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Ultimate Sizing Guide for Watch By An Actual Stylist.

This is an excellent guide.

To all of you dismissing this as nonsense, as OP said, it's a general guideline, not gospel. Follow what you like.
 
Tried on the watch today. I am glad i ordered what i did. The 42mm actually was smaller than i had thought. The 38 would have needed s microsope for me to look at!!
 
jbachandouris said:
Sorry to say, wrist shots are meaningless. You have to try one on to be sure. The 42mm does not look big in person at all. It looks normal size. The 38mm definitely looks small no matter what your wrist size. Try them on and decide for yourself.
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I'm a watch enthusiast, and I'm very familiar with wrist shots and wide angle lenses. Plus, I've printed out the watches and fit them to scale. There has been a trend the last decade or so to make watches that are increasingly large. The 42mm isn't ridiculously large, but I find the 38mm to be the more proportional size on just about anyone this side of an 8" wrist. Lots of people think a Rolex DateJust is too small, too, so ymmv.
 
Well... Seems like I belong to B category. My wrist is 173mm around.

Currently leaning towards 38mm but not quite sure yet.
 
Skylitfly said:
Well... Seems like I belong to B category. My wrist is 173mm around.

Currently leaning towards 38mm but not quite sure yet.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, this is where I was too. Same wrist size, etc. A trip to the store to try them on moved me to the 42.
 
Sweet. I preordered a 38mm going by the store app's sizing thing and I got A on this guide. 42mm did seem a bit much for me.
 
JonMPLS said:
I have to admit, this is where I was too. Same wrist size, etc. A trip to the store to try them on moved me to the 42.
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Yeah. Might be I'll end up with 42mm too. Especially since I'm very much into milanese loop. 38mm combined with milanese loop might look slightly too feminine on mans wrist.
 
FWIW: I haven't seen or tried on the watch, but, I imagine that whether the watch seems the "correct" size will also depend on the type of band. They are different styles, materials, and even the same band in different colors will look different.

Just a thought.
 
Great rule of thumb using the credit card. I am "B" and can corroborate that both the 42 & 38 would work for me. But the size of the band push me to the 42, plus I'll be getting a bigger screen. I think if you can pull off the 42 it's beneficial to get the 42 for the bigger screen and probably better battery life.
 
So I am Option B.
My wrist is just a tad smaller than a credit card.
I pre-ordered the 38 mm thinking it was absolutely what I would like best. I have pretty skinny wrists.
Only about 150 mm circumference.

BUT, like so many are saying, you need to go try these on.
The 42 mm was so much better proportioned and fit my tastes. But it's different for everyone.
So if you're option B, go try them on. There's no other advice to give.
 
Thanks for posting this very useful guide. It works for me. I'm a B and here is the 38mm on my wrist:
2rdkc44.jpg

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and here's the 42mm:
33a53rb.jpg


I'm going with the 38mm!
 
Very useful idea! I have 150mm or so wrists but flat. I preordered a 42 (as you can see) and then had an appt Saturday. I had no idea what to expect between the pix showing large 42s and then people saying they were a lot smaller in person.

Well, a 42 for me is perfect. It's larger than a 'watch' perhaps, but not a hulking smart watch look. I tried the 42 SS Milanese and the Sport band. Both were excellent. I definitely understand those that like a 38 with small wrists though!

Oh yeah, using the gauge of the credit card, I'm a B: card is a perfect match on my wrist (and I've had problems all my life getting watch bands to fit). The Milanese and the Sport did it well.
 
I should really try it on in the apple store. I'm C (with 155mm around!), but I wear really small watch only (about 35mm), and when I try apple store app with an actual size watch, it bothers me if it might literally overwhelms. The only reason why I'm sticking to 42mm is because of the leather loop band.
 
slicecom said:
Calm down. If you like it, then get that size. To some, including myself, it looks silly/dorky to have a watch that dominates your wrist, but to others maybe the 38mm on my 180mm wrist looks silly:

Image
Click to expand...

I've chosen the space grey model, that is more subtle so the 42 mm version is fine. It doesn't dominate my wrist at all. But yeah, the 38mm was fine too, but the 42 mm was perfect.
 
I have been a watch guy for many years, and every time I put a larger watch on, I think it looks ridiculous. However, after a few days with it, it is perfect. You will always get used to a larger size.

It is similar to when you buy a new TV for you house, you bring it in and say holy $*!t that is HUGE, but then after a week you think about getting a larger one :)

Watches with no lugs will fit a lot different than ones with huge lugs. My Seiko Tuna is 48.5mm, and wears smaller than it should. My TH Carrera is 39mm and wears larger due to the lugs. Although these are both round watches, so that doesn't compare to square ones. Square watches always wear larger due to surface area.

Men can pull off smaller sizes as well. Steve McQueen is wearing his iconic 38mm Heuer Monaco in this pic. Looks pretty good to me.

article-2182161-06036EA70000044D-491_306x423.jpg
 
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I'm between A and B. My regular watch that I've been wearing, and love the size of, is a 52mm watch and my Moto 360 is a 46mm. I much prefer the larger case size so I'd just recommend trying them on and find the size that's right to you.
 
Skylitfly said:
Well... Seems like I belong to B category. My wrist is 173mm around.

Currently leaning towards 38mm but not quite sure yet.
Click to expand...

I am the same as you. The 42 looked silly on me, while the 38 looked great. So glad that is what I ordered.

This may sound silly, but I don't think it is only wrist circumference that matters. Wrist length plays a part too. Short arms are going to display the watch differently than long arms will.
 
This is a fantastic starting point in my opinion; I didn't actually like the sizing guide in the app store because I have a 6+ and well, that's a wee bit taller than my wrist. It made it hard to tell.

I think those of you saying the 38mm is way too small or "clearly" a ladies' watch are probably used to wearing big watches. They've been around forever, with varying degrees of design sense, so consider where you're coming from.

Also, those that say it only looks big in pictures - be careful. When you look down on it from above you don't see the height or how far off your wrist the band is. Most photos <i>do</i> show those other aspects, which could explain why it looks big in photos.

I got the 38mm (gray/black) because I want it to be small, out of the way and non obvious. I don't plan on using it like my phone - this is an entirely new device. It's meant for quick interactions, there's no multi-touch - I don't think screen real estate is relevant to how I will use it. So I'm a bit of a paradox - the giant 6+ with a "small" 38mm watch, but to me it's the perfect combo.

Oh and I came out as a solid B on this scale, with the card hiding my wrist at its narrowest point but my wrist peaks out where it widens a bit. Thanks for the guide.
 
John6Plus im glad this guide helped you out, you made a great choice and your reasoning is impeccable! Thanks!

John6Plus said:
I think those of you saying the 38mm is way too small or "clearly" a ladies' watch are probably used to wearing big watches. They've been around forever, with varying degrees of design sense, so consider where you're coming from.
Click to expand...

This.

John6Plus said:
It's meant for quick interactions, there's no multi-touch - I don't think screen real estate is relevant to how I will use it.
Click to expand...
Also This.
 
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