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Men wearing "small" watches

81K views 96 replies 53 participants last post by  Ray MacDonald 
#1 · (Edited)
EDIT: Referring to watches 30mm and under.
 
#3 ·
So you like butch broads but can't handle fem guys, huh? geez, some insecurity there I think.

Me, I'm a watch whore - if it fits around my wrist I'll wear it.
Women can wear men's clothing, can't they?

You seem to imply (through your "humorous" comment) that men can wear dresses if they want.

You're wrong. It only works one way.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I guess it's too small because you say so? ;-)....I have lots of 'small' watches, most of them are nicely restored vintage pieces. I don't think any of them were or are ladies watches. Here are a few of my recent ones, the largest is 35mm....









I don't usually look at the wrist to determine if someone is a lady or a man......
 
#7 ·
I guess it's too small because you say so? ;-)....I have lots of 'small' watches, most of them are nicely restored vintage pieces. I don't think any of them were or are ladies watches. Here are a few of my recent ones, the largest is 35mm....
No, those are fine. And if you are semi-intelligent, you know that it's not me, but the vast majority of the population.

Actually, I wouldn't mind if men could wear smaller watches (as long as they are not too lady-like, sorry). I've seen some men wearing what appear to be vintage watches about 25mm or so. That's very small when compared to today's fashionably large watches. But I think look kind of cool also.
 
#5 ·
Here people who wear larger watches:
boys - g-shocks
fashionable boys/girls - fossils occasionally with bund straps
older men - rolexes

The rest wear 35-36mm or smaller watches (male). My father wears 30mm citizen and 34mm something pierrot. I wear 41mm citizen diver thank to WUS:roll:
 
#6 ·
Pants are not "men's" clothing any more than a kilt is "women's clothing".

Women wear "mens" watches for several reasons - they can't see small dials, the pickens are much thinner on womens designs, or they do, in fact, like a bigger design. Today I wore a early 50's Hamilton - very small by todays standards and I guess you'd make fun of me if you saw it.

Not meant to be humorous - you were funny enough by yourself. Both times.
 
#10 ·
nice trolly question!

When I see a guy with a smallish watch, it certainly looks wrong to me. Probably the same way a guy with bell-bottom jeans would look wrong to me.

Sure, both of these technically do the "job" they are supposed to do, but they grate against current fashion norms. And they are not just outside of current fashion (which can actually work for you when done right. Look at Lady Gaga for example) but they are dated. They're in that wasteland between "in" and "vintage". Quite simply, they say "I don't know or care what my appearance says about me."

And that's fine. When I see a guy with a smallish watch, I usually figure that:
a) He doesn't realize how out of fashion it looks
b) He sees it as simply a tool for telling time. He is *gasp* not a WIS!
c) His watch has sentimental value
d) It's a vintage piece

I find that lots of times a & b go together. In my opinion, it's sad. Watches are more than just tools. Cars are more than just a device for taking you from A to B. Food is not simply for curing your hunger. There is much joy to be taken from living, and it is a shame that so many fail to recognize all the ways that they let it slip away.

Now for c & d, I've got nothing negative to say. Watches worn for these reasons show respect for the watch as more than just an appliance. So much respect to these types of watch wearers.
 
#12 ·
I hesitate to call them ladies' watches. But occasionally I will witness what appears to be an ordinary male adult wearing a smaller, ladies' watch.

I've noticed it many times with the mid-size Timex Ironman (standard newest model). Perfect size for a boy, but still. I mean, the men's size isn't even that big, about 38mm across.

ESPECIALLY unusual, when you consider that many women often wear men's watches. Which I consider normal.
I have one of those Timex ironman. I use it for work only. IMO it is nice to have a smaller leight weight watch that lets me fit my hand info tight spots, and I don't care if it gets scratched up. Most of my collection is 42-44. My smallest nice watch is a 39mm tag carrara. My largest is a nav-b or skyhawk 47-48. I don't tend to look at anything under 40, I have a 6.75" wrist.
 
#19 · (Edited)
We may need some of this:



Guess I have to throw out this icky Longines from 1966:



Luckily it only cost me a few hundred. Guess I'll go find a 40+ mm dive watch to wear with my tuxedo on formal occasions because that Longines is just under 34 mm. :-( I'm not as unlucky as Rob (Donut) though. Imagine his chagrin when he sees this thread and realizes he has to scrap his VC & PP because they have diamonds on the dial and are "only" 36 mm. :roll:



Actually, they do know what they have done - it was in style back then, and it's not a complete social faux pas to have gemstones on a watch, especially at a black tie event.

Now, that leopard Daytona does need to be destroyed... and by a worse method than fire. I'd love to see it strapped to the nose of a Tomahawk cruise missile and fired at terrorists.

My bet is that they won't be wearing them at all :(
I might take you up on that wager. ;-)
 
#16 ·
I personally don't like huge watches. Yes, big is in vogue right now, but I bet in 20 years everyone wears tiny watches. I'm not small by any means (6"4), but I think my 34mm Rolex looks just fine. But then again I also wear a 40mm Rolex Sub.
I do think it depends on the watch. Some watches just look bigger optically. White dial vs black dial for example.

But I don't really think about it. I just buy a watch when I like it.
 
#18 ·
I've a 1920s Art Deco Rolex Oyster that is 36mm with the surrounding cap. It looks great on my 6.25" wrists. I also have a flieger that is 46mm and looks perfect on my wrist. Some people are able to wear watches that would look childish on another, and others are able to wear watches that are to big for most. Then again, I don't care what people think about my watches or how they look on me. If I like the watch then they can all go to hell.
 
#22 · (Edited)
you need to wear a watch that fits. it is easier to go bigger than smaller.

as a male, i can wear bigger, baggier shorts and go to the store without too many glances. however, i have a 38 inch waist and if i decided to wear some 32 inch jogging shorts (ala 1970's basketball shorts) to the store, then i am sure that i would get a few more looks.

that is why women can wear a larger man's watch, but a man cannot wear a smaller watch (that is out of proportion). some men have small wrists, take Michael Jackson for example, he could wear a smaller watch because of his smaller wrists (not to mention his desire to remain a child).

another example, the person with a baggy shirt or jumper that hides a bit of their girth versus the person that allows their belly to spill out over the top of their pants like a muffin. does this work? can it go both ways? i dont think so.

how about eye glasses? have you ever seen the teenager that is still wearing their childhood glasses. some people can't afford new eyeglasses so they have kids that are wearing their old ones. the glasses look like swim goggles and not eyewear. this does not go both ways.

so the OP is correct by saying you can only go one way. clothing and watches can be a little big, but if they are too small they look odd.

if you are a man and sport a watch that is 34mm then you better have the wrist to match it.
 
#24 ·
you need to wear a watch that fits. it is easier to go bigger than smaller.

as a male, i can wear bigger, baggier shorts and go to the store without too many glances. however, i have a 38 inch waist and if i decided to wear some 32 inch jogging shorts (ala 1970's basketball shorts) to the store, then i am sure that i would get a few more looks.

that is why women can wear a larger man's watch, but a man cannot wear a smaller watch (that is out of proportion). some men have small wrists, take Michael Jackson for example, he could wear a smaller watch because of his smaller wrists (not to mention his desire to remain a child).

another example, the person with a baggy shirt or jumper that hides a bit of their girth versus the person that allows their belly to spill out over the top of their pants like a muffin. does this work? can it go both ways? i dont think so.

how about eye glasses? have you ever seen the teenager that is still wearing their childhood glasses. some people can't afford new eyeglasses so they have kids that are wearing their old ones. the glasses look like swim goggles and not eyewear. this does not go both ways.

so the OP is correct by saying you can only go one way. clothing and watches can be a little big, but if they are too small they look odd.

if you are a man and sport a watch that is 34mm then you better have the wrist to match it.
I think you played a bit loose and fast with the watch and clothes analogy. I believe with watches, it's just the opposite - you can go as small as you want, but if the watch is bigger than your wrist can handle (lugs overhanging the wrist, for example), it looks pretty cartoonish. I've seen huge men (with great big wrists) carry off 34 and 36 mm dress watches off with aplomb (Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, et al.) and the watches look great. I think this trend of bigger dials is on its way out ...
 
#23 ·
I hesitate to call them ladies' watches. But occasionally I will witness what appears to be an ordinary male adult wearing a smaller, ladies' watch.

I've noticed it many times with the mid-size Timex Ironman (standard newest model). Perfect size for a boy, but still. I mean, the men's size isn't even that big, about 38mm across.

ESPECIALLY unusual, when you consider that many women often wear men's watches. Which I consider normal.
You are asking about several not well defined stereotypes.
1. What exactly are ordinary male and female adults and their counterparts?
2. What defines mens and womens watches? Are we talking style, size or what exactly?
3. What is a boy size watch?

I wear watches from 33mm to 43mm in size and enjoy them all equally well.
 
#25 ·
Well it seemed like all brands were thinking bigger is better but a lot of new models will have smaller diameters this year. I don't really care. I have an average size wrist so they all fit well. One of my smallest watches is a Certina DS which is 20 years old. I love it though. And I use to wear a lot of swatch models in my teens they were only 33mm
 
#28 · (Edited)
There is nothing wrong with wearing small watches. I wear some of mine to honor those who wore them proudly before me, some because I love them, and some just to annoy the "only bigger watches are cool" crowd.

A few of mine,
'63 and '67 timex


'68 and 80's Seiko


80's Caravelle and Casio

 
#32 ·
I wear what I like. My collection runs from ~ 33mm to ~ 45mm.

Larger watches can look good on some wrists and smaller watches can look good on other wrists. C'est la vie.

I have a hard time caring (all that much) about what someone else chooses to wear.
 
#34 · (Edited)


Real men can wear any watch we want. Fashion and trends are for followers; for the rest of us, there is only style.
 
#36 ·
Yeah, you can post that Heuer on a daily basis and I'd never tire of looking at it. :-!

Real men can wear any watch we want. Fashion and trends are for followers; for the rest of us, there is only style.
Oh, take that all you large watch junkies! :-d:-d:-d:-d

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" - Oscar Wilde
 
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