Chromatic Fugue
1903
human physiology being what it is . . .
watches cannot get much larger and could get somewhat smaller, though I agree that men's watches will probably never dip below 35 mm again.
Here's the problem with the current trend. Some guys -- a substantial fraction of the market -- actually look great in ROOs and Panerais. Some guys look terrible in them because, for example, the lugs stick out beyond their wrists. Today, the guys in the latter category are willing to put up with the ungainly appearance because big watches are de rigeur, and hardly anyone says: "hey, that watch is just too big for your wrist." But THAT will surely change because, in fact, watches with lugs that extend beyond the countours of a wrist do look very odd. And the average wrist size will not be getting bigger anytime soon.
So, what will the major watch manufacturers do when the guys whose wrists are too small for 44 mm watches stop buying them because they realize they look bad wearing them? Of course, the guys with bigger wrists will keep buying those watches. But there are only so many such people in the market, and scale economies are important here. And which brands will step in to provide high-end 36-38 mm watches that actually don't look too big for guys with thin-to-medium wrists? Some brands will, and those watches will sell well.
The market dynamics in the luxury watch industry are very strange, but they are not so strange that they can prevent the serious course correction demanded by simple wrist physiology.
I think watches will become smaller again... what do you think?
Hi All, Having seen a trend in recent times, by almost everyone from Rolex to whoever, to go bigger in watch size.... has resulted in some pretty oversize models being produced. I feel very confident that this trend will reverse over the next year or so. ...
Nope won't happen IMO
People have been saying this for quite some time, and it's not going to happen IMO. I think watches may have hit their limit in terms of size, but they will stay up here IMO. Cheers, Anthony
+2 . . . I spoke with some folks at Vacheron a few weeks ago . . .
They are continuing to move towards larger watches, and will be increasing the size of certain existing models, as they have done the past few years. Craig
Agree with Anthony.However...
I think that the future of watch making is more into the unique design elements of the watch and how it works. A unique movement need a bigger case, and also a bigger watch has a better visibility of how unique the watch look. And plus, now a days watch h...
At least one watchmaker has downsized
because his clients told him they wanted to back off on the sizes a bit. Another factor is the price of material e.g. gold and platinum; even a 2mm diameter drop and the proportional drop in other dimensions yields cubic savings in material. Unless there ...
It is time to be more rational in size
Of course, size does matter when it comes to watches. If the size of the wrist watches continue to grow, I would rather wear a pocket watch. Regards Ling
agreed with what you said, especially...
if the watch is not functionally required for such large size. stefan
I think watches will become smaller
people get bored to wear these big watches every day. A smaller watch (38-40mm) and a suit looks so much better than a 44mm and a suit. As MTF said, we will not go back to where it all started with, but 40 mm is what I see as a more common size, for the t...
I think it depends on the design- For Breguet -39mm size
and 7mm thickness are upper bound for me because of thin bezel and thin lug design, the double tourbillon really looked ugly for me ; For Panerai - 47mm is the historic size and anything below that seem odd; for Rolex- addition of 2mm in DSSD without corr...
Variety…
I think we will see a range from 38mm up. The number of large watches above 45mm will decrease, but the variety of sizes will remain, which is a good thing as it gives the consumer greater choice. It is very unlikely we will go back below 38mm. As others ...
You have to remember that human...
...nature works on the grass being greener caper, that will not change. Most large watches at the moment are new and because of that they still hold thier show-off potential, a decade down the line the world will be awash with half-battered large lumps lo...
I agree... 38 is here to stay and 42 will be the
Hi Andrew, I agree that 38 will be the general minimum and I see the max at 42-43 for Chronos and some complications. The days of 32 to 36 are dead and gone. In reality they were only fashionable, and surfaced, to keep in line with the emerging Quartz's d...
As always....
Yes, when the novelty wears off... it is always back to practicality. Kindest Jack
Fashion dictates what people will wear
Watches were originally larger because of the movement, then as the technology enabled reduction of the movement, of course it became popular to have a smaller watch. Today's fashion tends to be not so much original as reinterpretations of the past. Large...
On a side note -pocket watches
I remember reading a few years back, a couple interviews with men's clothing designers who loved how an elegant pocket watch in a vest pocket made such a great statement. They were hoping that this might once again be popular. Never stopped the eccentrics...
I think the regular size has moved from 36-40 to about 42-44mm
where it's more acceptable now to wear 42-44mm watch without feeling big. Big is maybe reserved for those with >44mm I believe things in our world will recycle themselves (look at sunglasses/glasses now), we may see 36-40 mm in fashion again in the future...
human physiology being what it is . . .
watches cannot get much larger and could get somewhat smaller, though I agree that men's watches will probably never dip below 35 mm again. Here's the problem with the current trend. Some guys -- a substantial fraction of the market -- actually look great...
Lugs
Lug to lug (top end to bottom end) can make a huge difference as well. The Richard Lange is a great watch but also has very long (through proportionate, but still long) lugs, which look a bit odd on narrow wrists, for which I think 36-38mm and 44-46mm (lu...
Well, Jack
The limit is the wrist size, and we can see it with, for example, the so called Panerai Egiziano, which is literally unwearable with its 60 mm. So, a reasonnable size has to be respected, for us to wear the watch. I think it will alsodepend on the categor...
We are close.... also evolution is kicking in fast.
Hi Nicolas, We are close in our thinking... I reckon 38 - 43... you say 37 to 44. But another thing also relevant is that young guys these days do not do the same type of physical work, that due to lack of machinery etc, previous generations had to do, . ...
Very interesting points, Jack
About the physical work on the consequences on the human wrist. And about the Arnies and the Slys, too. Can't we also consider that our mentalities did change, too, from extremely big watches to more wearable ones? Less to be seen, more to be worn? Best, ...
Interesting thoughts...
I do agree that workplace safety rules have changed, but let's face it, not for most of the world. True also, that more of us are sitting in front of a computer than ever before, but the bulk of the world's work is still manual labor. I don't see that cha...
Not going away anytime soon. maybe when people are...
bored with the larger sizes, they will start buying smaller ones and the trend will be reversed?
Of course they will.
Scale is a valuable tool in the designer's toolbox, and it has been demonstrated time and again that adjusting scale works when you want to sell watches. Watches will get small again. Really small. Then, of course, they'll get big again. It's fashion, not...
it's unavoidable
People have not gotten so substantially larger as to necessitate or somehow "make appropriate" the larger sizes watches of today in any non-fashion-related way, so the vagaries of fashion dictate that the trend will absolutely tend towards the smaller at ...
Rather: 'some watches will shrink, while others should stay up there...'
There was a time before watches turned >43mm when a watch should be 40mm and above because it demands legibility, for example, when used under water; or because of tradition, in the case of pilot watches. In my personal opinion, the nature of the watch sh...
...
Some good points there fella...i think a lot of these pointers to what is actually going on out there are missed because folk are not likely to make an internet post about a watch being too big for them. Infact they are not really too keen on telling clos...
One can only hope...
The selection of new and interesting watches or even watches without bling that are under 39mm is very limited. I keep trying the bigger ones on, but when the lugs hang over the side of my wrist and I have to cinch the strap to keep the watch straight, it...
Rolex used to make a small version,....
hi Ginger, I hear what you say. I don't know if they still do but when I first started to live in Asia around the late 1980s.... Rolex made a small version of many of their watches as did Seiko. In the west these were referred to as 'Boys' watches.... in ...
I think normal mens watch sizes...........
eventually will fall into the 38 to 42mm range but we are still a few years away from that happening. Unless your Andre the Giant, anything 46mm+ or 17mm+ thick looks out of place on almost anyone's wrist IMO. When the sizes shift again It will be very si...
Ladies -Women - The Fairer Sex.. this has been male dominated..
Ok, so 98% of this comment has been about mens wrists. Any Ideas on the fairer sex watch sizes of the future. My bet is on 28 to 32. kindest regards, Jack
The ultimate fashion climax …
Everyone should read that text. There is a cliché and an innuendo in every sentence. It should come with a Surgeon General warning. Thanks Snak. Hilarious! A
I agree..... exactly ......
Hi Tony, I agree exactly... 38 to 42.... and for the softer sex I think 28 to 32 will be where the froth settles. kindest regards, Jack
Nope I dont think so...
after wearing years of 44mm and larger watches, its very difficult to go back to those smaller ones... lol! my wife wears a 40mm Milgauss as her daily beater... I tried selling the idea of a 36mm Rolex, she said.. no! once you have gone the big watch road...
My Guess: Size Will Moderate, But Moderately
Most trends, as they reach an extreme, engender a countertrend. The central question then becomes: how far will the pendulum swing? Many of us would agree that, in aggregate, the size of watches has reached such an extreme. I believe, however, that the pe...
Hi Brian.... You mention a point overlooked
Hi Brian, You mention a point I overlooked, and I should not have, as I will never see 60 again, and my eyes are like many my age. I agree that readability is a good reason for a large dial... but I have a Breguet Marine which is 39 mm, it has a silver di...