Looking for the Perfect Dimensions – A Guide to Sizing and Suitability
By: Danny Obillo | Posted: February 21, 2023
An essential hurdle any prospective watch buyer faces when considering a new luxury timepiece is how well it fits on one’s wrist. It is very easy to admire a watch from afar, imagining it to be snugly fitting and perfectly sat on your wrist straight from its presentation box, but there are a very nuanced set of details one can take note of before taking that plunge.
Experience is always the best teacher and trying on a watch is always highly recommended. With that said, here are some often overlooked details we should also consider.
Diameter
The most basic dimension we invariably come across is watch diameter, this is the measurement taken from both extremities of the case, excluding the crown.
The diameters used by luxury watch brands are also usually industry-standard and are as follows; 24-33mm for women, 34-39mm as a unisex size and 40mm and above for examples with more heft and thus are considered more masculine.
A typical wrist measures in-between 5 and 7 inches in circumference – or 12.5cm and 17.5cm respectively (watch collectors frequently switch in-between metric and imperial measurements, perhaps to get better use of their rulers) and the general rule when considering the diameter is as so:
For a smaller wrist of under 6”, a watch with a 36mm diameter and under is regarded as fitting; for a medium wrist-size of 6 to 7”, a 37mm and above sized watch would suit, with 42mm being the absolute limit. Any person with a wrist that is larger than 7” can consider watches sized 42mm and above with relative ease.
Ultimately diameter is up to the individual preference of the wearer, according to their own style choices and how confident they are in wearing something visually larger or subdued.
“Lug-to-lug”
One often overlooked dimension is also a measurement many watch companies fail to disclose in their own product specifications. This is known as the “lug-to-lug” distance. The “lugs” are the outermost extremity where the bracelet or band attaches to a watch, therefore the “lug to lug” is measured from either tip of the timepiece.
The lug-to-lug measurement is especially important for customers whose wrist size falls in the middle ground of 6-7”. A general sizing rule is that a timepiece’s lugs should never spill over the wrist when looking down at it and so the lug to lug in this sense is an essential dimension to consider because it is a fixed length regardless of case diameter.
A good example of such proportioning is the popular Rolex Oyster Perpetual, whose sizes encompass a wide range. For example, the 36mm diameter has a lug-to-lug distance of 44mm, whilst the 41mm diameter has a lug-to-lug of 47mm, both sizes being suitable for a 6-7” wrist. Any watch with a lug-to-lug approaching 50mm will wear especially large and brands such as Breitling and Longines (who regularly incorporate lugs nearing 50mm) use this as part of their design language.
It should be noted that there are examples of where lugs are omitted from the final design altogether, particularly on rectangular dress watches and some specialist diver’s instruments.
Case thickness
Watch thickness is usually dependent on the type of movement a watch uses. Dress watches are generally thinner, with a depth in between 8 and 10mm. In these cases, the thinness is due to dress watches utilizing manually-wound movements that have no rotating weight incorporated inside it, therefore reducing the bulk.
Watches that are 12.5mm and above are regarded as thick, and usually house movements with extra complications, such as chronographs, or are built for professional applications in mind, such as diving, where thickness is used to withstand specific water depths.
One other aspect that affects thickness is the type of crystal used to house the dial, which can be domed and add extra millimeters to the depth. Although in person, these are visually rarely a hindrance and adds a vintage charm to the overall aesthetic.
Dial Color
Another aspect that affects the illusion of size is the dial color. It is generally known that, say, a dark t-shirt can give its wearer a slimmer appearance, the same can be said for a dial.
Darker, formal colors such as black or navy blue generally give off a smaller presence on the wrist. Such colors are used purposely in field watches and sportier examples, to be more discreet and less obtrusive.
On the flip-side, the brighter the dial, the larger a watch can appear. White dials are typically used in dress watches not only for a cleaner appearance, but to also compensate for its smaller size. Atypical colors such as orange or red also give watches a larger feel, as their presence is a lot more striking than a conventional white.
Bezels
The bezel, or rim of a watch varies according to genre. From a quick glance, a watch can be categorized by the style of the bezel it employs. A dress watch typically has a thin bezel and so naturally the dial will be larger than that of a diver’s watch with a thicker, rotatable bezel.
It is a trick of the eye that we focus more on a watch dial than its bezel and there are many instances where a more “everyday” watch with a thin bezel will look bigger than a sports watch with a functioning bezel, despite the latter having a larger diameter.
Non-round watches
You may already have learned that not all watches are circular. There are many popular and iconic watches that are identifiable by their non-round silhouette, such as the Cartier Crash, the Heuer Monaco, and the Richard Mille Cerise Bonbon.
These watches wear very different to their dimensions because surface area quickly comes into consideration. A watch with a 36mm circular case has a very different wearing experience to a square watch with that same measurement – the latter will always wear a lot larger. It’s simple mathematics!
With rectangular watches and tonneau cases (“tonneau” is the French word for “barrel”) there are usually two sets of documented measurements for either extremity of the watch; the horizontal and vertical measurement, excluding the crown. Beyond the simple mathematics, it is especially important to consider the watch thickness when considering these styles. The tonneau case shape in particular has proven to be versatile as both a dress and a sports watch, but its barrel appearance can also exaggerate its thickness and thus overall profile on-wrist.
With all non-round watches, it is especially important to consider the lug-to-lug distance, as this ultimately determines the actual fit on top of the wrist, so trying on these particular watch styles before purchase is highly recommended.
Finding the perfect size
At the end of the day, trying on the watch beforehand is a far safer proposition than scouting for it online and hoping for the best. Physical dimensions on-screen should really be used only as a guideline to narrow down your prospective search. There are many intangibles that come into play only when visiting a boutique and trying a timepiece on your wrist itself.
The whole point of owning a watch is the enjoyment when wearing it, so it is only fitting that you should be comfortable with your new timepiece. A watch that is perfectly sized for you has a better chance of becoming that everyday companion you can rely on for many, many years.
