Depends on the shape of the case.
I've got a 24mm wide tank that fits good on my 6.75" wrist.

I tend to want my round cases above 38mm and below 46mm.

 

Such a sweet watch!

 

A "rule of thumb" I've seen tossed about is that the diameter of the watch case should be between 1/5 and 1/4 the circumference of your wrist. So anything smaller than 1/5th your wrist circumference would be "too small" and anything more than 1/4 is "too big". I personally find this aligns with my personal sense of aesthetics. There are also some other factors to consider, like lug length (no overhang allowed) and dial size (all-dial watch at the big end of the 1/5-1/4 range frequently looks too big), but overall I feel like it's a good guideline.

 

Yes, that works for me. 7.5inch wrist, 19cm. So 1/4 is 47mm which is too big, and 1/5 is 37mm which is smaller than I like to go.

I think you get used to a certain range though. I prefer 41 to 43mm. For many years my watch was a 35mm omega which my wife bought me in the 70s. That was the going rate then, and it never seemed small at the time. It does now, although I do still enjoy wearing it from time to time.

 

When you looking at your wrist and thinking if it’s too small for your wrist, then it’s too small.

 

 

I’ve got an ~7.75” wrist but it has a flat profile so I currently find anything <40mm “too small”, which is a shame because I love my Sinn 856 but don’t put it on because it feels small.

 

It depends of the age of the watch. In these days i think than less than 40mm will be small but if i will buy something from the 60's for example, 34mm will be ok for me...

 

Couple time missed opportunity to get vintage "Sicura" 37 - 38mm because not sure if it will look too small on 7.25 - 7.5 wrist.

So when you consider watch as too small?

Personal impression?
Certain measurements?

You are joking, right? I have a few watches in the 38mm range and they don't look small on my 19.5 cm wrist, at all. Besides, a watch can never be too small on a wrist. While on the other hand, a wrist can be too small for a watch.

 

No, no jokes. Tried it few times and still feels like it out of place.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

 

If I have to make an effort to see the dial at a glance, it is too small for me........

 

I have an 8" wrist and was quite concerned about this question for a while. I don't worry about it anymore. If I'm wearing it, it's gonna look good, and that's the fact. I make the watch look good, not the other way around.

 

I call it too small when it looks like one of those engravable medical bracelets you buy at the drug store.

I have a 7.5 wrist. Anything smaller then a chunky 36 doesn't suit me. I don't wear charm bracelets and I prefer my watch not look like one.

 

When I remove my glasses and can't tell the time, then I know it's too small for me.

 

As long as I can actually see the dial with my ageing eyes I'm good.

 

I find it really depends on the watch.
I have a 19 cm wrist, just under 7.5 inches, but with a curved profile so a smaller "flat" spot on top. I've owned watches from 36 to 45 mm, with lug-2-lug anywhere from 42 to 52 mm.
At the large end I've found that I don't really like anything over 40 mm diameter, and anything L2L over 46 has to have a fair amount of downturn to the lugs to fit comfortably.
On the small end, however, things really depend on the watch.
For example, I had a Grand Seiko SBGF021 that I really wanted to keep as a perfect GADA watch. Yet even though it has a 38 mm case, it's oversize bezel, smaller dial, and tapered 19 mm bracelet meant it fit very small on my wrist. I never got used to how it looked and ended up selling it.
On the other hand I have a Bertucci A1-S that is 36 mm, with a L2L of 45 that fits great. It has an overbuilt case for protection, and a 20 mm lug width, and somehow it never seems too small.
I've found that, having tried many watches over the years I have a pretty strict upper size limit, but am more flexible at the lower end.

 

I have a 7.5in+ wrist and experimented with a 34mm Junghans Maxbill.... wouldn't say it's "too small" but def out of my comfort zone

 

Looks fine. The white dial Max Bills look a bit bigger than the black ones.

 

There is no hard and fast rule for me, it really depends on the specific watch. For example, I had a 36mm Explorer that I felt was just a little too small for me. However, I have a vintage datejust with silver dial on jubilee that I think works fine even though the case is identical to the Explorer’s. The reason is because the Explorer is a sports watch and I would wear it casually with short sleeves, and it just didn’t look right. In contrast, the datejust wears bigger with the silver dial and also works fine since I wear it as a dressy watch with suits or business casual attire. So a sporty watch, especially with black dial, would need to be about 38 to 39mm at least, whereas for a dress watch, I could go smaller. For example I wouldn’t mind a small vintage tank if it was something I wore only with a tux. Also, a watch that has a timing bezel or divers bezel would need to be at least 40 to 42mm to look big enough, whereas a watch that is all dial can probably get away with as low as 38mm.

 

One of my tests is to look at it on my wrist in a mirror, gives a better impression of what other people will see. Turns out my "huge" Aquis 43.5mm looks almost dainty on my 7.75" wrist. After trying this with a few other ones I struggle to go any smaller than 42mm, even with a dress watch. My Stowa Marine Original is about as tiny as I'll go. Part of my particular issue is that I also have smaller hands, so things look out of proportion anyway. Still, would rather go a bit too big than too small.

Garmin Fenix 6X (50mm width) for comparison

 

44mm

Anything below 44mm is small.

Anything below 40mm is too small.

 

As has been stated, I know once I try it on. An "all-dial" 34mm with sizeable lugs may look ok to me, where a thick bezel (small dial) 37mm with tight lugs may just feel too small

 

I think I agree with the 'all-dial' argument. Subjectivity aside for a moment, a diver may appear too small despite sharing dimensions with a dress watch that appears perfect to the same eye.

Regarding taste, I'm baffled there is ever an argument about whether a watch can be too big. Yes - of course it can. But too small? To me that's not really about fit. If it conforms to your wrist from lug to lug, then it fits, and the rest is just personal preference or shifting conventions.

 

I tried on a Rolex Air King at 34mm and it felt too small for my 7" wrist. I currently own a 38.5mm Longines Record which has a smallish bezel and the silver dial and it looks larger on the wrist than the dim's would suggest. Its perfect for my wrist but may not be for some. It's really a matter of preference not so much a calculation.

 

...It's really a matter of preference not so much a calculation.

Perfect. I find the bezel makes more of a difference to me - the larger the dial in proportion to the bezel, the bigger the watch 'looks' on the wrist.

 

So when you consider watch as too small?

Only rule is it had to be a man's watch when new. Small and large can both wear excellently.

 

Exactly. I have some of those vintage Bulova tank watches myself, and wear them on my 7" wrists. The diameter from side to side is only about 28mm.

 

I look at lug-to-lug for wearability. For modern watches 46-47mm is my sweet spot but can go a few notches below and a some more for vintage watches.

 

47mm seems big. What type of watches do you like to wear? Panerai's?

 

for me 39mm is the smallest I would wear. Anything smaller looks comical on me. I have an 8" wrist.

 

For my personally anything under 36mm is too small. But sometime brands depend as well. I had a 40mm omega racingand it looked 10 times smaller than my sub. the 40mm racing looked like a 36mm datejust in size.

 

Anything under 46.9mm is small to me
46.9 being my smallest watch (GS SLGA001)
And 47mm my biggest

 

Smallest watch I own is 31mm vintage Hamilton “teacup” from WWII. It definitely feels small. But I still like to wear it occasionally. It’s very light and I almost forget that I’m wearing a watch. My largest watch is a 46mm gshock. Most of my other watches are 38mm which feels like the sweet spot for me.

 

I have a 7 inch wrist. I grew up wearing bigger watches so 42mm is perfect for my eyes on that wrist. I have found 40mm to just look to small however, when I look in the mirror with a 40mm it seems ok. A lot has to do with how far the lugs extend. Even a 39mm with lugs that fill my wrist works well. But my eyes are just use to seeing that bigger dial.

For me 44mm on the 7 inch wrist is the extreme max. But there again depends on the lugs. I have tired to wear watches with 51-52mm lugs that don't taper and it does not work for me.