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Men with the 38
- Thread starter joejoejoe
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I never thought of myself as having small wrists, so naturally I ordered the 42 mm Apple Watch WSB. Whew, was I ever wrong about that. The watch was huge on my wrist. I ordered the blue leather loop and it was much too big as well. I ended up going to my local Apple Store yesterday and swapped the Sport model and leather loop strap for a stainless steel Milanese watch instead. My new watch fits perfectly and doesn't look bulky like the 42 mm did.
I wouldn't of even thought of this thread title until I came across it. My wife bought my watch for me as a Father's Day present (knowing that I wanted one) and simply chose the least expensive option, and I've been thrilled with it. It wasn't until I found this thread that I even considered measuring my wrists and whatnot (turns out, my "watch wrist" is somewhere between 165-170mm depending on how tight I pull the measuring tape.)
For MY wrist, the 38mm is perfect. I could probably do a 42mm and be fine, but the 38mm doesn't seem small. I'm also the only person in my circle (friends, family, and work) who even has an Apple Watch, and none of them have asked "is that 38mm or 42mm" (and I work in IT around very tech savvy people who are well aware that both exist.) I don't think of either choice as effeminate or masculine.
The only reason I'd consider the 42 is for increased battery life. Maybe because I've only had it for a few days and therefore fiddle with it a lot, I tend to wear the battery out by the end of the day. It'll last me the day, but barely. I'm hoping that sleep tracking is eventually added (i.e. quality of sleep,) and if so, I'd have to find a window of time at night and in the morning to charge if I were to sleep with it on.
Reminds me a bunch of the "6 vs 6+" threads. Some people need to have their choices validated by belittling others' choices. If it works for you, it works for you. There's no wrong answer. It's interesting to get different opinions and perspectives, or to read feedback from those who have experience when you're trying to make a purchase decision, but not as interesting when judgement is passed or when choice validation is so apparent.
For MY wrist, the 38mm is perfect. I could probably do a 42mm and be fine, but the 38mm doesn't seem small. I'm also the only person in my circle (friends, family, and work) who even has an Apple Watch, and none of them have asked "is that 38mm or 42mm" (and I work in IT around very tech savvy people who are well aware that both exist.) I don't think of either choice as effeminate or masculine.
The only reason I'd consider the 42 is for increased battery life. Maybe because I've only had it for a few days and therefore fiddle with it a lot, I tend to wear the battery out by the end of the day. It'll last me the day, but barely. I'm hoping that sleep tracking is eventually added (i.e. quality of sleep,) and if so, I'd have to find a window of time at night and in the morning to charge if I were to sleep with it on.
Reminds me a bunch of the "6 vs 6+" threads. Some people need to have their choices validated by belittling others' choices. If it works for you, it works for you. There's no wrong answer. It's interesting to get different opinions and perspectives, or to read feedback from those who have experience when you're trying to make a purchase decision, but not as interesting when judgement is passed or when choice validation is so apparent.
Quite. I've never understood the 'for me to feel good about my purchase, someone else has to feel bad about theirs' mindset.
Looks good man. Perfect fit.
Apple watch 38mm sport on me seems to fit right on my 165mm wrist what are you're thoughts on this?
Those pics are misleading. They both look the same size on your wrist. With 155-160mm wrists you should opt for the 38mm if you're aiming for the watch look.
If you are a male and don't have large wrists then I completely agree. I got the 38 mm the other day and it looks perfectly well proportioned where the 42 was too big. I traded the Sport for the stainless steel and am much happier with my choice. If I were larger I definitely would have gone with the 42 mm though.Count me in.. I got an Apple Watch 38mm sport space gray. It is so much better than 42mm sg, both proportionally and it being really light.
5 weeks in, i'm starting to get a form of buyer's remorse over my 38. I can't help but start to think i should have gone for the 42mm instead; it's definitely on the smaller end of watches (although when I look at it's blank, mirrored screen, maybe that's a good thing; there's nothing going on until I flick my wrist).
Battery life hasn't been an issue for me, ever, even using the workout app for up to 2 hours some days - although, to be fair, I have quite late starts to my day much of the time. I'm not out of the house before 9... or even 10 or 11 some days... so I'm not truly testing it out. I know the 42 would give me more of a security blanket there.
When I tried them on in store (it feels so long ago now!), the 38mm milanese loop was the one for me. It looked perfect. But I got the sport instead (so that I could afford to get my wife the same) and the sports bands may be contributing to it looking a little smaller. But hey, on the plus side, I can customise it so much more without feeling guilty because whatever bands I buy for me she can also use, so I don't get told off for spending.
I keep thinking, is it too small? Is it the right size? Or is it too small? Or is it the right size?
Anyone else been through this?
Battery life hasn't been an issue for me, ever, even using the workout app for up to 2 hours some days - although, to be fair, I have quite late starts to my day much of the time. I'm not out of the house before 9... or even 10 or 11 some days... so I'm not truly testing it out. I know the 42 would give me more of a security blanket there.
When I tried them on in store (it feels so long ago now!), the 38mm milanese loop was the one for me. It looked perfect. But I got the sport instead (so that I could afford to get my wife the same) and the sports bands may be contributing to it looking a little smaller. But hey, on the plus side, I can customise it so much more without feeling guilty because whatever bands I buy for me she can also use, so I don't get told off for spending.
I keep thinking, is it too small? Is it the right size? Or is it too small? Or is it the right size?
Anyone else been through this?
I originally bought the 38mm & felt it was the perfect size for me - my wrists are 195mm dia, so are the top end of the size the 38mm's designed for. However I found that my fingers were just too big for the buttons & constantly found I was pressing the wrong icons, so I upgraded to the 42mm.
From a personal asphetic perspective - I much preferred the 38mm, it felt more like a part of me & felt like a snug fitting band, whereas the 42mm feels like a lump of aluminium plonked on top of my wrist & held in place by a strap! That being said, the screen is far far more useable on the 42mm.
I really hope that v2 has the screen size of the 42mm, but in the 38mm frame - that would be perfect!!!!!!
From a personal asphetic perspective - I much preferred the 38mm, it felt more like a part of me & felt like a snug fitting band, whereas the 42mm feels like a lump of aluminium plonked on top of my wrist & held in place by a strap! That being said, the screen is far far more useable on the 42mm.
I really hope that v2 has the screen size of the 42mm, but in the 38mm frame - that would be perfect!!!!!!
last week I was given the watch as a bonus from work and had the choice of the 38 or 42 - a lot of my friends have the 42 and I think it looks a little silly on them so chose the 38. I am 6ft2, have a 180mm wrist and have no issues seeing the screen nor touching any of the buttons - the only small touch points are on the unlock code really which you do once a day - you can just unlock your phone to completely bypass doing this. I much prefer how subtle the 38 looks, it looks like a real watch. Really happy with it and with medium usage I am usually left with 40-50% battery life at the end of the day. Here's a pic of the two sizes on my arm.
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I only tend to hit the wrong buttons while I'm exercising and my arms are moving - I guess I'd still struggle with the bigger buttons on the 42. Seem to manage fine the rest of the time (although I find myself reaching for my pocket to unlock my phone and therefore my watch more often than i try to put the passcode in).
What hole did you have your sports strap in? I'm between middle and 3rd from the biggest end, on the M/L strap, but not entirely sure how big my wrists are.
last week I was given the watch as a bonus from work and had the choice of the 38 or 42 - a lot of my friends have the 42 and I think it looks a little silly on them so chose the 32. I am 6ft2, have a 180mm wrist and have no issues seeing the screen nor touching any of the buttons - the only small touch points are on the unlock code really which you do once a day - you can just unlock your phone to completely bypass doing this. I much prefer how subtle the 38 looks, it looks like a real watch. Really happy with it and with medium usage I am usually left with 40-50% battery life at the end of the day. Here's a pic of the two sizes on my arm.
oh wow, and the 42 is like half way up your arm too! It must dwarf your wrist! I agree, the 38 looks pretty good for you.
Nice post. I agree that it's easier to hit some icons on the 42 if you have large fingers. To me the 42mm watch is like a pair of size 12 shoes. If you have big feet you have no choice but the shoe store will always put the size 8's on display because from an aesthetic point of view, they look more attractive. To me, the 38mm looks better hands down.
On the 38mm M/L Sport strap I was on the second hole from last for a 'snug fit' (when I got hot it was a little tight), on my newer 42mm, I'm on the third hole from last.
I originally got the 42mm sport space gray but had lots of problems with the fit. I'm 6' but have very thin wrists. Finally measured them and they are 155 / 52. I finally broke down and exchanged the 42 for a 38mm SS classic buckle. The fit is much better and I find this band the most comfortable on me of those I tried. I really want the 42mm screen but the 38 really does fit much better.
I had a sport 42mm for about a month, sold it then got another 42mm SS, after contemplating for about a week and reading this thread yesterday i went to exchange it to my local Apple store for a 38mm SS. My wrists are about 165-167mm, and the 38mm fits well for exercising and running, but it does look too small for me, sort of like a toy, it is also harder to operate for me and the battery won't last me a full day. So Apple Store here I come again this weekend to exchange it for a 42mm, man I'm going to feel dumb asking for an exchange again lol ...
This.
I'm very disappointed with the 38mm battery life. I think I'm going to order a 42mm just for this.
So my exchange went through easily, the Apple guy didn't even ask why lol...I'm happy now with a 42mm that lasts me all day long and then some, even on days when I wake up for an early 5am workout all the way to going to sleep at 10pm.
I'm not seeing much difference between battery life on the 38mm or 42mm. With normal usage I'm seeing about 30 or 40% left after 16 hours.
Interesting... I'm not too disappointed with the battery life, although being on the edge of a 42 or 38, I'd happily have changed if it was a significant difference. I have the battery complication on a lot of my watch faces anyway because there's nothing else to put there right now; the weather app often is so wrong where I am its useless. That and the temperature is always the same every day, so it's a little pointless.
Battery life for my iphone is much more of a concern right now
