Watch Guys: 40mm too small now?

I think it all depends on your frame and build. I dont think 40mm is too small if there is enough height on it. Plus if youre like closer to 6', then maybe 40mm is too small, sometimes too big on a small person looks just wrong...

 

I've only got one 40+ watch, so 40 still seems decent sized to me, but the 40+ doesn't feel as odd any more. I used to feel that big watches were a passing fad, particularly since you could see that a lot of big watches were actually small movements in bigger cases. However, now that the movements are also growing to fit the cases and the big watch fad has persisted, I'm not so sure.

High quality mechanical watches are "power" accessories for men and the ones that can afford them are getting older. I've discovered that my complicated watches are hard to read and see without reading glasses, so I'm inclined to the simpler dial faces unless the face gets bigger. Conversely it's also getting to the point where you can't wear a really big watch with a long sleeved shirt without having cuff problems. Consequently, I'm thinking I may move toward simpler dress watches of 40mm and larger sport watches with complications.

 

Actually, I think it has more to do with wrist diameter also. Try putting on a Breitling Bently with small wrists and you'll see what I mean.

I think this "fad" of large watches is laughable. It used to be that the watch houses prided themselves in the detailed movements they could produce in a smalll case. Now most of the movements are just reworked generic and a little case design.... throw in a huge face and blamo.... it's hot....

For the moment, at least.

Personally, I think 40-43mm is just right

 

Large watches match the blinger 24' rimz on your ride, yo.

 

Dunno about 44mm or 45mm but my Panerai PAM72 40mm is perfect on me and I am a big guy. At 6' 2" and 255lb, if anyone will "fit" a bigger watch it would be me. But this 40mm is perfect.

That said.... the 47mm PAM 217 destro with a tan leather strap would be VERY nice....

I dont think large watches are a fad at all. I also dont think smaller watches are going anywhere. Both are neat. A larger watch is easier to read. I also find having a crystal back allowing the movement to be viewed is very cool. Thick crystals look fantastic as well.



Terry

 

I wore a friends pam217 for a while and it's great, makes all my normal size watches feel inadequate now. I'm a pretty big guy (6'3" 215ish) and it seems to fit about right.

Not sure of the size but Jacob's fit me pretty well also.

I'm still undecided though, I like the 217 for it's size and left handed setup, but the 180 with the carbon face is beautiful, though only a 44.

 

I've been wearing a 42mm for the last 2 or 3 weeks, it feels just right. The 44 still feels big, mostly because it IS. I have a 40 that now feels pretty small, and my very first good watch at 38 is downright tiny.

 

I think the size issue is fad. It'll go back to smaller in 10-15 years. I hate this fad as watches I bought 6-7 years ago are all outdated by the same model but bigger! Even PP WorldTIme is coming out w/ bigger version. (well, for this model, bigger maybe easier for my bi-focal required vision)

I'm surprised how many of you notice the difference of 4-5mm.

 

My girlfriend tells me it's not the size that matters....

 

Yeah, that what she tells you...

 

Yeah, size matters- wrist/arm size. I really like my 40mm Breitling-style watch, but any bigger would look silly since I have such skinny arms...guess I should eat more cheeseburgers.

 

I compared my full-size Seamaster with the titanium Lorus w/ leather strap I got in grade 5.

 

Sorry to bring up an old-ish thread, but I've been giving this same topic some thought lately as well as I had to buy a new band for one of my favorite watches. It's a 45mm Diesel bullhead chrono (yeah i know it's not a big buck watch, but it works for me) and is the only watch I still own that looks proper on me. I'm in the 6'5" range and built like a liinebacker (well, okay maybe not that big ) so I've always found it difficult to find watches that look reasonably sized. So I'm all for big watches.

Anyway, I'm kinda curious about how the watch size is actually measured. Lately I've been smitten with vintage 60's-70's watches, particularly those big ol' Swiss jump hour ones, and many ads I've come across list the measurements like this: 42mm top-to-tail; 39mm side-to-side (w/o crown). I'm guessing the "side-to-side" is just a simple measurement across the width of the watch face, but does anybody have an idea what "top-to-tail" might mean?

 

Thanks for the info Peter. That's how I figured it was measured, but I wasn't sure. I'd love a Luminor Submersible (the one with the carbon-esque face please ), but they're a bit out of my range right now. There's just something about the crown surround that makes Panerai's look purposeful and beefy.