Thoughts on Size

[RobbieG]

This was buried in another thread and I though it might be an interesting discussion. The orginal discussion that kind of started via PM was whether wrist size and stature and clothing choices contribute to size percetions and how. My contention was that when I objectively look at my DJ it really isn't all that small. My wrists are 7.5" and I'm 5'9" 160lbs with fairly broad shoulders for my size and athletic build. The point being that stature has more to do with wear size than anything else. A guy that is like Bytor's size, who is a powerlifter, is going to make the watch look small no matter the wrist size. Not much a big guy can do about that except to only wear it with suits under shirt sleeves. But if you are an average guy - even with big wrists like mine, the 36MM Rolex will not look small. It will wear smaller worn outside short sleeves and bigger outside long sleeves though.

Consider this pic with my 7.5" wrists that show the whole watch and wrist. I doubt anyone would say the watch looks small on me at all. Anyone? Meanwhile, compare the shot of my same wrists with my 42MM Aquatimer, which of course wears bigger than its size being "all dial" so to speak. I think if one were evaluating these two pics he would say the AT looked big before saying the DJ looked small. And yet the consensus is that a 42MM watch is average in size these days. I love both sizes personally, but I still have to disagree with the general size consensus these days. Size is very relative and I don't think the MM count tells the whole story. What do you guys think?

[Noel Fleischer]

i'm with you robbie. before i came here i was mostly into rolex. i would never consider anything bigger than

42mm.now i have a bunch of big PAMs, HB BB, etc. most of them actually wear well, considering i'm only about 5'7"

with a 73/8 "wrist. (check out my lastest PAM @ the Panerai section-btw)

[TeeJay]

I think something which needs to be considered, is the situations where the watch will be used. My wrist is also 7.5", but I'm 6'2. For the past year, I'd been wearing pretty much nothing but PAMs, and thought of anything else as 'small', but, having worn my SMP for the past week, I'd say that that is about the smallest I would want to wear as a regular beater. For me, I want a watch where I can see the dial clearly and quickly, PAMs certainly fill that function, but equally, so do Omegas. If I was going to be wearing a suit for a formal occasion, I wouldn't mind wearing a 'smaller' watch, such as the PP Nautilus, as it would only be on my wrist a few hours, but I probably wouldn't wear the watch at other times. Equally, when I wore my unbranded Suunto Vector Clone with combats, Vans and a T-Shirt, it looked okay with what I was wearing, but I certainly wouldn't try wearing it with a suit, and probably not with jeans and a button-down shirt either... For me, I'd say it is 'too big' to be a universal beater, but certainly acceptable for situations like camping/hiking etc, where all that is needed, is quick access to a rugged time-piece

I think the context with which the watch is worn, is more important than going strictly by dial size

[iceberg1459]

is that rolex for men?

[Slartibartfast]

It's all subjective. I think that if you've slapped a Pam on your wrist, everything else is going to seem small (other than a Big Pilot maybe).

However I am quite comfortable wearing my Tudor Prince. Lovely little number at only 34mm, and on a 7.25" wrist, does not look out of place IMO.

[iceberg1459]

girls watch plus tight on bracelet...at least wear it loose

It's all subjective. I think that if you've slapped a Pam on your wrist, everything else is going to seem small (other than a Big Pilot maybe).

However I am quite comfortable wearing my Tudor Prince. Lovely little number at only 34mm, and on a 7.25" wrist, does not look out of place IMO.

[cableguy]

See I bought a Seiko when I was in Japan that is a Day/Date. I specificly bought it there because it will always forever remind me of that wonderful trip. The Day is in Kanji/English.

But alas it is small so I rarely wear it.

[sp12]

I think the watch-sizes will go down soon. We have all become "speed-blind" with bigger and bigger watches. It's like with everyting else in fashion - it will peak - become to much - and then go back to more normal sizes again. Look at the height of shoes in the 70's, they started out looking cool, but after the peak they just looked like clown shoes. And we don't want to wear clown sized watches, do we?

Also remember the personal taste is the important thing here. If you like it -wear it!

Edited November 28, 2008 by sp12

[Bibbs]

Most my watches have been 'normal' sized, till I got a Storm Navigator as a gift.

Now I've got a Skyland, the rest seem tiny compared.

I am 6'4" but quite thin, ~168lb.

But as I wear it on the inside of my wrist, it's hard to see.

[RobbieG]

I think TeeJay is closest to how I personally feel - although I also think the size fad is going to wane. There was an article about that in one of those special edition Robb Reports actually. And now Omega is leading out with a 42MM movie watch too. But that is another discussion.

Again TJ I think hit it with two points. Watches look smaller or bigger depending on what you are wearing. A DJ or DD looks way smaller with short sleeves than with long. The other is stature. At TeeJay's size (not sure what you weigh) the DJ may be too small to look right. When I think of a 6'2" guy with big wrists I would think that watch might not look right. Conversely, most PAM's look silly on me. They fit my big wrists fine, but it is my stature. My fiance says I look like Spongebob with one on. It sucks because I love them. I still have a great homage Marina watch but I usually hesitate to wear it because it pops too much for my liking. The fact is if I were bigger in size it wouldn't. Not height either. I think it is a combination. I am not exactly short at 5'9" and I'm not exactly skinny at 160, but I guess you could say I'm compact. If I had to pick an actor we all know I guess I sort or have the build of say Kevin Bacon or Keifer Sutherland or someone like that. Maybe even Daniel Craig but he has huge upper body for his size. Maybe Daniel Craig if he worked out less. LOL. The point being, a PAM will look a lot bigger on him than it would on say George Clooney or Pierce Brosnan or Chaz Palmenteri...

[chris5264]

I think TeeJay is closest to how I personally feel - although I also think the size fad is going to wane. There was an article about that in one of those special edition Robb Reports actually. And now Omega is leading out with a 42MM movie watch too. But that is another discussion.

Yes,,,I also believe that the over sized watch fad will end soon.....I was hoping blancpain was going to hold out but they gave in and went huge as did rolex and I don't think it went well for either. I had a few 50mm + that I liked but sold only because they seemed too big. Now 37-42 feels pretty good. I would even break out my old movado but it is quartz and I don't think that will ever .....ever come back....

[XWORD]

I've got a Cartier Panthere "large men's" watch that looks good. This is a small watch by crono comparisons but is a dressier watch and looks good in that setting. Looking down at it, it seems kind of small but when I catch a glimpse of it in a reflection or see my bro's on him it looks fine. BTW I'm 6' and 175lbs med build. Don't think a large person could pull it off as well, might look small then.

[freddy333]

I am not a fan of pocket watches worn on the wrist anyway, but just about every men's fashion magazine for the past year has been referring to big (over 42mm) watches as being 'so 2006' or 'out of style'. And whenever a Democrat moves into the White House (soon, no doubt, to be renamed 'The Peoples' House' by its new inhabitants), fashions trend to become much less aristocratic & more proletarian. Compare the watches worn by Bill Clinton & Jimmy Carter (at least while President) to those of Ronald Reagan or Dick Cheney.

[RobbieG]

Interesting slant Freddy. Never thought of the political angle before and I think you are on to something. Do you remember what each of those you mentioned wore/wears?

I always think of LBJ when thinking of the Day Date. But Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon and Ford all wore DD's too, so maybe that watch is too iconic and has to be removed from any aristocratic/proletarian divisions, or the Rolex partisanship seems to be otherwise fairly equally split?

I am not a fan of pocket watches worn on the wrist anyway, but just about every men's fashion magazine for the past year has been referring to big (over 42mm) watches as being 'so 2006' or 'out of style'. And whenever a Democrat moves into the White House (soon, no doubt, to be renamed 'The Peoples' House' by its new inhabitants), fashions trend to become much less aristocratic & more proletarian. Compare the watches worn by Bill Clinton & Jimmy Carter (at least while President) to those of Ronald Reagan or [censored] Cheney.

[tomhorn]

I have a 6.75" wrist, and the largest I can reasonably pull of is a PAM at 44mm. My TAG 2000 Automatic is 38mm and is as small as I would go, and sometimes I feel it's a touch too small.

A lot of it for me also has to do with the thickness, which is why I'm not a big Breitling fan.

[freddy333]

Interesting slant Freddy. Never thought of the political angle before and I think you are on to something. Do you remember what each of those you mentioned wore/wears?

Carter & Clinton both wore Timex digitals while in office (P.E. Yo-Bama wears either a TAG-Heuer or, more recently, a Secret Service branded chrono that some of the agents gave him). No idea what Carter currently wears (though I doubt it is either a Timex or cheap), but, almost immediately upon leaving The White House, Clinton suddenly amassed (& began to be frequently seen wearing) quite a collection of high end watches (Rolex, JlC, Cartier, Dubuis, Breitling, Panerai, etc). Reagan wore a Corum $20 gold coin watch. Cheney wears a Rolex Daydate. The elder Bush usually wears a Patek Phillipe & I recall reading that someone gave W a Franck Muller that he wears occasionally along with a Daydate.

With the exception of LBJ, who was always over-the-top, recent Democrats have been trained to portray themselves as just regular, everyday 'middle class' folks. Even though all but 1 of the recent Democratic candidates for President are millionaires, many times over, they all wear cheap, digital watches in public (saving the good stuff for private gatherings among their peers, which are out of bounds to the everyday 'middle class' folks).

[RobbieG]

Yeah I did see Obama's Tag. I think I thought it was an older quartz model no? And yes, teh Day Date is always going to be the most likely choice. After all it started to be called The President for just that reason. Now we sort of take for granted that President is used to describe the style of bracelet on a Day Date, but there was a time when that was different...

Carter & Clinton both wore Timex digitals while in office (P.E. Yo-Bama wears either a TAG-Heuer or, more recently, a Secret Service branded chrono that some of the agents gave him). No idea what Carter currently wears (though I doubt it is either a Timex or cheap), but, almost immediately upon leaving The White House, Clinton suddenly amassed (& began to be frequently seen wearing) quite a collection of high end watches (Rolex, JlC, Cartier, Dubuis, Breitling, Panerai, etc). Reagan wore a Corum $20 gold coin watch. Cheney wears a Rolex Daydate. The elder Bush usually wears a Patek Phillipe & I recall reading that someone gave W a Franck Muller that he wears occasionally along with a Daydate.

With the exception of LBJ, who was always over-the-top, recent Democrats have been trained to portray themselves as just regular, everyday 'middle class' folks. Even though all but 1 of the recent Democratic candidates for President are millionaires, many times over, they all wear cheap, digital watches in public (saving the good stuff for private gatherings among their peers, which are out of bounds to the everyday 'middle class' folks).