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Apple Watches smaller than I thought!

Michael Scrip

Michael Scrip

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 4, 2011
7,991
12,749
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I finally went to an Apple Store today to see the watch in-person. I was directed over to the demo watches over by the wall.

Having never seen one in person... I didn't have any basis for size comparison. The watch I was playing with didn't seem big or small.

Then I found out that all the demo watches were 42mm... and then I asked about the watches in the glass case.

The 38mm seemed so tiny!

An employee opened the secret drawer and let me try on both sizes. I will be ordering a 42mm for sure later this summer.

When you only see something in photos online you don't have anything to compare it to. (I remember thinking the iPads seemed smaller in-person than I thought after seeing the launch video in 2010)

I had it in my mind that the 42mm might be big and bulky.

NOPE!
 
Couldn't agree more.

Ordered 3 sight unseen, apart from AppleStore App. 2 38's and 1 42. When we opened the box for the 38, I was sure glad I ordered a 42 for myself.
 
xban said:
38 is tiny agreed
Click to expand...

Many people have smaller wrists and find the 42 is too bulky for them.

I don't understand this 42 vs 38 competition. EVERYONE is different. Some want the 38, some want the 42. Some feel the 42 isn't big enough. Others feel the 38 is too big.

What's the point in all these posts about what a given person prefers? What one prefers has absolutely no bearing on what another will prefer. Really silly stuff here, IMHO.
 
BillyTrimble said:
Many people have smaller wrists and find the 42 is too bulky for them.

I don't understand this 42 vs 38 competition. EVERYONE is different. Some want the 38, some want the 42. Some feel the 42 isn't big enough. Others feel the 38 is too big.

What's the point in all these posts about what a given person prefers? What one prefers has absolutely no bearing on what another will prefer. Really silly stuff here, IMHO.
Click to expand...

It's all anout the Trolls who start the threads with inflammatory titles hoping for a big response.
 
42 covers most of my wrist, which I do not like. Ergo, 38 is perfect (for me) and allows me to put the $50 saved towards a spare band. Win, win.
 
I got flamed, too, when I commented that the 42mm was a lot smaller in real life than I was expecting.

You have to remember that any criticism of Apple or its senior staff or its products makes you an enemy of the people.
 
I went for the 38 simply down to the fact that the 42 eclipsed my entire wrist. The entire point of having two sizes is for people to be able to... wait for it lads... choose the right size for them. The fact this is even a subject for discussion is questionable.
 
The 42mm is perfect for my wrist - and certainly small compared with oversized men's watches. The surprise for me was the size of the charger - it looks from the PR shots like it ought to be some huge mother ship than clamps on to the back of the watch but in reality is teeny-tiny.
 
Michael Scrip said:
I finally went to an Apple Store today to see the watch in-person. I was directed over to the demo watches over by the wall.

Having never seen one in person... I didn't have any basis for size comparison. The watch I was playing with didn't seem big or small.

Then I found out that all the demo watches were 42mm... and then I asked about the watches in the glass case.

The 38mm seemed so tiny!

An employee opened the secret drawer and let me try on both sizes. I will be ordering a 42mm for sure later this summer.

When you only see something in photos online you don't have anything to compare it to. (I remember thinking the iPads seemed smaller in-person than I thought after seeing the launch video in 2010)

I had it in my mind that the 42mm might be big and bulky.

NOPE!
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same experience. I was thinking the 38 would be best, but when I went to the store and tried them both, the 38 was tiny and the 42 perfect.

The 42 seems a lot less chunky that I was expecting from seeing images online.
 
I think Apple's done an excellent job of sizing. Especially as a company that favors thin & small form factors with tiny screens as a basis for their smartphones. Only recently having moved into the modern era of larger displays, Apple is still uncomfortable with spacious screens as witnessed by rumors of slipping back and building another tiny 4" version.
 
As an owner of the 38mm, I can say I don't think it is tiny and I'd still like it a bit smaller.
 
My wife got her 38mm on Thursday, and I was surprised at how small it looked. I was really hoping that it wouldn't be too small for me so I could just get a 38mm model since all the 42mm models are taking so long to ship, but nope not gonna happen because it's just too small for me. Apple needs to hurry the hell up and start producing more 42mm watches.
 
I'm not a skinny guy but I've still got relatively thin wrists. 38mm was just about acceptable for me, actually looked better than 42mm and more like a discrete watch, less like a bulky sci-fi gadget.
 
I won't have my watch until tomorrow, but from all the various shots I've seen I am really glad I settled for the 38mm. I have tiny wrists and I know that a 42mm on me would look as if I had stuck an iPhone on my wrist! ;)
 
The relevance is from person to person, some people tend to overcompensate the size for the watch for some reason ;) Joke aside. It's from person to person, depending on their wrist, their taste and so on. Im 168mm and i have order'd a 38mm Sport.
 
I'm a guy.

I own the 38mm.

I love the 38mm.

Never considered the 42mm. Just too big for me.

And no, it isn't too small to 'do things on,' seeing as I've been 'doing things' on my Watch for days.

It'd be nice if people understood there really isn't a 'one size fits all' with the Watch. Hence the release of two different sizes. The 38mm is absolutely perfect for me. If Apple discontinued it for whatever reason and made 42mm the minimum, there's absolutely zero chance I'd upgrade.

Measure your wrist. Use that credit card thread, which is amazingly accurate. Then decide what works for you. There is no 'right or wrong' watch. Only the one that's right or wrong for you personally.

Long live the 38mm. And the 42mm, for those who prefer it.
 
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