Biggest watch I own is my 47mm pam homage (too big), but I generally stick to the 38mm-45mm range with a preference for 40mm watches as I have 6.75 wrist. It also depends on the lugs and strap, I know I may have a hard time fitting a pilot/fliegar greater than 42mm.

 

It all depends on the wrist and the individual. I'd say a rule of thumb is if the lugs are protruding over your wrist then the watch is too big. Personally, 39-42mm is just perfect on my 7" wrist, 44mm just feels too big.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto

 

It all depends on the wrist and the individual. I'd say a rule of thumb is if the lugs are protruding over your wrist then the watch is too big. Personally, 39-42mm is just perfect on my 7" wrist, 44mm just feels too big.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto

I agree, but also as I previously mentioned, it can depend on the watch shape. I have a 7 1/2" wrist and can comfortably wear up to 45mm as long as the lugs are short or it's a cushion case style. Here's a few 44-45mm watches and all have short lugs or hidden lugs.

 

Not just the size, but also the shape of your wrist (and the shape of the watch). Some wrists are wide but flat; some are more rounded. It really all depends. I have dainty 6.5-inch lady wrists, and my G-Shock King looked comical on me, but the DSSD looks fine (in my opinion).

 

My biggest (and most obnoxious). Not quite sure of the measurements.

My wrist is 8". This thing's pretty bulky.

 

I've got a 6 1/4 wrist, so I stick to 41mm or less. Having said that, I prefer to look at the lug-to-lug length. I try to stick to 48mm lug-to-lug, otherwise the lugs overhang the wrist and it looks terrible.

 

I have a 5.2 inch wrist... the biggest watch I owned was 44 MM, which I quickly flipped as it just dwarfed my wrist. I then moved down to 42mm, which felt fine (albeit still a big big), but the watch was defective and I returned it.

Wearing a 39mm now, and it feels just perfect. Having such tiny wrists is inconvenient sometimes as it limits my choice of watches quite drastically. On the plus side though, I could feel right at home if I got into the vintage market!

 

I have tiny 6" wrists and my biggest watch is 43mm. I have a couple 42mm as well, but the bulk are 41mm and under. The rest of my body is more average-sized than my wrists imply (5'9", 150 lbs) so 43mm doesn't look TOO huge on me, but it's definitely outside my preferred size range. It helps that it's a quartz and therefore relatively thin, and a diver, and therefore visually broken up by the bezel. A 43mm dress watch would look clownish on my wrists. My ideal watch is 36-39mm, depending on the style.

After making due with watches that I liked, but were rather large, I finally sucked it up and invested in some decent mid-size watches that look appropriate on my wrist. It's a little ironic that mid-size watches are generally considered unisex or women's watches, since they are still bigger than the watches that many of our fathers and grandfathers wore. I find the current trend of oversized watches pretty ridiculous - an oversized watch does not make you look manly, nor, in my experience, are the manly men the ones who tend to wear them. My dad is much bigger than me, 6'5" and probably 220 lbs (yes... I am his biological son and yes, I am a genetic freak in my otherwise tall family), and his 43mm Luminox is a perfectly fine size on him. The thought that people "need" watches that are 44, 46, or even 50mm+ simply boggles the mind.

 

The biggest for me is the Ieke Welder homage-47 mm, without crown.The maximum size I could wear, I think.I've taken a new picture to show the lugs on the side.As far as I can see, there's no overhang.I do, however, wear it on the last hole, as I do not have a very large wrist.

The ideal size for me would be 42mm-Jaragar...

...to 44mm-Casio

 

I prefer 36-42mm watches. The largest I own is 45mm. Anything over 50mm is overkill - small movement with large movement holder.

 

For a 'regular' watch, 42mm is my limit, I go bigger for altimeter/barometer/compass watches but that's it. I don't like it when lugs overhang my wrist. My favorite sizes are from 35mm-42mm.

I tried on my brother-in-law's Russian Diver over the weekend, at 52mm it was just too big for me. He's a big guy and it looked fine on him.

 

Biggest I own and wear now is 44mm and that's at the top edge of my comfort zone. As of late I find myself more comfortable wearing 40-42mm. Will go down to a 38mm but will not exceed my 44mm limit. Wrist size is 7 1/4" to 7 3/8", wrist seems to grow and shrink a little through the day.

 

I agree that the case has a lot to do with it. Two very similar pieces - Edox C-1 and Omega SMPO XL. Both 45-46 mm, both black faced divers with SS bracelet. But while the C-1 looks fine on my 7 1/4'' wrist (although just barely), the SMPO was comically huge. The only big difference were the watches' height as my C-1 wears very flat like the old Seamaster 2250s while the SMPO sits up on your wrist like a Seadweller.

 

Basically this:

It all depends on the wrist and the individual. I'd say a rule of thumb is if the lugs are protruding over your wrist then the watch is too big.

And this:

Not just the size, but also the shape of your wrist (and the shape of the watch). Some wrists are wide but flat; some are more rounded. It really all depends.

The best way to judge is to actually try on the real thing. Failing that, find something similar and try that.

 

My PO is as big as I go, it's 45.5mm and she looks pretty big on my 7" wrist.

 

My wrists are 6.75" - 7". My max is 44mm, when I want to wear something fashionably large. I could do 45mm, if it had very short lugs.

I've got a chunky, 40mm Certina that wears like a 42mm - 44mm piece (due to the design) but still fits my wrist quite nicely. I wish there were more modern pieces made that way.

 

The biggest regular watch (not ABC) I have is an Invicta Railmaster XL homage. The Omega Railmaster XL is 49.2mm, the Invicta is 49.6mm, and I thought I'd try out the Invicta to see if I really could tolerate the Omega before I started saving for a $2-3K watch. No money spent worse than on a watch you can't stand wearing... I've got wide, flat wrists, about 7.75", and this one still feels bigger to me than some of the 47mm MM homages I have. It wears very flat, and it's a thin case as well, just a lot of dial staring up at you. I like it, though, and may still go for the Omega some day if I can find a better deal.

Clair

 

I have an 8" wrist, and generally like watches in the 42mm - 45mm range. The biggest I own is a 47mm Steinhart, and this is about as big as I would ever go:

 

Nice Invicta. I hope it is running good.

 

It is - as well as you'd expect a quartz to run. It's a well-made watch IMHO, nice and solid, with decent WR as well. I'm hoping to swap the guts to mechanical (6498) at some point, if I can redo the dial in a way that looks OK. I think I'd wear it more if it had a real heart in it...

Clair

 

I have a 7 inch wrist and 44mm is pushing it for me (depends on the bezel/dial ratio). I have a 47mm Steinhart and I think I am going to sell it as it gets not wrist time. 40-42mm is my spot.

 

42mm is as big as I go. I like them small.

 

Honestly, I don't mind a large watch as long as it stays put on my wrist. I like my bracelets and straps to be on the snug side. This is my biggest watch.

My Flud (Stanley) is pretty big too, if I remember correctly, but it has been so long since I've seen it in person.

 

I think the biggest watch I have is somewhere between 46-48mm. It is an Armani Exchange Chrono my wife bought for me.(It will be sticking around my collection for this reason) I don't wear it too often. I have a 7 3/4" wrist and for the most part I prefer 38-42mm.

 

My biggest at like 50MM or something. I personally think it looks fine on my wrist.

 

There are many good responses here...notably the comments on wrist shape and watch casebody style are very relevant. This thread reminds me of an older thread about how we often use X inch-circumference vs. mm case diameter (apples vs. oranges) when logically, it makes more sense for it to be X mm wrist width vs. X mm case diameter. It a good thread to read through if you have reservations about watch size.

My contribution: for the most part and with very few exceptions, most people won't even notice the size of your watch. Do you take notice of people's shoes? You can wear a larger size watch if it matches up with your style and personality. Here's my skinny 6" wrist (57mm across top) with my largest watch, a TX 830 series watch. This model measures 47mm in diameter and 55mm lug-to-lug. On paper, I never would've bought this watch, but after trying it for a few weeks, it was fine and I kept it.

From a distance:

Across the table:

And up close, in first person perspective (obviously, the camera optics tend to distort the size even more):

As you can see, from normal viewing distances, it's not too out of place. So, go ahead, try the bigger size...within the context of your style and personality, it just might work despite the dimensions.

Dan

 

42mm is too big I think. For me, watches were made at an optimum size in the period after WW2 when they were about 35mm including the crown.

Who wants a clock on their wrist?

When you look inside most modern sized watches, they have a great big spacer because the movement is the kind of size the watch ought to be.

Of the watches below, the biggest on the left is only 39mm excluding the crown.

The best sized one is the 1946 Bumper on the right.