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After try on - Observations (38mm vs. 42mm, bands)

K

KPOM

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 23, 2010
18,525
8,677
I had a try-on appointment at North Michigan Avenue in Chicago and used all 15 minutes of it. It was a good experience. A person with a British accent walked me through several models. A few observations:
  • 38mm is a good choice for most people. It looked better on my 165mm wrist than the 42mm.
  • The associate said lots of people started out wanting the 42 but ended up wanting the 38. He hadn't seen anyone yet go in the other direction.
  • The classic band is fairly masculine, and a good choice for a "professional" look. It's tasteful and not flashy at all. From a distance it looks like a plain rectangular watch.
  • For women I think the modern buckle looks the most "professional," particularly in black or dark blue.
  • I had no difficulty getting the watch to fit underneath a shirt sleeve.
  • The Milanese Loop is a little difficult to put on, since you need to slide your hand through the loop. The metal tab does not slide out (i.e. you cannot undo the loop). However, it's easy to adjust and the magnet is tight. It is also "professional" looking.
  • The link band is very heavy.
  • John Gruber exaggerated a bit by calling the sport band "luxurious," but it feels pretty sturdy and nicer than I expected.

Overall, the try-on confirmed in my mind that I made the right choice with the 38mm classic band. I'll probably get the Milanese loop. I ordered a link band, too, but am not sure I'll keep it. I'll try again when it arrives.
 
matrix07 said:
Sound good. A bit surprised that people choose 38 over 42.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The Apple Store employee who assisted me mentioned that if we wanted one on release day to go for 38mm because the majority of people she had that day felt the 38mm was just too small for most people and were hoping to switch their preorders from 38 to 42. She felt there would be a much better chance to get 38mm given the number of people dumping their preorders to go to 42mm.

After seeing the 38mm and trying it on, I will happily wait longer for 42mm. While it is only a difference of 4mm, it seemed greater while wearing both. For a watch only, the 38mm was not bad but for touch screen functionality and other functions the Apple watch will provide, give me the 42mm.
 
KGWVU said:
Agreed. The Apple Store employee who assisted me mentioned that if we wanted one on release day to go for 38mm because the majority of people she had that day felt the 38mm was just too small for most people and were hoping to switch their preorders from 38 to 42. She felt there would be a much better chance to get 38mm given the number of people dumping their preorders to go to 42mm.

After seeing the 38mm and trying it on, I will happily wait longer for 42mm. While it is only a difference of 4mm, it seemed greater while wearing both. For a watch only, the 38mm was not bad but for touch screen functionality and other functions the Apple watch will provide, give me the 42mm.
Click to expand...
That was the opposite of the Apple Store that I had my fitting at. Everyone that ordered 38's went to 42's ( men ). I asked the ratio ( I revisited the same store before closing yesterday) that had changed their minds upon my return and was told 98% dropped the 38 for 42.
 
I think after real life use the larger going to be better. Pushing icons, reading text/emails and notifications going to be easier on a 42
 
completely disagree on 38 v 42.
42 was a lot smaller than i thought, 38mm is tiny. Apple employee i was with said the same, not a lot of people looking at the 38mm.
Would only recommend the 38mm for children or petite women.
 
KGWVU said:
After seeing the 38mm and trying it on, I will happily wait longer for 42mm. While it is only a difference of 4mm, it seemed greater while wearing both. For a watch only, the 38mm was not bad but for touch screen functionality and other functions the Apple watch will provide, give me the 42mm.
Click to expand...

At Michigan Avenue all the watches were in demo mode. My observations were based mostly on appearance. I think that the 42mm looked "big" on me. It didn't look bad, but the 38mm definitely looked nicer. The associate hadn't ordered his yet, but said he'd probably go for the 38mm as well as it was about the same size as the watch he currently wears.

I do think we'll see more band options in the future. It was very easy to swap bands (a lot easier than it is on a standard watch with the little pins). The Classic, Modern, and Milanese Loop bands look the best for the office (the Milanese Loop being the most unisex). The sport is ideal for a workout. I think Apple might release a Product Red sport band and Modern Buckle for the holidays. The red on the Edition on display looked very bright (not as deep as the red on a leather iPad cover), and I think it could prove to be a popular choice if Apple makes it available for the standard watch. We could also see more colors for the Classic band. Dark brown and alligator come to mind.
 
Always happy to hear Classic Buckle impressions, seeing as this seemed to get the least coverage in the media.

My wrists are about the same size as your, and I've got an order for a 42mm. I think I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and make a try-on appointment to know for sure.
 
I had a try-on appointment yesterday and also thought the 38mm looked much better on my 160mm wrist. The 42mm made me look like I was a kid playing dress up with my parent's watch.
 
ButteryScrollin said:
completely disagree on 38 v 42.
42 was a lot smaller than i thought, 38mm is tiny. Apple employee i was with said the same, not a lot of people looking at the 38mm.
Would only recommend the 38mm for children or petite women.
Click to expand...

Across from me at the try-on table was a man I'm guessing in his 50s who I overheard also saying he preferred the 38mm. Perhaps the difference is whether you look at the Apple Watch as a "smart watch" or as a watch that happens to have smart functions. I tend to look at it more as the latter. 38mm is a traditional men's watch size.

All our observations are anecdotal, and I'm sure people are switching in both directions. The 42mm isn't as "big" as it appears even on the Apple Watch app, but to me, neither is the 38mm that much smaller. Seeing it in 3 dimensions helps.

----------
JayLenochiniMac said:
You're not making much sense here. The classic buckle is an unisex design. The modern buckle with its prominent, curved clasp, not so much.
Click to expand...

Have you seen the Classic band in person? In the specific color, shape, and pattern it came across as masculine to me. I'm not saying a woman can't pull it off (and indeed it is the only choice for tiny wrists). I'm saying a woman looking for something to wear to the office will probably be better off with the Modern Buckle, partly because of the better color selection. If Apple makes a red or pink Classic Buckle available later I might change my mind.

----------
Tsuchiya said:
Always happy to hear Classic Buckle impressions, seeing as this seemed to get the least coverage in the media.

My wrists are about the same size as your, and I've got an order for a 42mm. I think I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and make a try-on appointment to know for sure.
Click to expand...

It's definitely worth 15 minutes of your time if you are near an Apple Store and can book an appointment. The 42mm didn't look bad. I just preferred the 38mm. I got the classic band mostly by default since I wanted to be in the early shipment window and I overslept my alarm on Thursday night. In the end, that may have been a good thing. The space black looks really nice, but I've usually worn watches with leather straps, and the weight of the link band would take some getting used to.
 
KPOM said:
Have you seen the Classic band in person? In the specific color, shape, and pattern it came across as masculine to me.
Click to expand...

Specific color as in being available in only in black for the SS collection? The lack (or presence) of more feminine colors like soft pink, rose gray and bright red doesn't make a particular clasp masculine or feminine per se. It's in the design.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Specific color as in being available in only in black for the SS collection? The lack (or presence) of more feminine colors like soft pink, rose gray and bright red doesn't make a particular clasp masculine or feminine per se. It's in the design.
Click to expand...

Presumably a different color Classic band would have a slightly different design, as well. I may find it masculine just be because the band is thicker than most leather bands I've seen (on men's or women's watches), has a matte finish, and has a pattern that isn't obvious on the renders on Apple's web site.
 
I'm a 6'2'' 210lb guy, with tiny little girls wrists. And I thought the 42 mm was too small. In pics it looks like it overpowers the entire wrist, but it is not that way in person for some reason. I took some pics of my fitting, and was shocked by how big it looks in my pics, and how tiny it looked in person.

I hope Apple releases a 44 or 46 in the future.
 
iMacoo7 said:
That was the opposite of the Apple Store that I had my fitting at. Everyone that ordered 38's went to 42's ( men ). I asked the ratio ( I revisited the same store before closing yesterday) that had changed their minds upon my return and was told 98% dropped the 38 for 42.
Click to expand...

I think you may have misread my post. I was saying that my experience was exactly the opposite of the OP and aligned more with what you are saying.
 
NovemberWhiskey said:
And I thought the 42 mm was too small. In pics it looks like it overpowers the entire wrist, but it is not that way in person for some reason. I took some pics of my fitting, and was shocked by how big it looks in my pics, and how tiny it looked in person.

I hope Apple releases a 44 or 46 in the future.
Click to expand...

Did you order one, or are you holding out for a larger size in the future?

I actually think Apple is on to something with the smaller one, and expect to see lots of smaller Android Wear watches over the next year.
 
Have a look - 42 and 38 in the same photo

I'm going 42
 

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I had the exact opposite experience re: 42 vs 38. The employee told me most were going for the 42 and his coworker nodded in agreement next to him.
 
wxnats said:
I had the exact opposite experience re: 42 vs 38. The employee told me most were going for the 42 and his coworker nodded in agreement next to him.
Click to expand...

Given that the 38mm still has 4-6 week shipping in most configurations, you are probably right overall. However, I'm just relaying what I heard from the rep I spoke with. He and I both agreed the 38mm looked better on me, and he mentioned that most of the people he assisted preferred the 38mm, including people who had placed pre-orders for the 42mm.
 
After try on - Observations (38mm vs. 42mm, bands)

I actually just got back from my try on appointment. The associate was really helpful and let me try on all the watches I was interested in by myself, so none of the touchy feely thing going on.

My wrist is about 170mm and had some concerns whether I should go with the 38mm or 42mm. After trying them all I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking to my 42mm preorder.

Few pics:
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21229ad7a7d5b2d87306e47798ed4bd0.jpg
 
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