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37-42mm is the best dimension for wrist watches (IMHO would people say).
Most part of my collection is composed from watches that are between 38 and 42mm....
Hi all:
A Ken Sato Pro-Lex Subpro arrived in my mail box today and I'm shocked to say I'm really happy. To be honest I was a little worried about picking up a 38mm watch. For the last 5 years my collection has been filled with 43-46mm monsters. All at least 16mm thick. But a month ago I picked up a 39mm MKII Vantage and I was absolutely amazed how nicely it sat on my below average sized wrist (6 3/4 inches). And when I resized the Pro-Lex just minutes ago it actually seemed to grow while resting on my wrist and from the side I'm proud to say it can hold its own for thickness and wrist presence (love the old school plexi super dome). I guess it comes down to a term I heard many times before.."balance." If everthing blends well, the overall effect of the watch goes beyond its officially documented size. I know its an art and its something evident in some of the best vintage (and vintage homage) watches. I guess it also helps to have a somewhat small wrist. For the record I still like big divers, but when it comes to vintage I'm now open to picking up more pieces between 38-42mm (no 36's or below...I had a Zeno explorer once it was really TOO small). At 55 am I having a late-life crisis or is this some kind of watch lure epiphany? Please chime in if you've also "seen the light" after years of hauling around boat anchors on your wrist. Let me be clear I'm not hear to bash big watches...I'm just saying theres a place for both (at least on my wrist).
Sincerely,
Wallace
37-42mm is the best dimension for wrist watches (IMHO would people say).
Most part of my collection is composed from watches that are between 38 and 42mm....
I think its the variety. I've got a wee Enicar that's around 36mm with 19mm lugs and it's refreshing to wear it as a change from other watches. It's also very slim, so I don't have to worry about cuffs and all that.
i used to be into panerai.. but now im totally happy with 36-40mm watches.. they just sit nicer and are altogether more subtle.
i cant see me going back to big watches.
I have a 36 mm Enicar with 19 mm lugs as well - would yours happen to look like this, too?Originally Posted by Harry Tuttle
Here's another small watch I enjoy wearing a lot. I tried on a Panerai 352 earlier this week, but it felt ridiculous compared to what I'm now accustomed to. My larger watches don't get worn much; vintage sports Rolex is about as big as I like to go now at 40mm.
I had a 38mm Sinn and yes it was small and I would have preferred it bigger but it was the strap that made the watch feel and look too small for me.
36 on some vintage stuff, otherwise 38 -42 for my just over 7 1/2 wrist.
apologies for the mixed units
I favour 40-42mm for sports, dive and chrono and 38-40mm for dress.
It's weird when I look at some of my original watches how small they were, at the time they felt fine. Didn't have particular expensive tastes, my pride and joy was a Raymond Weil gold plated slimline quartz. Did recently acquire an oysterquarz and despite it being 36mm it does seem to be of an ideal size.
Appreciate all the comments. Its great to know I'm not the only one with this affliction. I totally agree being able to wear a small size adds to the variety of your
collection, and I also agree the smaller sizes come across very "subtle." Which at times is nice at work. I was surprised today when I wore the Subpro at a coffee shop.
I got quite a few side glances and second looks. Something that doesn't happen with my big divers that you can see a mile away. Here are some quick and dirty
pics of my new 38 mm best friend.
I do like those Pro-lex/RXW's very nice.
I've come to a similar conclusion with smaller watches also Wallace, the ones that I am buying now tend to be getting smaller. Quite a few 36mm and even a 34mm. I have less in the way of larger watches now. When I look back at some of the watches I wore a long time back they tended to be smaller Seiko's.
Many of the current models are getting bigger and bloated which I feel makes them lose some of their charm.
The biggest watch I own is 40mm, for me that's the top range of what's necessary, except maybe for a diver. I have watches from 34mm to 40mm. The recent trend for > 40mm watches seems silly and ugly to me, a bit like the trend for men's shows to get pointier and pointier, until nowadays they look like clown shoes.
38mm isn't smallit may not be the current fashion, or norm', but small it's not.
Gentlemen, something I've also noticed is that watches in the size range 36-40mm can now be bought for great prices. For example, I was a big fan and still am of
the Ball Master Diver II and the Hydrocarbon I. Both are around 39-40 and I've noticed on the SC they are going for way under what they were a couple of years back and sometimes they sit around for days/months. Ball and other makers are now making bigger versions of old names and the smaller cousins are like little orphans. Puts a smile on my face. While the majority of the public goes out and buys the bigger, newer and improved model, the rest of us will be waiting on the sidelines ready to pick up all the discarded "smaller" siblings. I have a feeling this won't last for longer. I've also noticed some micro brands, who favored big watches in the past, are now filling their line up with 40-42mm watches. A sign the tide is turning.
That Subpro is lovely watch, whatever size you think it isgreat choice.
"Pro-lex"? Seriously?
40mm is a perfect size, it will fit most wrist sizes large and small. 42mm is pretty much the max for me. i have 7 3/4 inch wrists
Ken Sato. Genius behind Pro-Lex/RXW. You either love him or you hate him. But thats a discussion for another thread.
I've came through the oversized watch phase, this 40mm watch has the right dimensions for my wrist.
Used to wear 44mm Panerais, grew up and realized 36mm Datejusts are perfect. Hardly even wear my GMT anymore; it just feels to large...
I had a 45mm PO and a Sub. Sub still here, now have a smaller Explorer I, and a 36mm Tudor oyster date.
Keep seeing guys at work with big Panerai and ( not withstanding mickey taking) the smaller watches look more classic and less fashion ( sorry that's a bit controversial ).
I had to buy shirts with larger cuffs for the PO. Not right.
36mm
36mm
36mm
36mm
36mm
36mm
38mm
41mm
42mm
36 to 42 mm is the best range for me, but I do like small watches
I have others but am well behind with the photos at present.
Variety is the spice of life - I wear vintage stuff from 33mm to 36mm, and modern divers and bezel-less watches up to 40mm as well.
I'd have to think long and hard about anything over 40mm, mind.
33mm
34mm :
40mm :
Nice!!! Very Nice....I've came through the oversized watch phase, this 40mm watch has the right dimensions for my wrist.
This is wery nice very small watch something over 30 mm but beautiful for see and for hand.
Vintage military style Omega
+1. As someelse put in a recent post anything larger than 40mm is like having a wrecking ball on your wrist.
Two small watches with attitude.
39mm and 36mm.
A man should not wear anything smaller than a 41 mm on his wrist.....
Another +1
I went through my big watch phase rather fast. Tried 44mm pam homages, then a 45/46mm Deep Blue dive and several other larger watches. They just didn't look right to me, despite having a 7.25" wrist that I believe could handle these sized watches.
I'm back down to 38mm watches or 40mm with bezels.
For some reason 40mm sits just right on me. I borrowed a friends 42mm Seamaster pro and it just felt wrong, wrong, wrong. And it looked really weird. I suppose I could get used to it, but for the mean time I'll stick with the classic Rolex sports sizes.
I've just done a size-check of mine.
37mm x 1
39mm x 2
39.5mm x 2
40mm x 2
40.5mm x 1
42mm x 1
The 42mm is actually an Aerospace, which is so flat and light that it enables the increase in size whilst remaining comfortable. I'd say that my sweet spot is 36-40mm, though, and anything larger or smaller would need to be a bit special.
Its been interesting reading the comments and despite the wonderful pics I have seen I still feel 36 or below is too small for me. But then I saw the below pic on the Rolex forum and realized that the smaller watches may actually have larger dials than a bigger watch. In this case the 40-41mm Marathon Tsar's dial (mainly because the thick bezel) is actually smaller than the 36mm white faced Rolex explorer to the right and the 34mm Rolex OP to the far right. Maybe that explains why I have always liked the early explorers...they are "all" dial. So I guess it goes to show smaller watches, in some cases, may actually wear larger than the so called bigger watches.
Last edited by AZTIME; 18th August 2012 at 08:17.
I like small watches.. I love my vintage GP!
I got watches from 38 to 44mm and as we all know its not the size ...
Whatever works for me on any given day is fine. It is my 44mm Breitling Chrono-Matic today and tomorrow it might be the 38mm Chronoswiss Kairos.
I have an Omega Polaris which is one of my favourite watches. Whilst it is tiny (32mm) compared to my other watches, IMHO it has great presence on the wrist. I like to wear it as my business watch on the rare occasions I wear a suit, simply as a contract to the Rolex's, IWC's and AP's others wear and it gets a number of positive enquires. Though my son and wife both tell me it is too small for my (average) 7.5 inch wrist. Possibly because they both take the opportunity to wear it if given?
Best
Den
LOL. Best friend on Thursday, Sales Corner on Sunday.Appreciate all the comments. Its great to know I'm not the only one with this affliction. I totally agree being able to wear a small size adds to the variety of your
collection, and I also agree the smaller sizes come across very "subtle." Which at times is nice at work. I was surprised today when I wore the Subpro at a coffee shop.
I got quite a few side glances and second looks. Something that doesn't happen with my big divers that you can see a mile away. Here are some quick and dirty
pics of my new 38 mm best friend.
You can`t be serious........if so you need help!
Paul
I have now had this for a couple of years now and, although small at 36 mm, it is a wonderful watch to wear as a change from the larger "beaters" I wear day to day.
Does that include a Rolex Sub?
What´s everyone on about?... Small watches...you call those small watches, this is a small watch, used by pilots/navigators, Longines Weems 27.5mm!!!
Last edited by Geronimo; 19th August 2012 at 12:30.
I never thought I'd say this, but having gone from a Navitimer daily wearer (40mm I think) to a Rolex vintage oysterdate precision (34mm) and then to my holiday wear Exp II 42mm, I am a smaller watch fan now. The 42mm just doesnt feel right any more, and whilst I wont be selling it for sentimental reasons, I will be buying smaller in future!
Im loving this thread. So many decent watches in tasteful sizes. Its good to see that, hopefully, the clown watch trend is dying down a bit.
Mind you, Im still always going to enjoy laughing at the wrist shots of huge watches on skinny or average wrists, and the posts of those who think that big watches make them more manly!
Yours? Thats really very nice!Tis is probably my favourite size at present - 37mm so small enough to be dressy but large enough to have wrist presence...
It took me a few years to actually realise that having small wrists means smaller watches fit and look better on me. I know it sounds silly but I think I just got caught up in liking the watches I was wearing for just what they were as opposed to also how they fit.
Although I have the same wrist size as the op at 6.75 inches I would never ever have worn anything over 42mm let alone 46mm!! I realised the importance of lug to lug length in relation to my wrist size.
Since my epiphany I've sold some watches that I loved but realised looked stupid because of their size. The Speedy pro, one of my all time favourites, one morning I put it on and realised it was just too big, I couldn't wear it from that point on so it had to go. Same story for Explorer II.
I've settled on 34-38mm as 'my' size. I'm current wearing an Oyster Precision and at 34mm it wears like a bespoke suit. I also have a Reverso and at 38mm long by 23mm it's got that vintage, small watch elegance that I've come to love.
Also it's strange you adjust to the size you wear. When I sold the Explorer II (40mm) and went to an Explorer I (36mm) it felt tiny and is one of the reasons I sold it. After that I went down to the 34mm Oyster Perpetual Date which became the daily watch. I recently picked up another Explorer I and, after wearing the 34mm 'Date' the Explorer I felt too big!!
No mine is like this. I bought this watch from Sales Corner and I've linked to the excellent photographs from the original seller. I hope he doesn't mind and will remove the link if he does.I have a 36 mm Enicar with 19 mm lugs as well - would yours happen to look like this, too?
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...%28Enicar+OHPF
I like the watch very much. There appear to be many Enicars with this dial configuration, but I've not seen one with these hands before. The dial has definitely been restored and I wouldn't be surprised if the hands are replacements. If anyone knows one way or another I'd be interested to know. Whatever the provenance of the hands might be I think that they suit the dial well.
By the way yours is rather nice too.
Last edited by Harry Tuttle; 19th August 2012 at 22:18. Reason: Having real problems trying to attach image so have linked to sales post instead.
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