Comments on Big Watches

As many of you know I don't own very many "Big" watches. The Sumo I own is the largest and the Monsters are #s 2&3 with many of my watches in the 39-41mm range.

Got a comment today on my Sumo. Went through the metal detector at the Court House (Jury Duty) and set it off. The Deputy wanding me made a comment about my watch being the reason it went off. He said "If I stole my momma's kitchen clock it'd set it off too - darn big watch you got there!"

Now, I did NOT take this as a compliment nor did he intend it as one. Funny thing is that he was wearing a G-Shock that was probably every bit as large as mine but his was plastic and mine is SS.

The comments that I have overheard in the past about "Big" watches have nearly uniformly been snide or condescending.

Now, I'm the first to say buy what you like, keep what you love, and don't spend too much. So, I'm not bashing "Big" watches at all. Just asking this - is my experience with such comments the exception and I have a skewed view of all this or are most of the comments that folks are hearing in fact condescending or negative but not really heard that way by the wearer?

. . . I hear those types of comments as well from time to time Doc. I don't really have a standard smart ass response for them either.

. . . I can tell you that I wear "Jumbo's" less frequently now, and have actually sold off a few.

. . . I mentioned in another thread before that my mood does change, and I will shift tastes on any given day . . . big to small.

Back in my russian diver days if helping out on the counter if someone commented it was not a great one, more giggles than anything but being a good little watchgeek i would get pissed and let them have it, ban them if you will!! Wore my JSAR the other day and at 46mm that is the biggest looking watch of the bunch but no giggles about that one because it was built rightand doesnt look like a wall clock on the wrist!

Even from the non-WISes I most frequently hear the term "clownish" about the truly BIG watches.

Another topic, but I've set off some metal detectors with my watches and others have not gone off. Weird.

I used to get the same reaction by many people about the big watches from friends, clients and the stranger you might be standing next to in line at the grocery store. Usually they wonder why I would wear such a big watch, am I blind... I thought when I got my first 45mm watch it was too big and did get the same comments with it, not one of the comments were positive. I believe most people thought what the hell is wrong with this guy wearing that big watch. The thickness of a watch can be just as bad.

Take the subaqua, this watch does not fit most of the people who wear it, including me, it's just to big and it looks wrong on my wrists, but I still wear it because I like the watch.

I've seen people wear watches to small for their wrists that look really bad too

Again, if you totaled up EVERY MEMBER OF EVERY WATCH FORUM out there, we are only a MINUSCULE representation of the overall population. I would bet my Panerai that if you could find out what the average watch size in America was (from EVERYONE, not just WISes) it would be somewhere between 38-42mm.

For guys like Hulk Hogan, Bill Goldberg, and JAW who can actually "pull off" a HUGE watch, more power to ya BRUTHA!

To the rest of you posers, get a watch that fits right!

I guess it could come down to a couple of factors:

For me, it depends on where I will be.

At work I tend to wear a smaller, low profile watch Tuesday to Thursday - In the 39 - 42mm range and Friday I wear anything (39 - 44mm). This usually comes down to what I am wearing...dress shirt or business casual.

Outside of work it comes down to the situation. Yard work...no watch. Monday with the kids...no watch. Around town...any watch. Dinner...it depends on the dress code.


I personally could not see myself getting anything bigger than 44/45mm. I guess that I am on the conservative side and don't feel comfortable wearing a really large watch. The funny thing is that even I get comments sometimes on a watch and how big it is...mind you, most of the time it is my mother-in-law

Anomaly wrote:

Again, if you totaled up EVERY MEMBER OF EVERY WATCH FORUM out there, we are only a MINUSCULE representation of the overall population. I would bet my Panerai that if you could find out what the average watch size in America was (from EVERYONE, not just WISes) it would be somewhere between 38-42mm.

For guys like Hulk Hogan, Bill Goldberg, and JAW who can actually "pull off" a HUGE watch, more power to ya BRUTHA!

To the rest of you posers, get a watch that fits right!

Hah!

Yeah I've heard it all - and usually derogatorily delivered.
Got the classic Flavor Flave comment just yesterday on my SAN III. - F*@& 'Em.

I know what I like and it is quite varied from 43-52mm (46 being the sweet spot).
I wear them big to have a watch commensurate with my size.
Nothin I hate more than that tiny Timex on a Spidel Twist-o-Flex stretched to the max and clinging for dear life on a big ham shank of a wrist.

The only ones I get the Grandma's clock type comments on are the dopey big RD or my Sea Spider at 52mm or so. My tastes have changed so they don't get a lot of wrist time. When I do put them on, I gotta admit... they do look a bit silly.

Looking at the major players in the industry, they don't seem to put out much in the 52-55mm range. When you factor practicality into the mix the ginormous watches really show that it's all about fashion and public visibility.

jaw wrote:

Anomaly wrote:

Again, if you totaled up EVERY MEMBER OF EVERY WATCH FORUM out there, we are only a MINUSCULE representation of the overall population. I would bet my Panerai that if you could find out what the average watch size in America was (from EVERYONE, not just WISes) it would be somewhere between 38-42mm.

For guys like Hulk Hogan, Bill Goldberg, and JAW who can actually "pull off" a HUGE watch, more power to ya BRUTHA!

To the rest of you posers, get a watch that fits right!

Hah!

Yeah I've heard it all - and usually derogatorily delivered.
Got the classic Flavor Flave comment just yesterday on my SAN III. - F*@& 'Em.

I know what I like and it is quite varied from 43-52mm (46 being the sweet spot).
I wear them big to have a watch commensurate with my size.
Nothin I hate more than that tiny Timex on a Spidel Twist-o-Flex stretched to the max and clinging for dear life on a big ham shank of a wrist.

Jaw...you are the perfect candidate for the big stuff.....wrists and attitude to carry it off!!!

Most of my watches are in the 40- 46 range. They just fit me well.
I wear my sa3 and I like the way it sits on my wrist. I have only had one comment about
my sub aqua...from my mom...."wow is that big!" It is the only really BIG watch I own.

Haven't really had sarcastic comments about watch size ! Most of the time
people don't say anything at all. Other times they say.."nice watch" or ask
about it. I honestly don't understand why people feel they have to make
sarcastic remarks though. Maybe they just like pushing people's buttons, or
secretly want the watch that you are wearing for themselves !

Thanks guys. Just FYI - I'm 6'3 and have 8+in wrists so I genuinely do not think the Sumo is out of proportion to my presence. Its just the first I have encountered such and was honestly taken a bit aback by it. It's 44.5mm and I know that's bigger but its not a SANIII or a 50+mm watch either.

Anyway, the thing I thought was funniest was his G-Shock was roughly the same size. As I said perhaps because it was black plastic it doesn't have the wrist presence that a seriously nice Stainless Steel Seiko Sumo does.

I think that, within reason, everything is relative...to the size of the guy wearing the watch, and to the era he's wearing it in. For example, I'm wearing an SL Neptune today...the watch is 53mm, and my 8 1/2-inch wrist is about 70mm side-to-side (I'm what's known as "large-boned"); so the watch case occupies about 75% on my wrist area. This is no different than a guy with a 7 1/2-inch wrist wearing about a 45mm watch.

My boss, who has a very small wrist, once would comment about the size of the watch I was wearing; ironically, he has now gone up in size...though, in his case, it's been from 36-38mm to about 40mm.

It does appear, at least superficially, that many watch OEMs have increased the sizes of their watches incrementally — and there has to be a reason for that. One of those reasons, I would think, is the pressure they may be hearing from potential customers who may own a few "fashion" watches. The Big Yellow may not be held in high regard by the majority of watch enthusiasts — but it is pushing the envelope with a certain degree of success. It's been proven time and again in many industries that a manufacturer snubs its nose at "new" at its own peril. Would some OEMs be so willing to manufacture 44mm watches if not for the seeming popularity of even bigger units? Hard to say. Is it a longlasting trend? Again, hard to say. But it is undeniably part and parcel to today's watch offerings.

Docrwm wrote:

Anyway, the thing I thought was funniest was his G-Shock was roughly the same size. As I said perhaps because it was black plastic it doesn't have the wrist presence that a seriously nice Stainless Steel Seiko Sumo does.

Robert, the guy had a simple case of watch envy.

25or6to4 wrote:

I think that, within reason, everything is relative...to the size of the guy wearing the watch, and to the era he's wearing it in. For example, I'm wearing an SL Neptune today...the watch is 53mm, and my 8 1/2-inch wrist is about 70mm side-to-side (I'm what's known as "large-boned"); so the watch case occupies about 75% on my wrist area. This is no different than a guy with a 7 1/2-inch wrist wearing about a 45mm watch.

My boss, who has a very small wrist, once would comment about the size of the watch I was wearing; ironically, he has now gone up in size...though, in his case, it's been from 36-38mm to about 40mm.

It does appear, at least superficially, that many watch OEMs have increased the sizes of their watches incrementally — and there has to be a reason for that. One of those reasons, I would think, is the pressure they may be hearing from potential customers who may own a few "fashion" watches. The Big Yellow may not be held in high regard by the majority of watch enthusiasts — but it is pushing the envelope with a certain degree of success. It's been proven time and again in many industries that a manufacturer snubs its nose at "new" at its own peril. Would some OEMs be so willing to manufacture 44mm watches if not for the seeming popularity of even bigger units? Hard to say. Is it a longlasting trend? Again, hard to say. But it is undeniably part and parcel to today's watch offerings.

Great post! when you can get the mighty rolex to up it a couple MM's the silly yellow boxes may have alot to do with it!

Docrwm wrote:

Anyway, the thing I thought was funniest was his G-Shock was roughly the same size. As I said perhaps because it was black plastic it doesn't have the wrist presence that a seriously nice Stainless Steel Seiko Sumo does.

I think that's very true Bro. The actual G-shock case is large but the itsy bitsy digital screen gives the guy the 'ILLUSION' of the watch being smaller. IT'S FREAKIN MAGIC!

bodypeersur1 wrote:

Docrwm wrote:

Anyway, the thing I thought was funniest was his G-Shock was roughly the same size. As I said perhaps because it was black plastic it doesn't have the wrist presence that a seriously nice Stainless Steel Seiko Sumo does.

I think that's very true Bro. The actual G-shock case is large but the itsy bitsy digital screen gives the guy the 'ILLUSION' of the watch being smaller. IT'S FREAKIN MAGIC!

Thanks guys. It was just strange. Goo Ole' Boy Deputy with large G-Shock comments on my watch being like his Momma's Kitchen Clock and it struck me that all these comments people have related about "comments" and even "compliments" about their large watches might not be what they think they are. It's also funny perceptions. I've never been a big watch fan. Mostly because the ones I've tried own have gotten in the way somehow and been awkward or interfered with normal activities. The Sumo at 44.5mm wears like my 41mm watches, doesn't overhang my wrist (the lug to lug on it is 52mm as memory serves), and is comfortable. So, I am coming to the conclusion that JAW and others have that its the proportions and how the watch wears.

Agreed...if you're a MASSIVE DUDE LIKE JAW 52mm would probably wear like a 40mm on a girly wrist like Andrema! And I mean that with all due respect Mark!

strong now, will swing back abit to more midsize 38mm to 43mm widths. Reto from PMWF last year was asking this question and thought the trend might go back to midsized watches.
I started out collecting and wearing diver watches around 42mm and up....but as I aged, the midsized began to look and wear fine on my wimpy wrist of 6.5 inches.
Of course the guys here are usually bigger wristed than the usual Asian person (me!haha) so they are right in considering 42mm to 50mm as feeling/looking proper.

bodypeersur1 wrote:

Agreed...if you're a MASSIVE DUDE LIKE JAW 52mm would probably wear like a 40mm on a girly wrist like Andrema! And I mean that with all due respect Mark!

I do have the wrists of a woman...a hairy, smelly woman...but a woman (7 1/4 inches)

andrema wrote:

bodypeersur1 wrote:

Agreed...if you're a MASSIVE DUDE LIKE JAW 52mm would probably wear like a 40mm on a girly wrist like Andrema! And I mean that with all due respect Mark!

I do have the wrists of a woman...a hairy, smelly woman...but a woman (7 1/4 inches)

All of us geeky accountants are weak and frail anyways

Like many here, I usede to have a number of big watches but they just don't appeal to me that much any more. The largest I now have is my Oris at 47mm and the rest are under that. I used to have some 50mm and a few 52mm and when I wore those I'd get smart-ass comments about the size all the freakin' time. It got real old too! Really I always knew that for me it was gonna be a fad so when I decided to sell some watches to get my Oris, the biggies were the first to go. Unfortunately they were all Invicta's, which meant I didn't get shit for them when I sold them! Another in a long list of reasons for never to buy another Invicta again too!!

andrema wrote:

andrema wrote:

bodypeersur1 wrote:

Agreed...if you're a MASSIVE DUDE LIKE JAW 52mm would probably wear like a 40mm on a girly wrist like Andrema! And I mean that with all due respect Mark!

I do have the wrists of a woman...a hairy, smelly woman...but a woman (7 1/4 inches)

All of us geeky accountants are weak and frail anyways

I don't care how stinky and frail you are Big Guy...YOUDAMAN!!!!