Therapy session - How to get used to a watch that seems too large (41mm Bond SMP). Or should I move on?

[Edit 7 days later - The TAG Heuer 2000 has become my daily watch. I'll keep one SMP for occasional wear. This thread has helped me realize the SMP is too large (for me) to wear every day so there's no point in continuing to make it my daily wear watch.]


I own both the 2541.80 and 2531.80 SMP’s. This is the 90's Bond SMP. 41mm case. I love the look of the watch. I have a million different bracelets and straps I can switch between. I love the Bond connection (I’m a huge James Bond fan, both books and movies). I love the 1990’s connection. I love the color, the waves, and the robust 300 meter water resistance. I love the thinness. I’ve had both watches fully serviced in the last year and they look basically new.

But here’s the problem—I feel like they wear too large. Objectively, the 41mm case is not too large. My wrist is 6.9 inches (17.5 cm). I think that’s a pretty average wrist size. The SMP lug-to-lug is a very reasonable 47.5mm. Given the thinness of these watches, there’s no way anyone would say the 41mm SMP looks too large on me. But I have this mental dissonance when I wear them. I won’t bother posting photos since I know every normal person would say it looks fine.

When I’m not wearing the SMP my default watch of late has been the TAG Heuer 2000, which is 37.5mm. I love the size. It feels very comfortable to me. But it’s not a Bond watch and I’d really rather wear an Omega.

So what should I do? I’ve thought about forcing myself to wear the SMP for a month straight as I’m pretty sure I will mentally get used to the size. Or should I just accept that the SMP is not giving me the joy I should expect from a watch and roll with the TAG Heuer 2000?

BTW, I have tried the 36.25mm SMP and it looks tiny on my wrist. Way too small. I think my ideal SMP would be around 38mm or 39mm. Also, the 39.5mm Planet Ocean is a no go. I’ve tried it on. It’s too thick and that particular model doesn’t do anything for me. So really I think my choices are to get used to the SMP or wear the TAG Heuer 2000 and forget about Bond.

Uh oh!

I wasn't planning to do this, but now I'll go with the "does this watch look too big on my wrist?" watch forum trope. I think the size is reasonable. But it seems larger than the numbers say it should be. I've included shots with the OEM bracelet and the first gen Aqua Terra bracelet and the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary bracelet since I wear it on any of the three (the AT and Apollo bracelets make it look smaller). And last is the TH 2000.

Spot on! The TAG Heuer 2000 has that classic, snug fit that's hard to beat for daily wear. I'll give the SMP a few more days to see if the "oversized" look grows on me, but as you said, sometimes the heart just doesn't follow the specs on paper. Appreciate the honest take!

It sounds like you might be subconsciously expecting dress watch aesthetics from a dedicated diver/sport watch.

007 started the global trend of pairing a chunky, helium-valved diver with a sharp jacket or a tuxedo. While it’s a legendary look, the trend may not be the right fit for your personal taste.

Good responses so far. For the record, I've owned the SMP's for years but their wrist time has been sporadic.

Complicating matters is that my smooth bezel GADA watch is the 36.2mm first gen Aqua Terra (blue dial). The TH 2000 plays nicely with that but the SMP is more jarring when I switch back and forth.

I'm leaning toward accepting that the SMP will never be my everyday watch and going with the TH2000. I'll still keep the GoldenEye SMP for occasional wear though.

My sizing test is simple: if I can run a mile wearing the watch without wrist pain, the size is right. Brutally efficient. By the way, why do you think Daniel Craig asked Omega to build the SMP 300 NTTD using titanium ?

Anyone would feel a watch is large if they’re going from 37mm to 41mm, and the other way around where a watch can feel puny when going from a larger size to midsize. When I go from 36mm to a 41mm Datejust, it’s shocking how large it looks, and when I go back to 36mm, it looks tiny until it starts looking normal again after a bit of wear. Personally, I’d rather a watch look too small on my wrist than too large.

Give it time and someone will start offering silicone wrist implants for guys with oversized watch complex.

See if someone will lend you their Ploprof… wear that for a week and your SMP will suddenly feel minuscule.

When I was writing that I knew someone would bring this up. I guess I’m talking more about wrist presence than actual size.

OP, there's no way that SMP looks too big on your wrist. Just rock it!