Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

saintforlife

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
1,045
329
Can guys with smaller wrists wear a 38mm Apple watch without looking feminine? Is 42mm the way to go for men regardless of wrist size?
 
How big is the man and his wrist? That's the answer to your question.

If I were a smaller male with a slight frame, I'd go for the smaller watch.
 
They are both way too big for me. I just bought a 30mm Seiko and it fits perfectly. I might could go to 32mm but that is the largest that is comfortable for me.
 
Depends on your wrist.

These days sport watches for men range from 38-42mm for smaller wrists and 42-48mm for bigger wrists.

Thus it's likely that both sizes are somewhat gender neutral.
 
Most women wear well under 38mm in my experience. I think the problem here is that Apple needs a usable screen size and going to a size that really looks dainty on a woman's wrist doesn't give you any screen space.
 
Can guys with smaller wrists wear a 38mm Apple watch without looking feminine? Is 42mm the way to go for men regardless of wrist size?

can a man wearing a 38mm with a small wrist knock a cheeky punk out without looking feminine? hmm let me see :rolleyes:;)

dumbest thread ever. How old are you? 12?
 
Can guys with smaller wrists wear a 38mm Apple watch without looking feminine? Is 42mm the way to go for men regardless of wrist size?
I have very large hands and long fingers. I can catch and palm a basketball off the bounce kind of big. I generally buy 44-48mm watches, but have a 36mm Air King that I wear regularly and it looks great to me.
 
Makes me wonder if we'll get to try one on before we purchase on launch.
For people that have queued on launch, we know that you don't really get to truly look or feel a product or accessory before you buy it.

I've toyed with the idea of Smart Cover and cases in leather or silicone in the past..
 
Makes me wonder if we'll get to try one on before we purchase on launch.
For people that have queued on launch, we know that you don't really get to truly look or feel a product or accessory before you buy it.

I've toyed with the idea of Smart Cover and cases in leather or silicone in the past..

The shape is dead easy to copy
I could imagine someone can or has already done a rapid prototype of them by now.
You could even make out of of polystrene a craft knife and a marker pen to see how it would look
 
I'm going with 42mm. But it also depends on the cost if it's going to be a lot more or not.
 
I am in doubts too.. Printed 1:1 sizes of both versions, and while both fits on my wrist, the 42mm might be too bulky?

I will most certainly try both on before deciding which one to buy. It really have to fit 100% as it's a watch I'm going to wear all the time, and cannot hide away in my pockets.

But I think the 38mm looks a little feminine. I buy a smart watch to get more content on screen - I'm not sure the 38mm will accomplish that.
 
I am in doubts too.. Printed 1:1 sizes of both versions, and while both fits on my wrist, the 42mm might be too bulky?

I will most certainly try both on before deciding which one to buy. It really have to fit 100% as it's a watch I'm going to wear all the time, and cannot hide away in my pockets.

But I think the 38mm looks a little feminine. I buy a smart watch to get more content on screen - I'm not sure the 38mm will accomplish that.

On a pure utility basis the 42mm wins out on screen size alone. Every mm is going to count. You may not be used to a 42mm watch right now, but trust me, it will wear just fine on almost any man. You'll get used to it. Only question is whether the price premium will be worth it.
 
It really depends on personal preference and wrist size really. I have big wrists so I think the 42mm would look just right (maybe even small) on my wrist. Can't wait to get mine I just hope they keep the pricing reasonable on the standard :apple:Watch. I'd really prefer the stainless body over the aluminum but we'll see.
 
38mm is a standard size for classic/simple men's watches, so it will not look feminine, unless worn by someone with big wrists. However, in my opinion, wearing the bigger model with smaller wrists will look geeky and invoke the Android Gear image. Fit is key for any fashion item: even cheap clothes look great if they fit well, just as the most expensive shirts and suits look awful if too big on the body. Just look at that Moto watch, which looks ok in pictures, but when seen on the wrist i looks absolutely ridiculous and almost clownish due to its exaggerated size.
 
I'm 5'10 with smaller wrists I'm going for the 38mm. While I've had and liked larger watches before, I think having a large digital watch like the Apple Watch will just look a bit geeky and oversized on my wrist.

My only thought is that with the screen being so small, I wonder if I should just go to the 42mm purely based on utility.
 
It all depends on the size of your wrist! If you have small wrist; you should downsize and vise vera! The 38mm is for an average man size but if you are smaller like under 6 feet then you may need a smaller size maybe a 34mm size. They make those sizes too; but it is usually found in the more expensive brands like: Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin as an example.
 
And the style. You're going to look girly if you get the rose gray or soft pink strap. Even the shade of the bright red strap looks feminine compared to, say, burgundy.

True, but some people like stuff that's commonly associated with women. You don't NEED a dark watch if you're male.

I won't buy one (no money :D ), but I'd get a space gray normal AW 38mm with either the white leather strap, or the 'milanese link' one (with all the tiny chain links in it)
 
And the style. You're going to look girly if you get the rose gray or soft pink strap. Even the shade of the bright red strap looks feminine compared to, say, burgundy.

I wonder if they'll sell the straps separately to mix and match, in addition to the ones that come with the case. Rose gold and stainless steel aren't the obvious match, but I'd consider the Rose Gold with the space gray stainless steel band if it looks good in person. Or perhaps with the blue or brown modern buckle with the stainless steel clasp.

If the 42mm isn't too big on me, I could easily see matching the 42mm Rose Gold with one of the leather loop bands (I don't particularly care for the standard white sport band).

I'm actually a bit surprised they aren't planning more darker straps with the 38mm Edition line.
 
I wonder if they'll sell the straps separately to mix and match, in addition to the ones that come with the case. Rose gold and stainless steel aren't the obvious match, but I'd consider the Rose Gold with the space gray stainless steel band if it looks good in person. Or perhaps with the blue or brown modern buckle with the stainless steel clasp.

If the 42mm isn't too big on me, I could easily see matching the 42mm Rose Gold with one of the leather loop bands (I don't particularly care for the standard white sport band).

I'm actually a bit surprised they aren't planning more darker straps with the 38mm Edition line.

I am totally guessing here, and may be utterly wrong.

but whilst I think Any strap will fit any watch.
I think Apple may well only offer their own combinations for new buyers.

they won't for example allow you to buy the low end sports watch with the red leather and gold trim strap.

Sure you can buy it separately, but I think you initially will have to buy a watch and select from a few strap options that Apple have decided should go with this model.

It would be nice if they did class them as totally individual items, and you selected the body you wanted to buy and any strap you wanted to buy. both items were priced individually and every customer could pick any body and any strap.

Something tells me, it won't be sold this way. but it would be nice if they did. It would be easier for them also as they don't then have to guess which ones are more popular, just stock them separate and the mix/match is done at the point of sale.
 
It would be nice if they did class them as totally individual items, and you selected the body you wanted to buy and any strap you wanted to buy. both items were priced individually and every customer could pick any body and any strap.

Something tells me, it won't be sold this way. but it would be nice if they did. It would be easier for them also as they don't then have to guess which ones are more popular, just stock them separate and the mix/match is done at the point of sale.

I'm sure they will have 34 separate SKUs for each of the combinations on their website. That said, they will likely sell replacement straps at some point since leather wears out over time and stainless steel can corrode or break.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.