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should I get the 42mm or 38mm


  • Total voters
    161

Knowimagination

macrumors 68020
Apr 6, 2010
2,201
1,248
My wrists are almost exactly the same size as yours and I am going with the 42. For some reason to my eyes the 38mm makes my wrist look even smaller than it already is and I like the bigger look anyway.
 

douglasf13

macrumors 68000
Jul 2, 2010
1,775
1,077
Well technically the Milguass is a 40mm. Not sure if that would be considered a mid-size. I always considered mid-size to be 36-38.

Yeah, I usually think of it in terms of 36-39mm. The point was the size of it relative to Daniel Craig's wrist.
 

techspin

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2014
818
395
Trick question! It's an invalid comparison. His right arm is clearly larger from whackin it. :D But yes, go with the 42mm.
 

mistertomlinson

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2007
333
19
What do you guys think? 42mm or 38mm? I think I could probably get away with either as both sorta look very similar.

My wrists are about 170mm, so maybe just a bit below average.

1. Thanks a lot for posting this. I would have done something similar myself, but I'm out of printer ink.

2. I guess I'm in the minority here, but this definitely confirms my preference for the 38mm watch. It looks perfect to me. I've always HATED big watches. I don't care how fashionable they are, they look tacky. And considering it's a smartwatch, the larger it is, the dorkier it looks, in my opinion. At this point with these not being widely adopted, I think I'd rather wear something more subtle that didn't stand out ("HEY, I'M WEARING A SMARTWATCH!").

3. People keep mentioning the larger screen being a benefit, but I hardly think 4mm is gonna make things any easier to see. Besides, if that's an issue for anyone, the font size can be adjusted in settings.
 

AreYouIn?

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2009
683
138
1. Thanks a lot for posting this. I would have done something similar myself, but I'm out of printer ink.

2. I guess I'm in the minority here, but this definitely confirms my preference for the 38mm watch. It looks perfect to me. I've always HATED big watches. I don't care how fashionable they are, they look tacky. And considering it's a smartwatch, the larger it is, the dorkier it looks, in my opinion. At this point with these not being widely adopted, I think I'd rather wear something more subtle that didn't stand out ("HEY, I'M WEARING A SMARTWATCH!").

3. People keep mentioning the larger screen being a benefit, but I hardly think 4mm is gonna make things any easier to see. Besides, if that's an issue for anyone, the font size can be adjusted in settings.

I'm in the same boat as you. I don't want to waste my ink! I found this website and posted it in another thread. You can choose your wrist size and see what each would look like. Definitely swayed me to the 38!

http://www.bigapplewatch.com/diameter.asp?wristsize=725&Diameter=38&Go=Go
 

Sparkeze

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2014
886
18
Indiana
Are a lot of you truly concerned about looking dorky??

I voted for the 42mm. The smaller one looked too small.
 

Sparkeze

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2014
886
18
Indiana
Yes. This is probably the main reason I'll not get an Apple Watch. After all, Tim Cook is selling it as a fashion item just as equally as a device, so it's not far fetched.

Lol. I would think if your clothing, shoes, haircut, etc are not dorky, then a watch isn't going to suddenly make you look dorky.
 

papa8706

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2010
593
59
My wrists are 160,5mm, so it's like the point where 38mm ends to fit and 42 beggins. What to choose then?

I think with your wrist size you could fit into either but the 38mm would look like more of a "watch" than a "smartwatch". The 42mm is sized to fit people up to 205mm. While it would work, it's gonna look big on you. The OP wrists are bigger than 170mm unless there's some photo magic throwing me off
 

robertpatryk

macrumors regular
May 28, 2013
100
38
Łódź
I think with your wrist size you could fit into either but the 38mm would look like more of a "watch" than a "smartwatch". The 42mm is sized to fit people up to 205mm. While it would work, it's gonna look big on you. The OP wrists are bigger than 170mm unless there's some photo magic throwing me off

I've just printed samples of both and I think I'll go with 42mm since my wrist are only 160mm, but my hands are quite big, so it still may look well.
 

sam223

macrumors member
Oct 7, 2008
72
2
I don't think we should be concerned about the display size. I printed out both, the 38mm watch band width is smaller liking a lady's watch strap. So i guess its better to preorder both sizes and try it on at the store and them cancel one order.
 

Piggie

macrumors G3
Feb 23, 2010
9,142
4,048
All ******* here.....

This is MY Watch :D

29blqio.jpg
 

AleXXXa

macrumors 6502
Feb 22, 2015
332
223
Get the 38mm. Keep in mind that the actual apple watch is pretty thick and if you get the 42mm version it will look really weird on your 17cm wrist especially is you're gonna wear a shirt. Here's a big watch on a medium sized wrist. It looks so tasteless, imo.
bd6955eea1c0c148838ab942177e4430.jpg


I have similar wrist size (18cm) and i always wear 36-40mm watches. I have some that are 42-45mm, but they look weird on me if i wear something other than a short sleeved tshirt. :D
 

iMacoo7

macrumors 6502
Jul 31, 2008
484
11
Destin, Florida
I'm in the same boat as you. I don't want to waste my ink! I found this website and posted it in another thread. You can choose your wrist size and see what each would look like. Definitely swayed me to the 38!

http://www.bigapplewatch.com/diameter.asp?wristsize=725&Diameter=38&Go=Go
Now this is a GREAT LINK! Thank for sharing! This confirms 42mm for me;)

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I've just printed samples of both and I think I'll go with 42mm since my wrist are only 160mm, but my hands are quite big, so it still may look well.
I have huge hands too! So the 42" will not look out of place on us:cool:
 

mbhforum

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2010
755
189
38mm vs 42mm: side by side comparison on wrist

I am 37 this month, my wrist is about 7" (177mm) and I currently own 2 Burberry watches (40 and 44mm) and an Omega Speedmaster (42mm) and all 3 look good on my wrist, but the 42 is the perfect size. Granted all of those are circle faces, but I can't see myself getting a 38", especially when looking at the straps.
 

jellybean

macrumors regular
Jun 27, 2006
223
15
The length of the straps are an important factor too!

Like a couple of other people here, I had been of the opinion that the larger watch might tend to look a tad dorky if it looks a bit oversized for the wrist of the person wearing it. I thought I had unusually small dainty wrists for someone of my build and height, but apparently not: I've just measured and they're about 180mm. I was going to get the 38mm, but according to the sizing guide on Apple's website, the strap I want, the milanese loop, is only available in the small size, which fits wrists "up to 180mm", which could be a bit too small. The milanese loop for the 42mm is available in longer lengths.

I've also compared the "actual size" images in the Apple Store app and to my surprise even the 42mm is considerably smaller than my current watch which suits my wrist. So appearances can be deceptive. I've decided to go for the 42mm after all.

I think both sizes look good on the OP, but the 42mm looks a bit better suited.
 

bumpylumpy

macrumors regular
Mar 13, 2015
121
239
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/whats-your-wrist-size-help-destroy-tiny-huge-myth-624165.html

I used to think my 170mm wrists were "skinny" but apparently I'm right in the middle of the pack according to this survey.

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I was going to get the 38mm, but according to the sizing guide on Apple's website, the strap I want, the milanese loop, is only available in the small size, which fits wrists "up to 180mm", which could be a bit too small.

I'm actually wondering a bit about Apple's recommended sizes for their bands, especially the Milanese Loop. One thing we don't know is, perhaps the reason they have such a narrow range for acceptable sizes for the Milanese Loop is because that magnetic fastener really only looks good in a narrow range of positions on the back of the watch wearer's hand.

So in fact, the "up to 180mm" band might fit people up to say, 200mm but they felt aesthetically you wouldn't want to have the fastener so at the 60 degree position on your wrist.

We'll all know by April 10th, of course! :)
 
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