For Men, Knowledge Base

Why are Men’s Sports Watches So Big?

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Written by:

Jacky Chou

The evolution of watches took place with the advancements in technology. Because of this evolution, watches are designed of different sizes.

It is the criteria or phenomena of everything; when evolution takes place then, everything becomes smaller and worthier.

Let us take an example of computers; initially, the first computer developed was very big, like a room. Later, as the technology advanced, the computers decreased in size.

And now we have mini-computers, laptops, etc. But in the case of watches, they evolved to be significant.

These days, we can see watches with oversized dials or large, but few watches were more prominent in ancient days than the watches nowadays.

For years, 30 to 40 millimeters was considered the perfect size for Men's watches.

Some were more oversized, dive watches were sometimes larger, and flight watches were still larger.

Yet the vast majority of men's watches were in the 30 to the 40-millimeter range, but in the last 20 years, watches have become bigger and bigger. 

Consumers love them, which is why watch manufacturers keep making them.

One more reason why customers love big-size watches is that the working of those watches is fantastic.

Thus, many watchmakers and watch traditionalists scornfully called big watches hubcaps, hockey pucks, kitchen timers, and wrist cannons.

Why Have Sports Watches Become So Extensive Today?

In the first half of the 20th century, one's status in society was shown mainly by their refined look and etiquette rather than Garish displays of bling.

Sylvester Stallone is believed to blame for oversized watches. Because in 1995, Stallone was filming the movie daylight in Florence, Italy.

When he came across a shop selling the massive 45 millimeter Panerai lumen or dive watch; almost nobody in America at the time was wearing watches that big.

According to Stallone, he already knew that the watch had what he called the star power. He liked the watch so much because it gave him a premium and luxury feel.

He not only bought one for himself but commissioned more for the cast and crew of his friends back home, adding sly tech to the dial and his autograph engraved on the back. 

Upon returning to the US, Stallone gave one to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wore it while filming the movie eraser in less than a year Sylvester Stallone had made big watches trendy with the in-crowd a perfect case study.

It is because large watches was the famous and beautiful car chase Santos when the Santos was released in 1911 had measured just 25 by 35 millimeters in 2018 a new version was released that measures 35 by 42 millimeters.

An even larger version was released at 39.8 by 47.5 millimeters. The idea that you have to be a manly man to buy a big one is found in all the ads like this from IWC.

Many watchmakers feel that huge watches are the equivalent of a 1970s Lincoln continental or a 2000s hummer. 

They are simply throwing aesthetics and practically out the window in favor of show-off bigness. So what happens when watches become so big they are barely wearable.

Yet, consumers still want more oversized watches to show off more:

● The art watches.

● So-called art watches.

● Wristwatches that are artistic, expensive, and too big to wear without looking clownish.

There are many examples these days. 

Let us take the Zenith type 20 flight watch. It is a beautiful watch as you can find excellent sculpted hands, a beautifully engraved case, and a fantastic dial, but it is 60 millimeters wide.

In perspective, in world war two, a long-run sunnah made a pilot's watch for the Germans. That was 55 millimeters, 5 millimeters smaller than the zenith, which was designed to be worn on the pilot's leg.

How to Know Your Available Watch Size? 

There are many things to consider, but one of the main things is the size of your wrist. A guy with a small wrist wearing a 45-millimeter watch looks like a child trying on his father's clothes. 

Stallone and Schwarzenegger both have big wrists. So, when they found Panerai, they probably thought it was a perfect fit in North America.

The average wrist size is seven and a quarter inches. If your wrist is just above seven, you will find an easy time getting watches that fit. 

If you risk that our 8 inches are above, you can wear larger watches and have them look great.

In comparison, if you have rich wrists that are 6 inches or below, you need to wear a smaller watch to have it look good.

Be practical with the size of watch you buy; another thing to consider is the design and style of the watch itself. 

Often you will find that while an oversized watch with a simple design might look good, a similarly sized watch dripping with bling or with a strange design will quickly go from rugged and confident to notice.

Another thing to consider is how you need your watch to wear, as demonstrated with this horrible chatter eye.

When it is in the proper position on your wrist, you can see how it is angled when you look from the side. No way the watch will stay properly in an uneven position all day.

It looks to seek a natural flat angle which means it will fall off to the back of your wrist.

It will result in wrist flop wear, and your watch flops off to the side compared to when you are wearing a smaller watch that is 36 millimeters.

When you look from the side right in that pocket in between the bones on your wrist, you can wear this watch all day long, move your arm around a lot, and at the end of the day, your watch will still be in that perfect position.

That is why watches in that size range are trendy.

Final Words

Thus, Men's watches are big because people started loving large wrists. People with small wrists don't like large dial watches because they look huge on their wrists.

However, people with large wrists love watches with big dials. Hence, everyone has their own choice of buying watches!

About
Jacky Chou

Jacky Chou is the co-founder of Uberwrists and has gotten into watches from his father from a young age. His first watch was a black G Shock that was comedically large for his wrist. He appreciates watches from Seiko to a Patek Philippe.

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