So my watch collection consists of these three watches. They all seem to fit perfectly and not look odd at all. I’ll add wrist shots in a second. Speedmaster 39.5mm, Marine Master 300 44mm and an IWC 35mm.... go figure lol.

 

My wrist size is 16.75cm... I guess it’s not really fair, the IWC is on a Bund strap... but just goes to show, it’s really hard to tell the fit of a watch just from specs you read online. Just my 2 cents!

 

Agreed. So many variables in fit. I have some 31mm watches that wear like a dream- and some 33’s that feel tiny. My 42mm speedy feels like a dinner plate, but my 42mm Navitmer just feels right. Lug length, bezel/dial ratio, case thickness, curvature of the lugs.... all are very much part of fit and very subjective

 

Speaking as someone who in recent months has bought and returned new watches (40mm and 38mm) because they wore too large, it really has been difficult buying new watches during 'lockdown' without trying them for size, feel and fit.

 

Of course... It is a complex 3d object, you can't get a proper idea of how it will look and feel by looking at pictures.

In the same way, I don't buy clothes or shoes online.

 

I wore watches that were big and clunky for years and didn’t give them a second thought. Then once I went small, I realized how a watch that’s well designed should fit.
I’ve shown these images in another thread but I think they speak to watch fit and how you really need to not just try them on, but really live with them for a while to know what you like. Once you identity what features fit you best, you can look at a watch and know without even trying if it will work for you or not. For me, lug length and thickness are far more important than width. My arm is rather oval and angular with a bony joint right above the hand. If a lug rubs that bone- game over- the watch has to go. I’ve become far more sensitive to this as I have gotten older.

42mm Tag- the short lugs are good in me, but the case is flat- it rests on the caseback on my wrist and sits way too high- cuff catcher


34mm Rolex -great lug to lug, the slight downturn helps contour the bracelet around my wrist, i love the way this fits- slides easily under a cuff


40mm Rolex-even though it’s bigger. The case shape and slimmer profile work for me. This has always been one of my fav’s for fit


42mm Omega-This thing is a slab. Even though it’s low profile, the lug to lug is just too long for me. No curvature on the lugs so it just sits on the caseback and hangs off my wrist- look at the gaps under the bracelet- I wore this for 18 years and never thought about it...but once you feel a properly fitted watch, it’s hard to go back.


38mm Tissot- Slim profile (for a chrono) the downward turned short lugs really help this sit well. This is a nice wearing watch.


33mm Bulova- this is one of the most comfortable watches I own (all of these Bulova’s from this era are). Hugs the wrist, super slim, you don’t even know it’s there.


Most people would reject the Bulova off specs because it’s 33mm, but that would be a mistake without trying one on- I grab that Bulova far more than I do the Speedmaster.

 

Nice IWC (on the "wrong" bracelet)
Can you post some more and better pictures? Is it a .83 caliber?
atb Jo

 

@JwRosenthal
Might as well drop the speedy in the post, I’ll see if it fits me?

I agree with your ‘bone’ issue, I have to wear any watch below mine - above feels completely wrong, to the point where when I see wrist shots on here of watches worn high I feel uncomfortable.

Go figure.

 

Nice try- I still wear it from time to time- I muscle through

Here is my offending bone-


and I agree- I wear mine low at the hand (loose bracelets mostly so it slides past rather than rest on). I can’t do thick stiff straps anymore for the same reason- if it hits that bone, I will rip that thing off and throw it in the bin.

 

I've never gone for Bulovas but yours fits so well that I’ll have to start looking

 

This one is mid- 50’s, I have a few from this era that all wear like that. They got thicker and bigger into the 60’s- more on par with how a 34mm Omega wears. This 50’s era is their pinnacle IMO, unique designs, fabulous construction, in-house movements- a steal compared to comparable brands and parts watches are abundant (Bulova used a standard coding for their movements so it makes it easy to source parts). The problem is they got worn to death- so finding excellent examples is a treasure hunt- and worth the premium.

 

Just so I understand, are you saying it is pain inducing, or is it an aesthetic thing?

 

It’s an annoyance, like a shirt tag on a shirt that rubs you the wrong way. It’s also the reason the original 1171 from my Speedy is in a drawer- hair puller.
As I’ve gotten older (I’m only on my late 40’s), I have become less tolerant of physical annoyance or ergonomic deficiencies- I’m like the Princess and the Pea now. Whereas that big Tag appealed to me in my 30’s and I overlooked the issue that it flopped around on my wrist, caught ever cuff in every shirt, and felt like I was wearing a brick- I overlooked it because it was a cool-ass watch. I can’t do it anymore.

 

If an 1171 pulls your arm hair, you don't have "hair", you have a "pelt".

 

The first gen folded link were known for it from what I have read. I wore it for a few years and had a bald patch on the front of my wrist (always in the same place)- little pin pricks all the time- ouch. I only have one or two other bracelets that do it.
And I have been called a cuddly bear- but I don’t want to be hearing those words from your mouth, Tom.

 

Here ya go . I love the lugs on this watch! The only thing missing is a clear caseback hahaha. The movement is super cool but only the person who services the watch and I are the only ones who can see it lol!?! Oh the crown is pretty neat as well. To bad they don’t make watches like this nowadays....

 

Trust me, you won't!

 

Well, how topical. As @JwRosenthal can attest (sorry to have dragged you into the size miasma!), case size has been quite the issue for me of late. After humming and hawing over some 34mm Air Kings and Tudor Oyster Princes and the like over the last while, I was ready to pull the trigger. Went down to a local shop yesterday to try on a lovely Tudor Oyster Royal. A damn good thing, too; even the watchmaker had to admit it looked a bit small.

Now, I'm not a large fellow by any stretch (5'10/160lbs), but it appears 40 years of playing drums + regular weight training has had an effect on my wrists - they're just under 7.5". This limits my true enjoyment of some truly stunning pieces; like a scratch or blemish on the dial, I'd have a hard time enjoying something that didn't feel just right. My 2254 and Speedmaster fit me perfectly. I like the weight and they sit nicely. This isn't to say I don't love my 34-36 vintage pieces; they're all dial and have long lugs (always been a leg, er, lug man) so they wear a bit bigger.

Short story even longer...absolutely try it on first.

 

Yup- you got meaty arms- suits a bigger watch. Mine are bony despite sized at 7.25”- it’s just the shape. My watch handy friend to whom I gifted my Tag, has 7.5” wrists but his are very muscular and thick- so it looks just right on him- he can’t wear smaller than 36 despite lusting after many of my smaller watches. He’s tried them on and just can do it.

 

Agree. My 1976 Speedy had a first generation 1171. That thing was a brutal hair puller. For vintage, I’ll take an 1175/640 and, for more modern, a 1479/812. Two of the best Speedy bracelets IMO.