I'm sure that some mathematician has worked this out before but I worked out the following ratio system for assessing the appropriate size for a watch on a wrist.
Its pretty simple
1/ Convert wrist size into mm
2/ Divide total wrist size in mm by the size of the watch
eg A 7 inch wrist and a 38 mm watch = 178mm divided by 38mm= Ratio of 4.7
This brings me to the controversial part. What is an acceptable ratio? I think using this formula, that an acceptable ratio falls between 4.0 and 5.0. Anything below 4.0 is too big and anything above 5 is too small.
Here is an example using a 44mm watch which should be too big for some with smaller wrists
6.5 inch ( 165 mm) Ratio=3.75 Too big
7.0 inch (178mm) Ratio=4.0 Just ok- acceptable
8.0 inch (203 mm) Ratio=4.6 Great fit
This brings me to interesting observation that wearing a 39 mm watch on a 7 inch wrist has a a very similar Ratio as wearing a 44mm watch on an 8 inch wrist. That is, a ratio of about 4.6.
For reference, here are the conversions for wrist size
6 inch = 152.5 mm
6.5inch = 165mm
7inch = 178mm
7.5inch= 190.5mm
8.0inch = 203mm
8.5 inch = 216mm
I realize I am opening myself up to ridicule for being too analytical but I think it's a pretty useful way to work out a rough guide and obviously does not take into account lug shape etc. What do you think? Has someone worked this out before? Have I got too much time on my hands? Can this concept be improved on?
i was just in the shower where i do all my best thinking and it dawned on me that dividing the total wrist by the ratios 4 and 5 gives you a minimum and maximum ! You just beat me to pointing that out!
eg 7 inch (178mm) gives me a minimum of 35.6mm and a maximum of 44.5 mm
According to the theory your range is from 38 to 47.5mm. If you show me a wrist shot of you with a 50mm watch and it looks like it fits, id be happy to to proved wrong. ;-) But you wear what you like, this is just a guide.
Lug to lug length also pays a crucial role, some watches have long lugs and tend to hang or occupy the whole wrist without necessarily being attached to a large diameter case. A refined algorithm should take into the account even the angle of the lugs.
Also, as a European and software developer thinking with an analytical mind most of the time, I chuckled a bit when I saw this thread:-d
Your formula is too simple and is missing several important criteria including: shape of lugs, lug-to-lug distance, height of the watch, how the strap/bracelet fits, shape of the case(round, square, rectangle, how the individual likes the look of the watch, etc.
i wanted t keep it relatively simple or else it becomes useless to most people. You are correct though, there are other factors you could consider if you really want a watch that fall out of the range.
I'm wearing a 44mm watch right now with only a 6.5" wrist. That gives me a ratio of 3.75, which should be too big according to your theory. I'd say the watch just about fits (no hanging lugs either). Judge for yourself.
(slightly blurry pic)
No problem, Im not saying you shouldn't have it. the fact that you just said it "just about fits" sits nicely with the system to me. Perhaps large pilots watches are supposed to be on the larger side of things. Having said that i just tried on an IWC pilot on a 7 inch wrist at about 40mm and it fitted like a glove to me.
This formula actually worries me; the danger is that a bureaucrat in government somewhere will be reading this, and will be cooking up some way to profit from it. This has dire ramifications for skinny guys like me, who love massive watches on our scrawny wrists. I wake in fright at the thought that laws could be passed, making a 'correctly' sized & fitted watch compulsory. 'Watch Police' would patrol streets & public transport; I could be arrested & charged for enjoying my 51mm monster on my 6.5" wrist - a clear violation of all that is fit and proper in the guidelines. Further charges would be laid due to the overhanging lugs; yet further charges would arise due to excess bracelet length. The fact that I love my big watch to overpower my wrist would carry no weight as a defence in court. There is a formula for correct watch/wrist ratio, and it must be adhered to.
Or perhaps I should be taxed for wearing a watch that is palpably excessive, in the same way that is proposed for owners of SUV's. Big, heavy watches would be taxed so heavily that we would all be rushing to the nearest service station to pick up a plastic digital. My post is made tongue firmly in cheek, but all the same you just never know, especially in these perilous economic times.... Take care brothers!
So pleased to see this thread pop up every now and again. I look back on the original post and wonder what on earth was on my mind when I developed that formula!
Thought I'd dig this up for my first post. Cracking idea by the way. Its basically spot on for me. 6.4" wrists. My mums are wider and she lets me know it!
34mm is my bottom limit which I could get away with with a dress watch. 42mm is my top limit which is as big as I'd go, for a diver mind you. Not a pilot watch as it would look massive. 38-39mm is around my ideal size for something like the Sinn 556.
I usually prefer shorted lug-lug watches with a low height.
I stand by what I said, not everything requires a mathematical solution, and in this instance, the mathematics added absolutely nothing in elucidating the issue at hand. The essential idea was obscured by irrelevant and unnecessary mathematical complications, when the criteria could have been succinctly expressed as not letting the lugs overhang the wrists.
This all started as a bit of fun, I am certainly not a mathematician and never sold the concept as the be all and end all. My area of expertise is Earth Science and Geography- i dont want to start world war 3 here, however, I think there is a bit more to sizing the right watch than whether the lugs overhang the wrist or not. I think a lot of people like the concept in this thread.
After all these years, this thread keeps popping up!
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