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Articles › Small Watches

6 Reasons Why Small Watches Are Better Than Big Watches

By Brock McGoff Updated January 4, 2023

Watch size is subject to trend. But just because large watches are in style doesn’t mean you should wear them.

Just like relaxed fit jeans were all the rage when I was in middle school in the mid 90s, oversized, bulky watches have been cool for the past few couple of decades.

Regardless of what’s in vogue, I’ll always prefer a smaller sized watch. Going by case diameter, I’m talking about 38mm or smaller (I think 36mm is the sweet spot).

Here are six reasons why I love wearing small watches:

#1: I Have Slender Wrists

This is the main reason why I love smaller watches: because I have smaller wrists (about 6.3” around).

Orient Bambino 36 on wrist
Orient Bambino 36 on my 6.3″ wrist

I’m intentional about making sure my clothes fit, and I want my accessories to fit just as well. That means they should be proportionate to my build (i.e., small).

In the same way that wearing 34″ inseam pants makes me look shorter than I am, wearing a huge watch will make my wrist and hand look smaller than they actually are.

The same goes for any accessories. Just imagine Shaquille O’Neil wearing a skinny tie. It wouldn’t be a good look!

This is one of the reasons that women’s watches (traditionally) are smaller than men’s watches. Women typically have smaller hands, wrists and arms than men do.

So I like to wear small watches that look appropriate for my frame, rather than big watches, no matter what’s currently on trend.

Speaking of which…

#2: Fashion Watches Are HUUUGE

The so called “fashion watch” industry has exploded over the past few years, mostly due to the availability and ease of buying cheap watches from China via Ali Express and similar online marketplaces.

You can literally start your own watch brand with white label, ultra cheap watches in almost any style, without leaving your living room.

And many people are doing this. It’s a real gold rush right now 🤑

MVMT on wrist 1
Cheap, oversized and ugly.
MVMT on wrist 2
Source: Reddit

In general, these fashion watches tend to be oversized. What I mean is, they’re artificially large.

They have tiny, thin quartz movements and typically feature minimalistic designs, so they’re no reason for the actual case to be very large, other than the fact that big watches are trendy right now.

If you look at the vintage watch market, you’ll find lots of men’s watches in the 34-38mm range. Many of these are mechanical watches with intricate, complicated movements inside.

Seiko Presage SRP837J1 movement
Seiko Presage SRP837J1 mechanical movement

If you open up these watches, you won’t find a lot of empty space inside. In fact, many watch manufactures take pride in making a small, low profile mechanical watch. It’s an amazing feat of engineering!

Of course, people didn’t have smaller wrists in the 50s, 60s and 70s. They just didn’t have a desire for huge, bulky watches.

Call me a watch snob, but I love wearing watches that are blatantly not fashion watches. When I’m wearing my $100 37mm Seiko 5 and see some other guy wearing a 44mm monstrosity from MVMT, do I feel superior to him?

Damn right I do.

best field watches for small wrists 1
If you know, you know.

Just kidding…kind of. But not really.

I actually feel bad that so many men don’t know that they can get an amazing watch for the same price as a Daniel Wellington or MVMT. I think if people understood that they weren’t actually getting “affordable luxury” they would do a little more research before making a purchase.

Either way, I’ll take a smaller non-fashion watch any day of the week!

#3: Small Watches Are Less Expensive

This is especially true for luxury watches that are made with expensive materials like gold or diamonds. A smaller watch requires less materials, so it’s cheaper.

Look at the vintage Rolex market:

Ladies’ watches are much more affordable than men’s, and they’re also much smaller. A 34mm Oyster Perpetual is cheaper than a 39mm OP.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15000 grey dial
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15000 (possibly the best entry-level Rolex)

Or look at a classic luxury watch like the Omega Speedmaster. The smaller version (the Speedmaster Reduced) is more affordable.

Same goes for entry-level watches like the iconic Seiko SKX. The 013 (one of my personal favorites) was slightly cheaper than its big brothers, the 007 and 009, before it was discontinued.

So, while I prefer smaller watches anyway, saving a little money is an added benefit of going small.

#4: They’re Tasteful & Elegant

While some think my personal style aesthetic boring, I consider my wardrobe and outfits to be understated.

I don’t want to stand out by wearing loud, bold colors and patterns. I don’t like calling attention to myself with super unique or unconventional accessories. I don’t wear “statement pieces” because I’m intentionally not making a statement.

Big watches scream LOOK AT ME!

Smaller watches whisper, “Come a little closer if you’d like…”.

Strapatelier Vintage Grunge Leather strap

That’s much more my speed.

Especially nowadays, in a sea of ugly, oversized fashion watches, a smaller watch is more tasteful and elegant than ever. Want to set yourself apart in a classy way? Go small 🤌🏼

#5: Small Watches Are “Timeless”

It’s probably inaccurate to think that anything us humans wear right now is truly “timeless”.

I imagine even the suit and tie will eventually be replaced with some sort of nanotech athleisure jumpsuit (for the record, I’m cool with that).

But as far as watches go, small and medium sized watches are as timeless as it gets. A 44mm MVMT watch will look absolutely ridiculous in a few years, guaranteed (if it’s still ticking, that is).

But a 38mm Hamilton? It will age gracefully like top shelf bourbon.

How about a 36mm Rolex? That will still look great in 25 years, just like it looked great 25 years ago.

Orient Ladies Bambino 36
Orient Ladies Bambino 36

A 34mm Seiko Presage or 36mm Orient Bambino will look just as gorgeous in 10 years as they do today. And they’d have been been perfectly acceptable in the 1950s.

So if you want to build a wardrobe that has a little staying power, go with a small or medium sized watch. You’ll be ahead of the curve when big watches inevitably fall out of fashion.

#6: Anyone Can Wear Small Watches

I’ve never seen a 38mm watch look too small on anyone, even guys with 7+ inch wrists.

But I see guys with average or smaller wrists wearing watches that are too big for them almost every day.

The truth is, anyone can wear “small” watches. A 36mm watch looks just fine on a 6.5″ wrist.

Cartier watch on wrist
Classy 👌🏼 | Source: Wirestock/Depositphotos

But not everyone can pull off a larger watch. In other words:

Small watches look okay on big wrists, but big watches look bad on small wrists.

When someone asks me, “does this watch look too small?” my answer is always no. And I usually show them that picture of Muhammad Ali wearing a Cartier Tank, just to drive the point home.

I don’t know why guys are so paranoid about this. Wrist size and watch size has nothing to do with masculinity, and when I see a guy with big wrists wearing a small watch, I have nothing but respect for him. There’s a man who’s comfortable with his appearance.

Go Small or Go Home

These are just six reasons why I love small watches, and I why I think more men should embrace them.

I don’t wear any watch over 38mm these days. My favorite watches are 34-36mm, and I’d consider going even smaller.

What about you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Categories: Small Watches Tags: fashion watches, Rolex, Seiko, Small wrists

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About Brock McGoff

More "watch curious" than "watch expert", Brock is the editor-in-chief of The Slender Wrist. He's currently rotating between a Rolex 16030 and Nomos Minimatik. His wrists are roughly 6.3" around.

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Comments

  1. Mark Goblowsky says

    June 16, 2022 at 5:34 pm

    Big watches say, “LOOK AT ME! PLEASE, PLEASE NOTICE ME.” I’m not saying a guy is compensating for something, but maybe. Understated is classy and dignified.

    Reply
  2. Larry Richards says

    June 16, 2022 at 7:25 pm

    Great article on watches. I have a pretty sizable watch collection of various makes and sizes and I almost always end up wearing the smaller face watch. My wrist is a 6 1/2 and I think 38mm watches look the best on me. I would love to add that Cartier watch pictured to my collection, but I don’t think I would ever take it off.

    Reply
  3. Victor C says

    November 8, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    I’ve bought a vintage Omega and it has a 33mm and my wrist is 6.25inches. I’d like it to be 34 or 35mm but 33mm is OK.

    Reply
    • Brock McGoff says

      November 11, 2022 at 1:51 am

      33mm is a great size 👌🏼

      Reply
  4. Victor C says

    November 16, 2022 at 4:38 pm

    Yes, 33mm case is a fine size. But all my other watches are at least 34mm so even though 33mm case is just 1mm smaller it did take a few days or so of wearing it to get used to it.
    So for me between 33mm and 35mm is the perfect range and 34mm case might just be the perfect size and sweet spot for my 6 1/4 inch wrist. You don’t need big cases, and 36mm I imagine, even though not big by any stretch would be for me.
    Thanks.

    Reply

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Brock

Hi, I'm Brock, the guy behind this site. I love wearing watches, especially ones that look great on small wrists (mine are about 6.3" around). The Slender Wrist is dedicated to helping you learn about and buy watches that you will love wearing.

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