I pre-ordered my Apple Watch this morning, with my order going through at 8:03am (orders began at 08:01am in the UK). I chose the 38mm stainless steel version with the white sports band. Additionally, I ordered the Milanese loop separately. I also purchased AppleCare.
I was extremely happy that I got the order through and that I managed to get a delivery date of 24/04 - 8/05 and how smoothly the ordering process went for me. But then, my happiness started to fade after reading the forums.
Many people on this forum had attended their try-on appointments and shared their experience with the 38mm. Almost everyone said how small it was, many even cancelled and were prepared to lose their early delivery dates to wait until June just to get the 42mm model. This really worried me! Throughout the day, this is pretty much all I read on these forums.
So, I've just returned from my try-on appointment at my closest Apple Store. I had an appointment booked for 19:15, but turned up at 19:00. I had a quick look at the watches under the glass, including the edition and was surprised by, you guessed it, just how small they were.
Very quickly I was greeted and then introduced to a Apple Store employee who got my 'favourite' (the one I had chosen on the Apple Store app) up on his screen and grabbed the box which had 10 Apple Watch models in, a mixture of 38mm & 42mm sport and stainless steel models.
I should stress that I've been quite worried over the months about my small wrists and whether or not they would fit. My wrists are 147mm and yes, I am a man.
The first watch I tried on was the 38mm sport version with the white sport band (close to the model I ordered). The band fitted perfectly, plenty of holes either side of the one I was on, so could be tightened / loosened as required.
As soon as it was on my wrist, it just felt perfect. Smaller than what I had expected, but simply perfect. I felt the taptic engine (very cool!) throughout the demo loop that was playing.
I then tried on the 38mm stainless steel with Milanese loop (I've ordered this band in addition to the sport band) knowing that this is the exact model that I'll be wearing pretty soon.
The Milanese loop feels amazing! It really does feel like fabric, not metal. And it looks gorgeous too! For anyone who is worried, the magnet is extremely strong. Absolutely 0% chance of it coming off accidentally.
I turned the digital crown which has just enough friction it felt very high quality!
He then asked me if I would like to look at any further models just for a bit of fun. I tried on the 42mm stainless steel Apple Watch with classic leather buckle (sorry for the awkward angle in the photo, I adjusted it shortly after). It felt great. Great, but not perfect. It didn't have the same feeling as the 38mm model. It just didn't feel right. Don't get me wrong, it was lovely, the extra screen real estate was great, but I still preferred the 38mm. He even commented and said that it also looked good on my wrists (honestly it is smaller in real life compared to the photos- I know it looks ridiculous in the photo below).
I took this off and asked a few questions. I asked if I could change out the bands myself just to get a feel of how it works, and he was more than happy to let me. Very easy!
I took a few photos, played around with a few more models, thanked the guy and then left shortly after. A fantastic experience with a great employee. I've heard many were limited to only trying on 2 models, not my experience at all.
And now back to the 38m model. People have to realise that everyone has different tastes and different sized wrists. The amount of people saying the 38mm is for ladies, well that's just silly. It was perfect on my wrist and I'm extremely happy with the model that I chose.
So to anyone out their worrying about which size to go for, please go and try them out. Don't go by the photos, as they really are smaller in real life. And don't let anyone tell you what size to get, as they haven't got your wrists!
I am man who pre-ordered the 38mm model and am over the moon with my choice!
All of the photos below that show me wearing the Apple Watch are the 38mm model apart from the classic buckle which is 42mm.
I was extremely happy that I got the order through and that I managed to get a delivery date of 24/04 - 8/05 and how smoothly the ordering process went for me. But then, my happiness started to fade after reading the forums.
Many people on this forum had attended their try-on appointments and shared their experience with the 38mm. Almost everyone said how small it was, many even cancelled and were prepared to lose their early delivery dates to wait until June just to get the 42mm model. This really worried me! Throughout the day, this is pretty much all I read on these forums.
So, I've just returned from my try-on appointment at my closest Apple Store. I had an appointment booked for 19:15, but turned up at 19:00. I had a quick look at the watches under the glass, including the edition and was surprised by, you guessed it, just how small they were.
Very quickly I was greeted and then introduced to a Apple Store employee who got my 'favourite' (the one I had chosen on the Apple Store app) up on his screen and grabbed the box which had 10 Apple Watch models in, a mixture of 38mm & 42mm sport and stainless steel models.
I should stress that I've been quite worried over the months about my small wrists and whether or not they would fit. My wrists are 147mm and yes, I am a man.
The first watch I tried on was the 38mm sport version with the white sport band (close to the model I ordered). The band fitted perfectly, plenty of holes either side of the one I was on, so could be tightened / loosened as required.
As soon as it was on my wrist, it just felt perfect. Smaller than what I had expected, but simply perfect. I felt the taptic engine (very cool!) throughout the demo loop that was playing.
I then tried on the 38mm stainless steel with Milanese loop (I've ordered this band in addition to the sport band) knowing that this is the exact model that I'll be wearing pretty soon.
The Milanese loop feels amazing! It really does feel like fabric, not metal. And it looks gorgeous too! For anyone who is worried, the magnet is extremely strong. Absolutely 0% chance of it coming off accidentally.
I turned the digital crown which has just enough friction it felt very high quality!
He then asked me if I would like to look at any further models just for a bit of fun. I tried on the 42mm stainless steel Apple Watch with classic leather buckle (sorry for the awkward angle in the photo, I adjusted it shortly after). It felt great. Great, but not perfect. It didn't have the same feeling as the 38mm model. It just didn't feel right. Don't get me wrong, it was lovely, the extra screen real estate was great, but I still preferred the 38mm. He even commented and said that it also looked good on my wrists (honestly it is smaller in real life compared to the photos- I know it looks ridiculous in the photo below).
I took this off and asked a few questions. I asked if I could change out the bands myself just to get a feel of how it works, and he was more than happy to let me. Very easy!
I took a few photos, played around with a few more models, thanked the guy and then left shortly after. A fantastic experience with a great employee. I've heard many were limited to only trying on 2 models, not my experience at all.
And now back to the 38m model. People have to realise that everyone has different tastes and different sized wrists. The amount of people saying the 38mm is for ladies, well that's just silly. It was perfect on my wrist and I'm extremely happy with the model that I chose.
So to anyone out their worrying about which size to go for, please go and try them out. Don't go by the photos, as they really are smaller in real life. And don't let anyone tell you what size to get, as they haven't got your wrists!
I am man who pre-ordered the 38mm model and am over the moon with my choice!
All of the photos below that show me wearing the Apple Watch are the 38mm model apart from the classic buckle which is 42mm.
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watch. But it's all about how this watch felt, and the 38mm just seemed to be better (for me).
