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Jacoblee23

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2011
1,474
717
i have a very small wrist, but I often found the 38mm's screen too small. I can operate the screen on the 42mm so much easier, and see it a lot better too. I also notice a bit of difference in battery life. The 38mm overall looked better on me, but the 42mm won out overall...
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,614
7,793
I would wear the 42 if I could. It's definitely easier to see and operate, and I also suspect that the taptic engine is stronger on the 42. But my wrists are so small, the 42 just doesn't fit comfortably. :(
 

Kuroz

macrumors member
Oct 4, 2013
36
2
I would wear the 42 if I could. It's definitely easier to see and operate, and I also suspect that the taptic engine is stronger on the 42. But my wrists are so small, the 42 just doesn't fit comfortably. :(
How small if you don't mind me asking. My wrist is about 156mm, the size of a dollar bills length, and I'm wondering if a 42 would be too big.
I know i have small wrists but when I tried the 38 at the store it seemed too small. Think I need another persons perspective on it.
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,614
7,793
How small if you don't mind me asking. My wrist is about 156mm, the size of a dollar bills length, and I'm wondering if a 42 would be too big.
I know i have small wrists but when I tried the 38 at the store it seemed too small. Think I need another persons perspective on it.

I haven't measured my wrist exactly. But I use the shorter 38 sport band, and the last hole is a bit tight, and the second to last hole is a bit loose.

Also, two people might have the same wrist measurements, but the fit of the watch could still differ depending on how wide the flat part of your wrist is, if you see what I mean?

In the end, too small or too big is subjective. If the 42 causes you no discomfort, and you like the larger size, go for it. On me the 42 was just too loose, and kept slipping around, making it very uncomfortable to wear.
 

Kuroz

macrumors member
Oct 4, 2013
36
2
I haven't measured my wrist exactly. But I use the shorter 38 sport band, and the last hole is a bit tight, and the second to last hole is a bit loose.

Also, two people might have the same wrist measurements, but the fit of the watch could still differ depending on how wide the flat part of your wrist is, if you see what I mean?

In the end, too small or too big is subjective. If the 42 causes you no discomfort, and you like the larger size, go for it. On me the 42 was just too loose, and kept slipping around, making it very uncomfortable to wear.
Ah gotcha, some reason I thought all wrist measurements would be the same fit if equal haha. Dummy me. Thanks for the advice :)
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,481
43,405
From my research, it seems the difference on the wrist is negligible, i.e., both look nearly the same, and it seems the 42mm has better battery life so for me it was a no-brainer. 42mm all the way.
 

papbot

macrumors 68020
May 19, 2015
2,110
985
I see many women, especially models, wear very large watches. So from an aesthetic perspective I don't think the 42 would look odd. My wife chose to get the 38 because she just thought it looked more appropriate. I have a 42 and as you noticed there is a distinct difference in battery life and the screen is easier to read and manipulate on the 42. I'm a man with small wrists and I've always worn large watches so mine feels natural to me.

I have the leather loop band and the medium version I selected pretty much wraps back around on itself but being magnetic it works very well without any issues. Currently Apple only has longer bands available for the 42s. So perhaps the best choice might be the small/medium sport band. Additional holes could be made in the band if it needed to be snugged up even more. Hopefully as we move into bigger shopping seasons Apple will offer shorter bands for the 42. There are a lot of us out here with small wrists.

As long as the watch, with whatever band you choose, isn't so loose that it flops around losing contact with your wrist and locking on you, you should seriously consider it.
 

douglasf13

macrumors 68000
Jul 2, 2010
1,774
1,077
As I just mentioned in another thread, the 38mm option is one of the most appealing things about the Apple Watch, to me, as it's one of the few smartwatches that doesn't read like a big computer screen on the wrist.
 

Karnicopia

macrumors 6502
Mar 27, 2015
479
496
I really agonized over this decision and the people at the Apple Store were probably getting sick of me coming in. I have a 165 mm wrist with 50 mm width.

Had the 38mm for the return period but then switched for the 42 when my return period was up. I actually liked them both but a woman I know suggested I go for the larger one and I trust her fashion sense. Overall I'm happy I made the switch but the 38 mm is great too.

I didn't notice much of a difference with battery and didn't have any trouble with readability on the 38. It is easier for me to hit touch targets on the 42 but it wasn't bad or anything and now I mainly use Siri to open apps and my phone with fingerprint sensor to unlock the watch so I don't spend much time trying to hit small touch targets anyway.
 
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