There are a lot of things to consider when looking to purchase the perfect timepiece, and one of the most difficult can be making sure you have the right sizes – not only in terms of diameter, but there are other things to consider too, such as the depth of a watch case, the weight, and even the length of the lugs and the case material.

Watch Sizing Guide

The most obvious of these is the watch diameter; it is the most prevalent watch size dimension and, generally speaking, other dimensions will fall into place around the size of the case.

So… 34mm? 38mm? 40mm? Can just 1 or 2mm really make a difference in a watch? In short – absolutely. Other things will come into play aesthetically, such as the width of a bezel (and subsequently, the dial) the size of the numerals, and other design cues. Combinations of these different factors can have a huge bearing on how a watch looks and feels on your wrist.

The best advice that we would always offer, it is to try something on

There is simply no substitute for trying something on, however you can help narrow the field a little by using some of the tips below.

Firstly, it is important to know the size of your wrist. This can be found simply by measuring your wrist circumference with a tape measure – when the tape is held close against my wrist, it is around 17cm, or just over 6.5 inches circumference:

Once you have your wrist size, you can start to narrow the field. A obvious rule of thumb would be to say that obviously smaller wrists warrant a smaller watch, and larger wrists a larger watch. This can be quantified with the following approximations:

– for wrist circumferences of 6 inches or less, suitable size watches are up to around 38mm as a maximum

– for wrist circumferences of between 6-7 inches, suitable size watches are around 38-44mm

– for wrist circumferences of between 7-8 inches or more, suitable size watches are 44mm or larger

However, this should not be simply taken as read; historically, vintage watches for men were much smaller than today’s trends.

There are additionally certain types of watches which tend to lean towards a larger size as well. For instance, both aviation/pilots’ watches and diving watches historically had a need to be larger to enhance their legibility in their respective environments. This need has not changed, and whilst you today might find a wider range of both in terms of sizes available, the tendencies of both err on the larger sizes as opposed to smaller ones.

Based on the approximations above, I would expect for my 6.5 – 7 inch wrist size to therefore suit around 40mm up to 44mm diameter watches, give or take. Here are a few examples of watches of different sizes (in increasing order) to illustrate the differences in aesthetics when worn on my wrist. Note how the differences in the shapes of the cases, the bezel and dial sizes impact the overall look of the watches.

These three are 37, 39 and 42mm respectively:

And in a larger size, these three are 45 and 47mm respectively:

So how did these feel to me? The A Lange & Söhne at 37mm felt too small for my wrists, as did the Rolex at 39mm. The Breguet felt perfect at 42mm. At 45mm and 47mm respectively, both the Breitling and the Panerai still felt good, and I think whilst these are obviously larger pieces than the approximations might suggest would work for me, these watches’ designs (such as the cushion shaped case of the Panerai) account for this.

You might also notice that as we increase the diameter of these watches, other dimensions such as the depth of the watches’ cases increase as well, as was alluded to at the beginning of this guide.

In summary, the 40-44mm sizes that might be expected for a 7 inch wrist according to the approximations above, have worked as a good rule of thumb of me. From experience, I would not rule out a larger size without trying it on, but would be unlikely to go below 40mm (or maybe 39mm) as these always seem a little too small for my liking.

Ultimately, whilst all of the above information can certainly be of help, nobody can tell you how something feels on your own wrist, and the only opinion that matters is your own.

We hope you find this watch sizing guide useful!

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