Only you can decide if it's too big. If you are asking, seems like you believe it's too big.

 

This. OP won’t know till they try it on, but my internets advice…I’d be looking more for a 35mm diameter than 40mm if I had a 13.5cm/6.5” wrist.

At the end of the day though…you do you (OP).

 

Welcome to Watchuseek. Best thing to do is go find a comparably sized watch and try it on.

 

Slim is in. 40mm would be fine. No sense in making your wrist look any bigger with a smaller watch.

 

Is there any downside in making my wrist look any bigger with a smaller watch? I mean, I have heard people saying that a watch can look too big on someone, but never too small... and they back this with all these photos with different actors with large wrists wearing 36 mm watches and so on...

 

While dimensions don't always tell the whole story, it would seem either model would fall in the "generally accepted" size range. Like already suggested, the best bet would be to go to a store and try on watches of similar size and design to see what you prefer.

I don't see any downside to getting a "women's" watch if you like the design and fit. As a man with an approx 6.3" wrist, I have no problem wearing my "women's" citizen diver.

 

Okay, this is nice to hear!! Is there a chance there is something in the watch I am interested that "shouts" that it is made for women? Here is the watch

INITIAL 35 - Automatic - Rose gold

Automatic watch with a white guilloché dial. Automatic movement, interchangeable leather or Milanese mesh strap. Watch has a 2-year guarantee. Designed and assembled in France.

charlie-paris.com

 

A lot of this is down to personal preference. My wrist is roughly the same size as yours and I prefer watches with a 36-37 mm diameter, and lug-to-lug of 45-46mm. I prefer how those dimensions look on my wrist. My cousin has a wrist smaller than mine and his happy to wear up to 40mm.

 

 

Any pictures of the watch from multiple angles? What are the other dimensions besides just the diameter? The lug to lug on some watches extend past 50mm while the case itself is small around 36-38mm.

The wrist shape matters. Is it flat or oval or round in shape?

You then have to contend with the shape of the lugs of the watch - flat or curved.

 

Hmmm these are tough asks. I think, given that this is my first watch, I can not reply to these detailed questions on the watch...

Neither on my wrist. I think it is more flat, my wrist.

As far as the watch is concerned, I attach a link

INITIAL 35 - Automatic - Rose gold

Automatic watch with a white guilloché dial. Automatic movement, interchangeable leather or Milanese mesh strap. Watch has a 2-year guarantee. Designed and assembled in France.

charlie-paris.com

 

Wrist time….don’t ask other people….listen to you tubers……read articles……get into a watch shop and try on watches.

Then, and only then, will you know if a watch fits you, and you are happy with it.

 

I have found this to be generally good guideline for watch fitment. Obviously there is an element of personal taste and, as always, wear what you like, but for a beginner it's a good starting point.

The Ultimate Watch Size Guide + Watch Size Calculator

 

I have found this to be generally good guideline for watch fitment. Obviously there is an element of personal taste and, as always, wear what you like, but for a beginner it's a good starting point.

The Ultimate Watch Size Guide + Watch Size Calculator

Some WuS approved recommendations there, range wise. I just don’t get the “wear the biggest thing you can pull off” school of thought.

My daily wear is 42mm. 43mm is the biggest I’d go.

 

Really big watches are still in.

 

... However, the latter seems to be a women's watch. Is anything different in women's watches? Is there something that should make me "not even think about buying it" if it is closer to my size?

Unless the watch is very feminine orientated in its design, there should be no difference in a women's watch.

If the 35mm watch is close to the size you are comfortable wearing, then buy it. As for being classified as a "women's" watch, just see it as an unisex watch — a watch for either male or female.

 

I don’t buy I to the “ only you can decide “. imho. Kind of like saying you can wear any size suit you want. Too big and it will look like you are wearing your dad’s clothes.

With a watch, all sizes are fine until the lugs go beyond the bones of the arm. Then it is like your dad’s suit.

YMMV

 

There’s been a bit of a counter-reaction lately to people going for smaller watches but here’s the truth—if you feel like a watch will be too big, it will be too big. It doesn’t matter how it looks “objectively,” if it feels too big for you it is.

There aren’t differences in male and female wrist geometry relevant enough to effect fit, as is the case with, say, pants. The only differences are from cultural expression, and apart rhinestones, gems, and very small sizes (<30mm across for round or <20mm for rectangular) watches are unisex. Looking up the model it seems like a slightly dressier watch, but the thing is there are sport watches—or dress-sport (think of the Rolex Explorer)—that are around that size too.

(imo the style of watch also lends itself to smaller sizes better, as well)

 

So, you think that if the smaller watch fits better, I should go for it? And since you looked up the model, do you think that the design is made for women only?

 

1- wrist size vs. watch size = personal taste, sorry

2- sometimes there are factual differences between lady's and gent's models, due to size constraints, (movement type, WR, magnetic resistance, other) a brand's perception of what each market values most, etc,
but that information is readily available under 'specifications', and only you can decide what you value most

3- if you are just accessorising, and trying to get a feel of general perceptions, then, ignore the above, and carry on

 

No rules.

Wear what YOU like and enjoy it

 

Besides case measurements, the size of the dial plays a big role in how big the watch will actually look on the wrist. How busy the dial is is also a factor. I have about the same wrist size as you, and I would consider a 40mm dress watch, like a simple two or three hander without extra complications, too large. A 40mm, or even slightly bigger, diver though is not at all an issue. But that's obviously just my personal preference.

 

Yeah, thank you for the answer, I think I agree with you

 

Checked out the website, that "Initial" model is all dial with a narrow bezel so the 40mm will appear larger on the wrist than, say, a 40mm dive watch with a wider bezel and smaller dial. The major difference that I noticed in the smaller--"women's"--version was fewer dial color choices and most are shown on a mesh bracelet (although a leather strap is a listed option). Neither are deal-breakers and you can put the smaller watch on any strap you like as the smaller size watch uses 18mm straps.

 

What about the different design for the (hour and minuite) ?? Don't these make it more "women appropriate"?

 

I’d go for a smaller size.

 

About women's watches. There are definitely women's watches, unmistakable in terms of style, use of precious metal, diamonds, etc., and they can be gorgeous jewelry by the likes of Chopard, Cartier, Tiffany, etc. They tend to be smaller, but . . .
just because women's watches are smaller doesn't mean that smaller watches are feminine. Sitting on my dresser is a non-functioning field watch that I will always own with a case that is 31.5 mm. in diameter. It was bought by my Dad in a World War 2 PX before being shipped out to the Pacific Theatre of operations. I can assure that neither he, nor any of his fellow Marines who bought similar watches, felt in the least bit in touch with their feminine sides buying such small watches. He told me once that they were all encouraged to buy watches because, you know, in a fight, everybody wants to know what time it is. How long has this been going on? Or more importantly, 'synchronize your watches.' Actually, that last was a stock phrase in all those WW2 movies right before going in. I don't recall him ever mentioning anyone saying it to him.

 

However, the latter seems to be a women's watch. Is anything different in women's watches? Is there something that should make me "not even think about buying it" if it is closer to my size?

If you buy a women’s watch, your peepee falls off.

It’s mostly marketing hogwash. Yeah, if you combine a smaller size with pink or diamonds or hearts, that will be feminine or whatever. But if it’s the same color and everything as the men’s size, just like 34mm-36mm, it’s perfectly fine. Citizen and Victorinox have done this. Make the same exact watch in like 44mm and 36mm. And then they categorize the 36mm as women’s. It’s ridiculous.

 

Just throwing this out there:

For an average person that cares nothing about watches, they will more likely notice that your watch is too small rather than too big.
A watch needs to be comically big before any normal person will really notice.
But having said that, I think 36mm is a good size for your personal expectations and something that doesn't look small to everybody else.

 

There is no universal "too big" or not. I have tiny wrists, and today I'm wearing one of my Zodiacs which is about 40 x 49. The lugs angle down pretty sharply, and it wears just fine. My Oris D65 is 40 x 48. The lugs on that are shorter, so it should fit my wrist better, right?

Nope. The D65 has nearly flat lugs, so it wears longer across the wrist than the Zodiac does, despite what the calipers may say. I'm sure some people would say that both of them are way too big for me. I don't care what they think. They're my watches, not theirs, and I like how they look.

I don't think 50mm+ L2L (generally) fits me very well, but I haven't tried on every watch around that length. Maybe some would be fine, others might look way too long for me. Really depends on the case shape.

 

Lug to lug dimension is more important than diameter. I have a 17cm (6.7") wrist and prefer a max of 46mm lug to lug. But as everyone else has said, your preference could be different. Also, wrist shapes vary.

 

I have a 17.1cm wrist. I spent my pre-teens, teens, twenties, thirties, forties and most of my fifties with watches under 37mm. When I registered here in 2021, I started buying bigger watches (initially a bunch of affordables around 41-42mm) because the trend made me feel comfortable buying watches that were bigger than I'd owned before. But I eventually returned to something closer to a classic fit, bigger but not as much bigger. Every SS watch in my current rotation is between 36 and 39mm. That's a size I would never have even considered as a 20 year-old, the concern being that I would look like I was trying to compensate for something.

My sweet spot is 37-39mm, < 48mm L2L. My 36mm watch is on a 20mm bracelet, otherwise I would not have bought it. On the other extreme, I'd love to own a Panerai, but the case sizes are out of reach for my tiny wrist. Can't get around physique.

But maybe you should take your age into consideration. I am 60, and my watches are all of the size that reflects my age derived tastes. I don't have to follow any trends. They were made before the smart phone became all the rage, and at a time when people still dressed well for their jobs, so they're small enough to fit under a cuff. If you didn't grow up with a cell phone in your pocket, you're old enough that a smaller watch should be a norm to you. If OTOH you're under 40 or so, you grew up in an era where watches were being marketed as fashion items, and visibility to others (case diameter) is part of that.

 

The reason I think anyone can wear up to 41mm is because everyone would wear a Rolex Sub that's 41mm.

 

Not everyone