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Waltesefalcon
·Today my Hamilton measures an 1 1/2" by 1 1/8" and that is just fine for me.
Size matter.
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Nobel Prize
·A well designed watch works well at any size. Wether they look good on a specific wrist size.... that’s debatable.
A friends girlfriend was wearing his Panerai the other night for dinner and it looked better than it does on him, and her wrists are not big. On the other hand a 36 mm scan look constricted on some people.
IWC Portuguese tend to wear much bigger than they are because it’s all dual with the bezel under the glass, a Datejust 41 looks smaller than a Datejust II and it’s the same size. The Omega Aqua Terra 41.5 looks right on just about anyone.... and so does the 38..... and the 41, it’s just balanced well. An 8500 42 mm Planet Ocean looks bigger than a 2500 45.5 mm PO because of the thickness and either one looks smaller the moment you take the steel bracelet off and use leather, rubber or NATO.
So, don’t buy the size, buy the man.... I mean, the watch
A friends girlfriend was wearing his Panerai the other night for dinner and it looked better than it does on him, and her wrists are not big. On the other hand a 36 mm scan look constricted on some people.
IWC Portuguese tend to wear much bigger than they are because it’s all dual with the bezel under the glass, a Datejust 41 looks smaller than a Datejust II and it’s the same size. The Omega Aqua Terra 41.5 looks right on just about anyone.... and so does the 38..... and the 41, it’s just balanced well. An 8500 42 mm Planet Ocean looks bigger than a 2500 45.5 mm PO because of the thickness and either one looks smaller the moment you take the steel bracelet off and use leather, rubber or NATO.
So, don’t buy the size, buy the man.... I mean, the watch
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heccsat
·Depends on the type of the watch. For dress watches I prefer 36-37mm, for my casual watches 38-40mm, anything above that is too big for my taste.
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jljl123
·In general, 35-37, although 38 works as well as long as it’s a thin case.
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Ninja2789
·I generally prefer 38-40mm, but it really does vary from watch to watch. More important to me is the lug-width, which can change the entire feel and wear of the watch.
As an example, take a vintage 145.012 Speedmaster at 42mm vs. a Longine Legend Diver at the same case size.
Despite both watches having the same case size (42mm), the Speedmaster has much shorter lugs and wears much smaller. In contrast, the LLD has a much longer lug-to-lug measurement and feels like it overhangs on my wrist.
One of the earliest lessons I've learned in this hobby is to try on as many watch types as possible. Get a feel for what works and what doesn't. Otherwise even if you get a great deal on a rare watch, you'll find yourself putting it in a safe because it just isn't that comfortable to wear.
As an example, take a vintage 145.012 Speedmaster at 42mm vs. a Longine Legend Diver at the same case size.
Despite both watches having the same case size (42mm), the Speedmaster has much shorter lugs and wears much smaller. In contrast, the LLD has a much longer lug-to-lug measurement and feels like it overhangs on my wrist.
One of the earliest lessons I've learned in this hobby is to try on as many watch types as possible. Get a feel for what works and what doesn't. Otherwise even if you get a great deal on a rare watch, you'll find yourself putting it in a safe because it just isn't that comfortable to wear.
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Larry S
··Color Commentator for the Hyperbole.I would say 36- 38mm... That said I have a 42MM that wears well, a 33MM and a 34MM that also wear well. .. what matters is design and wrist presence.
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jljl123
·I generally prefer 38-40mm, but it really does vary from watch to watch. More important to me is the lug-width, which can change the entire feel and wear of the watch.
As an example, take a vintage 145.012 Speedmaster at 42mm vs. a Longine Legend Diver at the same case size.
Despite both watches having the same case size (42mm), the Speedmaster has much shorter lugs and wears much smaller. In contrast, the LLD has a much longer lug-to-lug measurement and feels like it overhangs on my wrist.
One of the earliest lessons I've learned in this hobby is to try on as many watch types as possible. Get a feel for what works and what doesn't. Otherwise even if you get a great deal on a rare watch, you'll find yourself putting it in a safe because it just isn't that comfortable to wear.
I agree, here are the other important factors affecting how big a watch looks on the wrist, other than case diameter...I’ve thought about this a lot so forgive the minutiae.
1. Bezel width (wider bezels make the dial look smaller and hence the watch looks smaller).
2. Case thickness (thicker makes the watch look bigger)
3. Lug length
4. Lugs that curve downward (make the watch look smaller)
5. Black dial or bezel I think makes the watch also look smaller while white dials look bigger.
Interestingly, I haven’t found that chronograph pushers actually make a difference, my 35mm chronograph still looks the same as my 35mm dress watches.
Ultimately you have to just try the watch on bc there are so many variables at play.
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Ninja2789
·I agree, here are the other important factors affecting how big a watch looks on the wrist, other than case diameter...I’ve thought about this a lot so forgive the minutiae.
1. Bezel width (wider bezels make the dial look smaller and hence the watch looks smaller).
2. Case thickness (thicker makes the watch look bigger)
3. Lug length
4. Lugs that curve downward (make the watch look smaller)
5. Black dial or bezel I think makes the watch also look smaller while white dials look bigger.
Interestingly, I haven’t found that chronograph pushers actually make a difference, my 35mm chronograph still looks the same as my 35mm dress watches.
Ultimately you have to just try the watch on bc there are so many variables at play.
I've been surprised at how much even a small difference in case thickness can make (1-2mm). I remember looking at a lot of different later cushion case vintage Heuer Autavias. There's a great article comparing two seemingly exact viceroy variants of the Autavia.
The different is just a mere 1.6mm. But having tried on both watches side by side it is INCREDIBLY noticeable.
Another comment I'll make about the feel of a watch is the strap/bracelet that you wear. I remember never really falling in love with the JLC Reversos in the past. Many of the straps that I tried on were too thick and stiff for my taste. But then I happened upon the 1931 Tribute with the Casa Fagliano leather strap.
My. God.
That CF strap was like a paradigm shift. It made me realizing having the right bracelet/strap can totally change the feel of a watch to me.
So yeah, try on a lot of watches, but also think about the type of strap it's one. You'd be surprised at what you find yourself loving.
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MaiLollo
·38 is perfect for me.
I own pieces from 36mm to 43mm, but my favorite are 38-40, with the exception of the lyre-lugs Speedmasters 🥰
I'm 1m98 in height, have pretty big wrists so unfortunately I'm not yet at the point where I feel great with most 33/34mm watches on. But I'm craving for a 37x24mm vintage reverso, go figure 🤨
I own pieces from 36mm to 43mm, but my favorite are 38-40, with the exception of the lyre-lugs Speedmasters 🥰
I'm 1m98 in height, have pretty big wrists so unfortunately I'm not yet at the point where I feel great with most 33/34mm watches on. But I'm craving for a 37x24mm vintage reverso, go figure 🤨
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numero27
·I have every size between 32 and 40 mm , so I believe I tend to prefer small watches , but I don't really care, a cool watch is a cool watch, if it fits a 18 mm strap, It will not be too small for my taste
I don't like big and heavy watches , it is just uncomfortable, and rarely elegant, specialy when it looks like it exceed the size of the wrist.
I don't like big and heavy watches , it is just uncomfortable, and rarely elegant, specialy when it looks like it exceed the size of the wrist.
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strick9
·
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citizenrich
·From 1930's 33mm to 2018's 43mm, watch size keep getting bigger and bigger.
What's your favorite watch Size? And why?
I will start, for me 36mm to 40mm are within my comfortable range. Anything above are just too bulky and not comfortable.
Depends on overall body type. Everything else being equal, I think a teardrop shaped nice full C is my favorite size.
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