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38mm vs 42mm

edhchoe

edhchoe

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 28, 2011
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I have a 155mm wrist. I have gone to a store and tried on both sizes.
42mm looks better and it will be easier to read things on it than on a 38mm.
However, the bands stick out sideways not downward at the lugs. And that makes the watch look funky on my wrist.
I will be wearing the watch while I exercise and my arms do get sweaty. Therefore, the silicone bands would be the best when I exercise. But for all the other occasions, I would probably wear it with leather or nato-style fabric.

Or should I just get a 38mm?
 
edhchoe said:
I have a 155mm wrist. I have gone to a store and tried on both sizes.
42mm looks better and it will be easier to read things on it than on a 38mm.
However, the bands stick out sideways not downward at the lugs. And that makes the watch look funky on my wrist.
I will be wearing the watch while I exercise and my arms do get sweaty. Therefore, the silicone bands would be the best when I exercise. But for all the other occasions, I would probably wear it with leather or nato-style fabric.

Or should I just get a 38mm?
Click to expand...

I would opt for the 42 mm. You will likely adjust to it and as you said, the display is easier to read it, and it's not that much more intrusive over the 38 mm.
 
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crzdcolombian said:
Isn't the difference $30 bucks? Get the bigger size
Click to expand...
38 vs 42 for some people (maybe not this reader size wise, but he stated it looks weird) isn't a difference of price

My SS with Link and SB SS with Milanese both in 38mm wasn't a difference of a few dollars
 
ive had the 38MM for two years and am considering going with the 42 with series 3. i've got small wrists (havent measured) and the 38 doesnt look too obtrusive.
 
The 38mm Apple Watch wears about the same as my Rolex Submariner, which is a pretty standard sport watch size, so that's the direction I went. It looks less like a big computer screen on the wrist from afar.

fullsizerender-jpg.580947
 
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So I went to the Apple store to try on the 42 to compare to the 38 I’ve been wearing last 2.5 years. Didn’t seem as big as I thought and/or remembered.

What do we think? My original on the top, 42 on the bottom.
 

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ericg301 said:
So I went to the Apple store to try on the 42 to compare to the 38 I’ve been wearing last 2.5 years. Didn’t seem as big as I thought and/or remembered.

What do we think? My original on the top, 42 on the bottom.
Click to expand...

I had a 42 but am getting a 38 this time. Small wrists here and the 38 feels better.
 
ericg301 said:
So I went to the Apple store to try on the 42 to compare to the 38 I’ve been wearing last 2.5 years. Didn’t seem as big as I thought and/or remembered.

What do we think? My original on the top, 42 on the bottom.
Click to expand...
Prefer the 42 on you.
 
I ordered 42mm.
I ordered lug adapters for 22mm bands for the watch so that i can use any bands i want.
Clockwork has them for $20 and i used watchuseek15 code for 15% off.

I think the apple silicone bands make the 42mm watch wear bigger than it is.
 
I think this is sort of a gut decision - I think most people will see the two watches and either think the 42 mm is just way too big for your wrist or, alternatively, think the 38 mm might be just a little too small. I have a small wrist - too lazy to measure right now - but almost every single time I see the 42 mm, I just think, wow, that would look so huge on my wrist. As such, I went with the 38 mm. But, if I start reading too many discussions on this forum, I can start second guessing myself. Even after reading through this thread, I had to pull up the two sizes on my iPhone and put them on my wrist again :) - after a few minutes of wondering whether I could do the 42 mm, I quickly came back to my original conclusion that it is just too darn big for my wrist. With Apple fans, a lot have the mentality of go big or go home. Ultimately, get what you like the most.
 
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I've had a 38 since original and jumped up to the 42mm this time. I was really hesitant as most people with 160mm wrists seem to think the 42 is too big. I tried them on at the store and just really like the 42mm better. If I look at the 38 on my wrist, it looks like a fine size. If I look at it in the mirror with a more full-body view, it actually looks kind of small.

While it doesn't seem like a big difference in measurement, the ease of interacting with the larger screen is quite evident. I sort of like the "big watch" look anyway. I'm excited and hoping I will use the watch even more now that I don't have to struggle with the smaller screen.

Also, when I tried on the 42mm at the store, I noticed the sport band tended to stick out more on the sides, but I quickly slipped in my "worn in" straps from my 38 just to try them and the band conformed to my wrist much more. The ones at my store are kept laying flat all day and those straps are pretty stiff!
 
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I agonized over this decision when it came to pre-ordering my original Apple watch. I got the 42mm because bigger screen and battery – my wrist is just shy of 160mm. 2.5 years later, I'm going for the 38mm this time around because I just never got "used to it." It looked like a computer on my wrist – the 38mm looks much more proportionate. But keep in mind that the distribution of the circumference of your wrist may be different. Perhaps mine is narrower.
 
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airjay75 said:
I think this is sort of a gut decision - I think most people will see the two watches and either think the 42 mm is just way too big for your wrist or, alternatively, think the 38 mm might be just a little too small. I have a small wrist - too lazy to measure right now - but almost every single time I see the 42 mm, I just think, wow, that would look so huge on my wrist. As such, I went with the 38 mm. But, if I start reading too many discussions on this forum, I can start second guessing myself. Even after reading through this thread, I had to pull up the two sizes on my iPhone and put them on my wrist again :) - after a few minutes of wondering whether I could do the 42 mm, I quickly came back to my original conclusion that it is just too darn big for my wrist. With Apple fans, a lot have the mentality of go big or go home. Ultimately, get what you like the most.
Click to expand...
I had the 1st gen 42mm Watch and it is beast on my wrist. Hated it, looked like a house arrest device. Went with the 38mm this time. The 38mm has stronger haptic vibration than the 42mm, the 42mm has a bigger battery, can’t win them all. But if you’re on the fence which to order I really recommend trying both on at the Apple store.
 
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42mm. I even got S3 42mm so I can give my S2 42mm to my DW who has a much smaller wrist than me. I put mine on her wrist and it looks good for both sport band and milanese band.
 
I settled on the 38mm 2.5 years ago and I've been very happy, so I won't question my own decision :)
The 38mm looks better on some people, the 42mm looks better on others.
 
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