Tesla Plaid which was amazing.

Perhaps because I’m often in “tough” areas that alters my Choices thinking it will stand out less. I guess it’s really multi fold hopefully in the near future I can get a railmaster or aqua terra or Rolex or a list I can go on and on about I’m just curious if many look at midsize in a negative light. I just threw a few pictures together of a few I’ve been wearing recently because I have not had much free time lately to make many posts but I’m always here looking at what people are getting

 

[Walrus]

Sorry for the sideways one just turn your phone or computer and it’ll look fine

 

[Pvt-Public]

I prefer mid-size, although I do have 1 40mm and 1 42mm. It is also my opinion that mid-size watch without rotating numbered bezels seem to go better with formal or business attire. Unless your business attire is more of the casual type. Just my 2cents worth.

Edited: Jun 16, 2022

 

[DoctorEvil]

I went for a midsize Seamaster Pro as my first "good" watch because I've got slim wrists (just over 6in diameter) and found that it fit me very well. Wore it for a long time without a care. Then I got my Speedy FOIS and all of a sudden the Seamaster started to look tiny! It didn't help that I was starting to get into watch forums at the time and some people were saying the midsize looked too small because of the bezel robbing the dial of real estate etc. Was strongly considering trading it in for a full size Seamaster Pro but a work colleague talked me out of it. Glad that he did. I think there's definitely a place for midsize watches in a collection, particularly for the slim wristed. Watches without bezels such as the old Railmaster 36mm and Explorer 36mm would hit the sweet spot for me. Agree that there's not enough love out there for midsize watches.

 

[Gav1967]

I'm not sure I consciously keep mid size on hand but I have plenty of watches which would fit this description and have no problem wearing them.
I have an 8" wrist so can get away with larger sizes without looking too conspicuous but don't tend to go any bigger than 42mm (1 exception I have is the bulova reissue devil diver at 44m).
On thinking a bit deeper and looking through the watchboxes, it is probably whether the watch has a bezel or not tends to be the deciding factor for me (I.e. size of the watch dial). Happy with 35mm (or a little smaller) watches without a bezel and love my Dynamic iii and constellation for instance but with bezel I tend to go for 38/42mm so size of dial is probably very similar.

 

[padders]

As above. Some watches suit certain form factors best in my experience. I love 36mm pieces, and even have several 33 and 34mm vintage watches but with modern divers, I find the dial area far too constricted by the bezel and prefer them in their full size version. I have owned both mid and full size SMPs and by far prefer the 41mm full size. I too have a Dynamic 3, nominally a 36mm watch but I agree and indeed have suggested before that the dial real estate is near exactly the same as that on the 41mm SMP, so superficially they look similar on the wrist.

ps apologies to @DoctorEvil as I realise I am one of those you mention above harping on about dial area and stubby hands!

 

[Larry S]

I have several =+40 … sweet spot for me is 36-38 but I have a nice collection of 34-35mm. Really depends on case design.

 

[Watch my Whisky]

Size is everything so, no.

 

[Donn Chambers]

I generally have preferred watches in the 39-41mm case-size until I tried on a Rolex Explorer in 36mm. Loved the way it looked and felt on the wrist, so now I do have a “mid-size” watch that I wear on a regular basis.

It’s nice to have options.

 

[DoctorEvil]

padders

As above. Some watches suit certain form factors best in my experience. I love 36mm pieces, and even have several 33 and 34mm vintage watches but with modern divers, I find the dial area far too constricted by the bezel and prefer them in their full size version. I have owned both mid and full size SMPs and by far prefer the 41mm full size. I too have a Dynamic 3, nominally a 36mm watch but I agree and indeed have suggested before that the dial real estate is near exactly the same as that on the 41mm SMP, so superficially they look similar on the wrist.

ps apologies to @DoctorEvil as I realise I am one of those you mention above harping on about dial area and stubby hands!

Haha. No apologies needed

I forgot to mention also that a couple of years ago I was attending a CPR training course and one of the instructors was wearing a midsize Seamaster Pro identical to mine. He was a bigger guy than me, with thicker wrists (about 7in maybe?). What I found interesting was that it didn't look too small on him. I actually had to look closely to see if it was full size or mid size. I guess what helped him was that his wrists were more rounded rather than flat in shape.

 

[noelekal]

Manly men did manly things in the late 1930s and early 1940s wearing 30mm - 32mm watches. I figure if they did it, including prosecuting a big war and stuff, then I can pull off wearing vintage watches of less than 34mm.

I have fair sized wrists at 7 3/4 inches. The Speedmaster is about as much watch as I wish to enjoy. I'll happily wear the Seiko 6309 7040 Turtle for fun and have a Seiko SRP 715 field watch that's nice, but both are in the 44-45mm size range which I view as over large for my purposes. That SRP715 is a bit like wearing a manhole cover picked up out of the street and strapped onto one's wrist.

I'm fine wearing my 31mm Glycine beater. I believe I admire wearing 36mm-38mm watches on my wrist most of all.

I suppose that my "wretchedly excessive size" meter is turned down lower than is popular at present, but I will mentally "wince" at seeing what to me is an over-large watch a lot more often than I do when seeing mens watches on the small end. Big watches are like tail fins on a '59 Cadillac, an unnecessary amount of wretched excess.

 

[padders]

DoctorEvil

Haha. No apologies needed

I forgot to mention also that a couple of years ago I was attending a CPR training course and one of the instructors was wearing a midsize Seamaster Pro identical to mine. He was a bigger guy than me, with thicker wrists (about 7in maybe?). What I found interesting was that it didn't look too small on him. I actually had to look closely to see if it was full size or mid size. I guess what helped him was that his wrists were more rounded rather than flat in shape.

I agree they do wear well on a small to medium sized wrist.

My first SMP and indeed my first Omega was a mid size electric blue SMP given me for a significant birthday by my Mother, a generous present I am sure you will agree. This was, ahem, quite a while ago. Sadly that watch was stolen in a home burglary around 10 years ago, luckily they didn't take much else. I replaced it with a 41mm version and never looked back ( I have subsequently owned at least 10 SMPs). Were it not for that burglar, I might still be wearing that middie and not have fallen down the Omega collecting rabbit hole. Were I to encounter him today, I'd still stab him in the eye with a stick obviously, but I might shake his hand afterwards.

 

[Walrus]

On occasion I volunteer at this really cool food bank. They do some great things for people like a “pet food pantry day” and various specials like a day where they give out all the materials needed for homemade pizza.

Anyway I was wearing an omega dynamic one day volunteering. Just a bullseye one and tbh I only payed a couple hundred bucks for It but you know they have that weird oval shape I guess it stands out a bit. I was helping someone who came for an order place their groceries in a carriage and they said “that’s a cool watch I bet it was expensive” it made me feel very uncomfortable very rarely does anyone notice my watch. Probably mostly a mental thing on my part. I mean you could get a big shiny fashion watch for 30 bucks but I just feel weird in situations like that. Thus I tend to like smaller stuff

 

[SkunkPrince]

I have watches in all different sizes. I wear whatever I want when I want. I used to worry about which expensive watch might get stolen, but not so much anymore. Almost no one remarks on them.

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

I'm not sure what classifies as midsize. I have really small wrists so I am comfortable wearing anything as small is 31mm all the way up to 42mm. I was actually the opposite in the sense that I had a hard time wearing the bigger watches because I thought they looked ridiculous but my wife told me its all in my head. Since then I wear my speedy proudly with not a care in the world.

Edited: Jun 16, 2022

 

[Walrus]

TheGreekPhysique

I'm not sure what classifies as midsize. I have really small wrists so I am comfortable wearing anything as small is 31mm all the way up to 42mm. I was actually the opposite in the sense that I had a hard time wearing the bigger watches because I thought they looked ridiculous but my wife told me its all in my head. Since then I wear my speedy proudly with not a care in the world.

Speedy looks fine on you. IMO it’s really only when the lugs overhang your wrist they can look a bit off or “too big” but what if someone wears a watch with overhang and they personally like it. I say more power to them. Midsize ? Perhaps for the sake of argument a diameter of 34-37mm but I just made that up as it seems that is what many “midsize” offerings fall under but there could be an official number made by the people who make rules for such that I’m not aware off.
But what if I get a “midsize” 36mm diameter but it has a 68mm lug to lug? That just made my whole thread moot. I don’t think many of my vintage pieces are over 36mm and a few are under that. I’m just in the process of picking up a 36mm omega from one very cool member here who I dealt with in the past. I think when I stop the volunteer stuff and a few other things im doing I’ll go in a different direction but im not ready for that yet. Like I said it’s 98% a mental thing for me but we live through our perceptions and if certain things cause me concern that im trying to flaunt my non existent wealth I will do what makes me comfortable for the time being. I do not live my life by what I think people are thinking of me but in some situations I prefer low key. It’s strange times at the moment in the past two months I got calls from three people who were stranded as they ran out of gas. I now keep a ten gallon red gas can in my car as in addition I have encountered a few “out of gassers” on my way home. Damn my car is smelling like a gas station cause the plastic jug fell over and I didn’t realize the rubber gasket wasn’t seated properly.

 

[Tet]

I like them, but then I wear both larger and equally smaller also. I guess this would be classed as midsize at 37mm.

 

[dmtowl]

With my 6.5in wrist, midsize is my homebase. Almost all my watches (30 or so) are 34-36mm

 

[Walrus]

Tet

I like them, but then I wear both larger and equally smaller also. I guess this would be classed as midsize at 37mm.

Ooh that has a very snappy look unusual very nice.

 

[Waltesefalcon]

Anywhere from 29mm-38mm is good for me. Much bigger and they start to not fit under shirt cuffs all that well.