After selling my Apple Watch 3 months ago, I realised how much I missed this device for fitness tracking and notification and decided to get a new one. However, this time I decided to get a 38mm instead of 42mm to give it go. I am a man with medium sized wrists and I have to say the 38mm one is perfect for me! I feel my watch is way more discrete at this size. I always felt the 42mm seemed like a giant toy on my wrist (reason for selling my previous AW). How many of you are using the 38mm? Why does 42mm model get all the hype?
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- Thread starter Leo90
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I'd like an AW, as I feel it would fit into my ecosystem, but I've had a Suunto Vector for going on 9 years now. Great device that's reliable despite taking a beating for almost a decade.
How's the Suunto software?
I'm also medium-build for a man, with medium-to-small wrists. I got the 42mm model first but found it too large, so I returned it and got the 38mm. I'm very happy with the size as it doesn't look like a toy on my wrist. But I do wish the battery were as good as the larger model (of course, I understand that with a smaller space comes a smaller battery...)
Big watches are the trend so your personal preference is going against the trend. However, the 42mm is nowhere as big as some of the big-ass watches out there. Whether it looks like a "toy" depends on what model/bands you get.
I think it is definitely a user preference. Anyone saying it is too small or too big is just a personal opinion. I love my 42mm SS. 38mm look great on others but too small for my wrists - though I am 6'4".
The current Apple Watch is perfect for me and what it offers. To others who think fitness first, it has a long way to go. If AW2 adds more sensors internal or in bands and GPS and still keep the size smaller than all those other dedicated fitness devices, this will really take off.
I've seen many folks putting cases/protectors on their 
Watches as well, which makes them even larger.
Watches as well, which makes them even larger.
Nah, I really only wore the Vector for certain hiking or other outdoor activities prior to owning the Apple Watch. In fact, before buying my SB SS at the end of last year I rarely wore the vector, my Garmin 405, or my dress watch - pretty much bare wristing it so just wearing a watch on a regular basis again was the real thing I had to adapt to. These days I don't even notice the weight of the watch on my wrist.
42mm gets the hype because it's bigger (duh
) -- it's got a little more battery life (which was such a concern for many buyers), and bigger watches are the current trend. The thing is, Apple's measurement, being lug-to-lug, is different from most other manufacturers who just measure the diameter across the case. My 42mm AW is about the same lug-to-lug as, or even a bit smaller than, my Rado, which is spec'd at 38mm diameter; and the AW is definitely smaller than my 43mm Citizen (which is as large as I want to wear anymore).
I would've gotten the 38mm myself, too, for my 175mm-ish wrist. I could say that larger is better for legibility, but since we can increase the font sizes, it shouldn't matter much. My wife suggested the larger size anyway.
Regarding missing the AW --
I don't think about how much I would miss my AW until I try wearing my other watches for a couple days in a row. Suddenly, all the little conveniences are gone -- I miss calls and texts, I have to grab my phone twice as often for piddly little things, etc. If I want to wear one of my regular watches, I have to plan ahead and be confident that nobody will need to reach me.
42mm gets the hype because it's bigger (duh
The thing is, Apple's measurement, being lug-to-lug, is different from most other manufacturers who just measure the diameter across the case. My 42mm AW is about the same lug-to-lug as, or even a bit smaller than, my Rado, which is spec'd at 38mm diameter; and the AW is definitely smaller than my 43mm Citizen (which is as large as I want to wear anymore).
I would've gotten the 38mm myself, too, for my 175mm-ish wrist. I could say that larger is better for legibility, but since we can increase the font sizes, it shouldn't matter much. My wife suggested the larger size anyway.
Regarding missing the AW --
I don't think about how much I would miss my AW until I try wearing my other watches for a couple days in a row. Suddenly, all the little conveniences are gone -- I miss calls and texts, I have to grab my phone twice as often for piddly little things, etc. If I want to wear one of my regular watches, I have to plan ahead and be confident that nobody will need to reach me.
Now I know how important the AW is to me and how it makes me less dependent on my phone. Plus, I am doing way more exercises than I used to do when I was wearing the xiaomi mi band.
The battery on my 38mm has been more than enough for 1 entire day using the watch quite intensively. I dont remember having a signifcant different battery duration for the 42mm I used to have.
I ended up selling the 38mm and buying a 42mm one. Even though 38mm looks better on my wrist, the small screen makes it impossible to interact effectively with the watch
I've had the 38mm Sport for over a year and I still think it was the right size to purchase for me. I tried the 42mm on in the Apple Store, but even after trying several different types of bands it just never felt right. I kept fidgeting with it. Maybe I would have gotten used to it, but the 38mm just felt right and looked right to me when I tried it on. I'm male, about 5' 9" with 177mm wrists.
I have always liked smaller watches, but the difference in size between the 38mm and 42mm was more subtle than I expected when I tried them on. I think the the 42mm is popular because big watches are popular, and because the size difference is so subtle that people figure they might as well get the larger one. I think the larger one probably is the way to go if you have larger wrists, or if you have large fingers that need a little more room.
The 38mm just seemed right for me and I'm still happy with that choice. I haven't had any battery life issues either. My 38mm has no trouble making it through the day.
Sean
I have always liked smaller watches, but the difference in size between the 38mm and 42mm was more subtle than I expected when I tried them on. I think the the 42mm is popular because big watches are popular, and because the size difference is so subtle that people figure they might as well get the larger one. I think the larger one probably is the way to go if you have larger wrists, or if you have large fingers that need a little more room.
The 38mm just seemed right for me and I'm still happy with that choice. I haven't had any battery life issues either. My 38mm has no trouble making it through the day.
Sean