Why do straps have punch holes that are unusable?

I've just put a lovely new strap on a lovely new SARB017 as most people know the strap that comes with the watch is like thick cardboard.
I'm 5"10, 12 stone, without weird outsized arms or with Popeye-esque forearms or any other abnormality. So why is it that pretty much every watchstrap i own, i pretty much have to use the nearest-to-the-case punch hole in order for the strap to fit comfortably on my wrist. There are 6 other holes. Surely the outside 3 have no use at all to anyone. unless you wore your watch around your bicep (maybe i could start a new fashion!!)
I haven't measured my wrists but i'd say they are average for someone my height which is the average height for UK men. For far eastern countries where the average male is shorter and skinnier how do their straps stay on their wrists??
Is it to do with tradition dating back centuries like men's shirt buttons are on opposite side to women's blouses because women had a maid to do up their buttons for them or the man had his valet to dress him etc?
Couldn't straps be made shorter or the line of holes moved back towards the case so most people would have a choice of how tight they would like to wear their watch instead of only being able to use 1 particular punch hole?

My valet fits my watch when he dresses me, and I only ever look at the dial side, so I'm really not aware of the number of holes in the strap thingamajiggy.

You know that there straps come in various sizes (lengths) right ? Check cousins and you'll find XXL and all sorts of other straps.

Because some people have large wrists? As has also been said, you can also buy different size straps.

When it comes to straps included with watches, I would imagine that the manufacturers have done research and that the size they ship it with is most likely to fit the target market (same reason some asian watches have shorter straps or bracelets with less links)

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Originally Posted by MelbournSimon

I've just put a lovely new strap on a lovely new SARB017 as most people know the strap that comes with the watch is like thick cardboard.
I'm 5"10, 12 stone, without weird outsized arms or with Popeye-esque forearms or any other abnormality. So why is it that pretty much every watchstrap i own, i pretty much have to use the nearest-to-the-case punch hole in order for the strap to fit comfortably on my wrist. There are 6 other holes. Surely the outside 3 have no use at all to anyone. unless you wore your watch around your bicep (maybe i could start a new fashion!!)
I haven't measured my wrists but i'd say they are average for someone my height which is the average height for UK men. For far eastern countries where the average male is shorter and skinnier how do their straps stay on their wrists??
Is it to do with tradition dating back centuries like men's shirt buttons are on opposite side to women's blouses because women had a maid to do up their buttons for them or the man had his valet to dress him etc?
Couldn't straps be made shorter or the line of holes moved back towards the case so most people would have a choice of how tight they would like to wear their watch instead of only being able to use 1 particular punch hole?

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I'm 6' 6", a well built 20 stone and have worked as door staff before. 8.75"-ish wrists. A SARB just fits me on the last hole of the strap, and I certainly haven't got fat wrists (not saying there's no fat elsewhere, obviously :)) To be fair, a lot of watches (particularly Japanese brands) I need to buy new straps for as the standard ones don't quite fit. I very much hope they don't shorten Seiko straps any further.

I almost always have to buy a new strap especially with Seiko as I'm 6ft 4 and with wrists a tad over 8inches. Many straps are way too short for me .

I've always wondered about the opposite. I'm usually around the middle hole of a 120/80, but on various straps I have the holes closest to the spring bar only would fit someone with a 3" wrist so why are they there?

I read this assuming you meant the holes nearest the case and I was going to agree! I'm 6'2" and 17 stone, not really particularly big compared to many of my mates - and wear most of my watches on the next to last hole. There's a lot more variance in wrist size than I imagined!

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Originally Posted by RobDad

I read this assuming you meant the holes nearest the case and I was going to agree! I'm 6'2" and 17 stone, not really particularly big compared to many of my mates - and wear most of my watches on the next to last hole. There's a lot more variance in wrist size than I imagined!

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Yup. I'm 6'2" and 11 stone and have 6.75" wrists. I'm almost always on the closest hole to the lugs.

12 stone at 5'10" is quite slim though ;)

I usually find the opposite problem with most straps - but not sure I'd cope finding a watch strap with the almost 9" wrists stated above! There are some larger guys on here. Thankfully I'm not that big.

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Originally Posted by Omegamanic

12 stone at 5'10" is quite slim though ;)

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Looking at the BMI, slim in comparison to a fat person maybe but certainly not particularly slim.

If you should suddenly gain 200 pounds or lose 200 pounds, it's nice to know your strap will still fit! :wav:

I never realised that wrist sizes varied so much. It's just when I put the buckle on the furthest hole or 2nd last I can't believe anyone's wrist could be that big, even if you are 6'6 and 17 stone.
Every day's a school day!

I think there's huge variation in frame size, wrist thickness etc - my bmi makes me sound seriously overweight at 6'2" and 17 stone, yet my doctor actually said I'd look emaciated if I lost the 3.5 stone required to reach a 'normal bmi'. My younger brother hits the gym regularly and has far bigger arms than me, yet I can't even get any of his bracelet watches over my hand to even try them on, which I just can't fathom!

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Originally Posted by RobDad

I think there's huge variation in frame size, wrist thickness etc - my bmi makes me sound seriously overweight at 6'2" and 17 stone, yet my doctor actually said I'd look emaciated if I lost the 3.5 stone required to reach a 'normal bmi'. My younger brother hits the gym regularly and has far bigger arms than me, yet I can't even get any of his bracelet watches over my hand to even try them on, which I just can't fathom!

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I don't think hitting the gym is going to make any difference to his wrist size. There isn't much muscle there to work. I'm a fat so and so but with 6.75" wrists. There's no fat on the wrist so my wrist size stays the same no matter what my weight.

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Originally Posted by MelbournSimon

I'm 5"10, 12 stone, without weird outsized arms or with Popeye-esque forearms or any other abnormality. So why is it that pretty much every watchstrap i own, i pretty much have to use the nearest-to-the-case punch hole in order for the strap to fit comfortably on my wrist. There are 6 other holes. Surely the outside 3 have no use at all to anyone. unless you wore your watch around your bicep (maybe i could start a new fashion!!)

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I wear almost all straps on the second or third outmost hole. And no, I don't wear them around my bicep (they wouldn't fit), I just have large wrists.

17 stone, and definitely not slim. My 007 is on the smallest hole, and I have 7 to 7.5 inch wrists. I think in this case though, as its a diver's strap they've made it to go over a wetsuit 😉😂
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...120db85f17.jpg

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Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

I don't think hitting the gym is going to make any difference to his wrist size. There isn't much muscle there to work. I'm a fat so and so but with 6.75" wrists. There's no fat on the wrist so my wrist size stays the same no matter what my weight.

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That's kind of what I meant - my brother has arms like Popeye, and you'd think out wrists and hands were almost identical size, but I can't even get his Submariner over my hand to try it on, and would need to add 3 links in to do so! - wrist bones must vary the size/shape of wrists more than you'd think

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Originally Posted by Man of Kent

17 stone, and definitely not slim. My 007 is on the smallest hole, and I have 7 to 7.5 inch wrists. I think in this case though, as its a diver's strap they've made it to go over a wetsuit [emoji6][emoji23]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...120db85f17.jpg

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I have to say, if I wore my straps that tight I'd cut off the circulation to my hand. I guess we are all different.

I'm 6ft, just under 12st and 6.75" wrists, and ordinary size straps have me using the second hole generally. I've bought a couple of smaller straps and it's nice not to have so much spare strap to tuck away.

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Originally Posted by alfat33

I have to say, if I wore my straps that tight I'd cut off the circulation to my hand. I guess we are all different.

I'm 6ft, just under 12st and 6.75" wrists, and ordinary size straps have me using the second hole generally. I've bought a couple of smaller straps and it's nice not to have so much spare strap to tuck away.

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It looks worse than it is. I can fit a finger through the slack.

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Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Looking at the BMI, slim in comparison to a fat person maybe but certainly not particularly slim.

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BMI means bugger all though. 12 stone for me would look crazy. At my fittest I was just under 18 stone, and tend to be between 15.5-17 these days, depending on whether it's summer or winter and if I can be bothered to go to the gym.

Also my wrist size changes but up to half an inch when I'm lifting heavy for more than 6 months.

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Originally Posted by Man of Kent

It looks worse than it is. I can fit a finger through the slack.

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[emoji106] Actually I just looked at my wrist and my strap looks more like yours than I realised, but like yours isn't really that tight.