Should I upgrade/downsize my Aqua Terra?

Same blue dial and same 2500 movement in both watches! 😁

With closer look I can see the blue dial. If that’s the case, go with the 36mm! It suits your wrist size better in my opinion. They’re both nice watches. Good luck with your decision!

I like the 39 better overall. They both work.

Imho, they both work. To me, one of the most important things is how the watch sits on the wrist. I'd take a 40+mm watch with short curved lugs over a 36-38mm watch with longer straighter lugs any day. In your case, both watches seem to hug your wrist just fine with no overhang, so it's really down to what your heart says 😉

i'm glad i don't have to make this decision. i'm sure i would pick the wrong one and regret it. the 36 looks smallish in one pic and bigger in another............

is that a stella dial?

if so get over to the color dials next big thing thread

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded! With about 48 hours left in the return window, I'm still not 100% decided, but leaning toward the 36 at this point. I recognize that they both look good in their different ways, but the 36 just looks more proportional to me. There's something about the 39, from some angles and distances, that just makes it look too big in my eyes....

Trust yourself!!

Sweet 36mm

I've taken this advice and in the process of doing so, a few more comparison pictures, FWIW (this whole thing is really tapping into my indecision):

They both look good

The 36 is a better fit, IMO, especially on the bracelet. More balanced, see more of the watch. I am generally okay with watches up to 42-43mm, but found that the AT 41 wore large when I had it on demo.

I think they both look great on you, but the 36mm has pretty much perfect proportions in its case and dial. I'd go with that. If I didn't already have a Skyfall, I'd be tempted as well.

After (too?) much deliberation, I've ended up deciding to keep the 39mm. It was a really tough choice, and I'm still feeling some "returner's remorse" -- but here's how it all went down:

Basically, I felt, like a lot of other very helpful responders here, that both looked good. I was split between the fact that, at some angles, the 39mm looked too large and the 36mm looked too small. So it was kind of an even divide, but I figured that, since I had exceeded the return period, I could keep both for a little while and just decide. In the meantime, the 36mm was having some movement issues, so I had to send it back to the dealer for a warranty service. When it came back again and some issues still persisted, they gave me the option of sending it back for more service or just returning it for a full refund. But, I had to decide within 24 hours.

So, faced with that time-sensitive decision, I decided to just send back the 36mm for the return. So I've decided (rationalized?) that the 39mm still looks good. Does it wear big? Sure, but the bracelet is still visible on both sides of the case, giving it some proportion. And I have a few smaller, dressier watches -- so that need is met in my collection. As I see it, it boils down to a kind of philosophy, mentioned here, of whether the AT is a "sporty dress" watch or a "dressy sport" watch. 36 goes to the former, and 39 goes to the latter. And, I agree with a lot of posters that the 36mm has better dial proportions -- which may end up bringing me back to it at some point. During my deliberation, I also asked a few friends in person. All of my WUS friends (incidentally, all men) said that the 36mm looked better, while non-watch folks (incidentally, all women) liked the 39mm better.

One other factor that tipped the scales in favor of the 39mm is that, as mentioned in my first post, it was the watch that kicked off my collection; I have the full set, and even though I'm not the first owner, the warranty card shows that it was originally purchased one town over from my hometown -- even though the guy I bought it from was located on the other side of the country! Feels like some kind of kismet to me. It's also accompanied me for some pretty important moments over the last few years. Chalk it up to irrational sentimentality, but it is what it is.

At the end of the day, if the 36mm is meant to be, I'll come back to it. I've also toyed with trying out one of the 8500 series, which I found online and tried a used one at a local dealer (different color -- I would still get the blue with the teak lines). To me, though, the 0.7mm difference between the 38.5 and 39.2 is pretty minimal, and the thickness is still something that I would have to get past:

I also started toying with keeping some combination of the 39 and 36, or the 36 or 39 and the 38.5 8500... but at that point, figured I'd gone off the deep end, as having two essentially-identical versions of the same watch does seem a little crazy.

So, since I've made my final decision for now, here are two last pics of my 39 in this morning's light, giving its blue dial a chance to really shine:

36mm looks better, I had a white dialled 39 and found it wore larger, due to the dial. I loved my old 38.5 bond aqua terra, but struggled with the depth of the watch the 41.5 resolved that.

Have you tried the new AT I tried one on today and was very nice.

I haven’t - the horizontal lines and the date at 6 both turn me off, unfortunately.

I too struggled with this as I own the 36mm aqua terra and a 39 railmaster on the aqua terra frame. Originally it was a deterrent cause I fought against the explorer 1 for so long. We have very similar wrist sizes and the 36 fits very nicely.

I think both watches looked good on your wrist, with a slight edge to the 36. However, with the issues it was having, I think you made the right choice.
I also have a 6.5" wrist, and the one you kept (39mm) is as big as I'd go.

I'm with OmegaRookie on the size of the 36 suits you much better. Being colour blind I think both dial colours are fine. The 39 isn't too big, but I far prefer the proportions of the 36 on you.

Which feels most comfotable on you though?

oops refreshed the page and saw you already made your decision.

Thanks! So you're saying that if I come across a 36mm that works, I should reconsider? 😗


No worries -- this thread seems to have been resuscitated just as I've been having second thoughts, months later. I keep looking at my 39mm and have my sentimental attachments, but at least some of the time it strikes me as a bit big, though not too big, if that makes sense. And because I've long since returned the 36, I can't keep making the comparison.