Is this Aqua Terra 38 too Dressy?

I am looking for a watch that would look nice (and not out of place) in shorts an tees attire while also business casual & dress clothes at work. No suits at work - just dress pants and collared shirts - I’ll often keep my sleeves rolled up (it’s not very formal).

I was originally interested in the silver dial AT 41mm with orange second hand + rubber band stitching. Thoughts being, it’s sporty with the orange hand and rubber band stitching but is still classy enough for work and could also class it up further with a nice leather strap. However, when I tried on an actual 41 AT I thought it looked and felt too big, which surprised me (I have an average 6.75” wrist and own some larger dial watches). This is a “big” 41!

Then I tried on this silver dial with grey hand 38mm AT and I really liked the look and feel. My concerns are that it being a smaller dial (it looks a bit larger in these photos) and not having that sporty orange second hand w/ orange band stitching, the watch might be too dressy for shorts and tees / casual wear as is. The dial and polished case really pops.

Thoughts on this? It still has a grey rubber strap so maybe that counts enough for casual haha Thanks

Lighting in these photos is poor...

I wouldn't call a watch on a rubber strap "too dressy".

Agreed. The rubber strap definitely makes things casual regardless of the dial accents or anything else that would dress up the watch.

I find the AT 38mm would make a near-perfect everyday watch that can be both dressed up and dressed down... think Datejust.

I definitely don't find it to be too dressy. My only contention is the polished links on the bracelet, but it's not a deal breaker.

The AT is on my shortlist, especially now that I couldn't get a 39mm Explorer before they got discontinued. I want to try the new 36mm Explorer first, and have another go at trying on the 41mm DJ (which surprised me that it wore smaller than I would have thought). Why can't Rolex make a 38mm watch???

Look sporty enough for me! Beautiful watch!

My AT is my daily driver, working, hiking, whatever.

I really like the dial on that one!

I wear my Globemaster as everyday watch and it goes well with any outfit so AT for sure can do it too. It is not too dressy in any way.

I work in a similar environment in terms of business casual attire. I recently purchased the AT with the green dial and am really enjoying it! It fits in well at the office (not too flashy or loud in my opinion) and I can knock it around the house if I choose. Jeans and a t-shirt...absolutely! As others have mentioned, having it on rubber will significantly dress it down.

I say full steam ahead as I think they are an amazing all-rounder. This weekend I aim to post a detailed review on my AT so be on the lookout for that as it may help your decision making process.

I think this looks classy whatever you wear. One of the best balanced dial w just enough interest.

Lovely watch, ive seen it worn on popping orange rubber to classy exotic leathers. Both sporty and refined looks matches the watch when changing straps out

My office attire is similar to yours, biz casual. Nights and weekends are jeans and ts/polos or shorts depending on season. I wear a Speedmaster Pro or Seamaster 2531.80 daily but the AT 38mm is my next purchase and could become my one and only. After seeing Anthony Bourdain wear a blue dial datejust with jeans, desert boots and ts or shlepy shirts I think it all works. The AT is more casual than the DJ for sure. I say go for it! And do look at the iridescent blue dial too, it’s a stunner.

I don't know about Too dressy but... This guy asked if his tux made his hips look too wide?

I get what you're saying, for me a light (White, off-white, beige, etc...) dial makes a watch seem more "classic" and "dressy".
If the exact same watch comes with a black face (or anything else dark really), it seems much more "sporty".