Are you man enough....?

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This was a very interesting read. Very interesting insights that are all over the board. I am a guy that has settled in around the 44-50mm size. I have a few that are larger, but not many and they don't get the wrist time that some of the smaller watches I have do. Would I go down to a 40mm? Yeah, it would need to be a Rolex for me though. I have a Bulova that sits in my jewelry box that I haven't done anything with. It was my first "nice" watch that I got, and its in the 40mm area. The battery has died in it and I haven't replaced it because I just won't wear it. 40mm is just to small for me, but I would make the exception for a Rolex.

I really like to feel my watch on my wrist. For this reason I prefer bracelet models as well. I have started to venture into the strap watches a little with an S1 that I purchased a month or so ago, and I may do that more, but I still need the larger case sizes. It doesn't matter how much I like the design, if its under 44mm, I pass on it.

In regards to Bob's comment about the brands mentioned staying smaller and trying to keep it that way. I think you are right that they are trying to use their name and dollars to push people back to the smaller more classic sizes. But I think for the most part, the people that are laying down their hard earned cash for a Rolex are generally a little older, and are used to wearing that size watch as well. Us young guys can't necessarily afford that new Rolex at $10k and even if we could, we want something a little bigger so we look at a Breitling that's 46mm or something else along those lines. Push comes to shove, I don't think these guys are trying to stop the evolution of the watch market, I think they are just getting as much of the market as they can in the smaller sizes while they can. Breitling didn't have and still really doesn't have to many pieces over 45mm. They only have a few, and it wasn't that long ago if I remember right that they didn't have any. I think we are going to start seeing Rolex slowly upping the sizes of their cases over the coming years. I don't think we are going to see a 54mm Submariner any time soon, but I think they will start increasing their sizes by a few mms over the next decade or so. Just my 2 cents.
 
No worries. "Flummoxed" is a third cousin twice removed for tracking mud on the rug of "flabbergasted" which, it should be noted, has no relation to "flubber" or Professor Philip Brainard.

It didn't cause any distress or at least not as much distress as learning there's such a thing as a round Lupah. Discovering round Lapahs is right up there with finding magnetic tree bark or entire squadrons of flying lawn chairs.

I agree. A round lupah didn't make sense. It has a pronounced domed, curved crystal, making it an honorary lupah, I guess. The bracelet has lupah shaped links, too. It's model 5205.
It's like the SQUARE Russian Diver or the Toneau shaped S1 Rally.... It doesn't go together.
 
I agree. A round lupah didn't make sense. It has a pronounced domed, curved crystal, making it an honorary lupah, I guess. The bracelet has lupah shaped links, too. It's model 5205.
It's like the SQUARE Russian Diver or the Toneau shaped S1 Rally.... It doesn't go together.

Well, now that I've checked out the WURW thread it makes sense.

In the dim and distant past a thread wound its way through WG wherein speculation was offered on the origin of the name "Lupah". One of these speculations was that it was derived from loupe which in turn came from the French word meaning "magnifying glass". While IWG never offered a benediction for any of the guesses "magnifying glass" seemed more probable than anything related to Latin for wolves or, as one wag suggested, Latin for "prostitute" which was actually technically "she-wolf" (lupa) or brothel (lupanar).

And that crystal certainly looks like it would function as a loupe. Pretty clever idea actually as it could mimic the function of a crystal-sized cyclops lens.
 
This was a very interesting read. Very interesting insights that are all over the board. I am a guy that has settled in around the 44-50mm size. I have a few that are larger, but not many and they don't get the wrist time that some of the smaller watches I have do. Would I go down to a 40mm? Yeah, it would need to be a Rolex for me though. I have a Bulova that sits in my jewelry box that I haven't done anything with. It was my first "nice" watch that I got, and its in the 40mm area. The battery has died in it and I haven't replaced it because I just won't wear it. 40mm is just to small for me, but I would make the exception for a Rolex.

I really like to feel my watch on my wrist. For this reason I prefer bracelet models as well. I have started to venture into the strap watches a little with an S1 that I purchased a month or so ago, and I may do that more, but I still need the larger case sizes. It doesn't matter how much I like the design, if its under 44mm, I pass on it.

In regards to Bob's comment about the brands mentioned staying smaller and trying to keep it that way. I think you are right that they are trying to use their name and dollars to push people back to the smaller more classic sizes. But I think for the most part, the people that are laying down their hard earned cash for a Rolex are generally a little older, and are used to wearing that size watch as well. Us young guys can't necessarily afford that new Rolex at $10k and even if we could, we want something a little bigger so we look at a Breitling that's 46mm or something else along those lines. Push comes to shove, I don't think these guys are trying to stop the evolution of the watch market, I think they are just getting as much of the market as they can in the smaller sizes while they can. Breitling didn't have and still really doesn't have to many pieces over 45mm. They only have a few, and it wasn't that long ago if I remember right that they didn't have any. I think we are going to start seeing Rolex slowly upping the sizes of their cases over the coming years. I don't think we are going to see a 54mm Submariner any time soon, but I think they will start increasing their sizes by a few mms over the next decade or so. Just my 2 cents.

Time will certainly tell where the trends will lead but I believe the major Swiss brands aren't trying to push the market in any one direction so much as they're simply responding to where the market is headed. I can't say for sure but I believe the market is the dog and the Swiss brands are the tail.

The NYT article suggests that the trend to larger sizes worldwide reversed itself when the Asian market started accounting for a good portion of the sales of luxury products and the Chinese and Hong Kong markets have a taste for classic sizes. (I'm not sure why they list Hong Kong sales separate from China but I might as well go along.)

There's been a downturn in that market but the trend to smaller or mid-sized seems entrenched (for the time being - fashion is fickle). That aside the Rolex Air-King was re-introduced at 40mm and Breitling floated a 24 hour lightweight 50mm.

In the sense of a world wide market I didn't see much in the way of a trend to large watches unless one sees 40mm as large - and some portion of the press does seem to think that's the case. Again my opinion only but the trend in watches marketed on the TV seemed largely disconnected from the world at large. Viewed from a narrower perspective IWG enjoyed success with large watches which seemed to scratch an itch that had gone long unscratched and when that took off it didn't take long for Stan and Wing to jump on board at least to some extent. Any manufacturer looking for an indication of what would sell at WG was pretty much assured of hearing "bigger and heavier" but the trend there did not seem to be echoed at too many similar venues. Though neither was it totally unique.

There were some examples of outsized watches in other brands but they seemed a niche product like Breiling's larger pieces and the Seiko Marine Master which is pretty big as is any product originally designed for wear outside a wet suit - I think Panerai reissued one designed for the Egyptian Navy not too long ago.
(snagged from Google images):
61a1_12.jpg


You bring up an interesting point with preferring to feel a watch while it is being worn. I think this may have manifested in some models being offered in tungsten. There's not much heavier than a 50mm watch in tungsten and the material is almost three times the density of steel. But, as if to prove that there's a butt for every seat, watches of all sizes occasionally turn up in titanium and there's Breitling's new "Breitlight" and Invicta's had their "Ergonomic" for some time.

I tend to like both heavy and light depending on - well, I don't know - just "depending". Some Ball divers get pretty heavy but I was also drooling over the titanium Citizen Chronomaster which stakes out the polar opposite - 38mm case in titanium weighing all of 81 grams with the bracelet. Not bad if one can get over the hurdle of spending 2,400.00 on a 38mm quartz watch.

http://www.shoppinginjapan.net/ctq57-0953



Strictly anecdotally I seem to hear about as many folks saying they won't abandon large watches due to fashion as I recall hearing people say they wouldn't abandon 38mm due to fashion. If true this would imply we should enjoy a wide variety catering to all preferences for quite some time.
 
Very well stated. I think what it comes down to is just what you said, Ass for Every Seat. There is always going to be people wanting a larger(45mm+) and there is always going to be someone that wants the more classic sizes. I think you are correct in the way that there is going to be a lot for us to choose from for many years to come.

Reading your statements here I can say I don't know how big of a picture I was looking at. I wasn't thinking about the Asian Markets, and their plethora of 40mm watches. Orient comes to mind as having a lot of 40mm+/- sizes. A lot of these other Kickstarter companies and many Boutique brands seem to be staying fairly close to that 40mm size as well.

Thanks for your insights Buzzard. You opened my eyes a little bit more.

Time will certainly tell where the trends will lead but I believe the major Swiss brands aren't trying to push the market in any one direction so much as they're simply responding to where the market is headed. I can't say for sure but I believe the market is the dog and the Swiss brands are the tail.

The NYT article suggests that the trend to larger sizes worldwide reversed itself when the Asian market started accounting for a good portion of the sales of luxury products and the Chinese and Hong Kong markets have a taste for classic sizes. (I'm not sure why they list Hong Kong sales separate from China but I might as well go along.)

There's been a downturn in that market but the trend to smaller or mid-sized seems entrenched (for the time being - fashion is fickle). That aside the Rolex Air-King was re-introduced at 40mm and Breitling floated a 24 hour lightweight 50mm.

In the sense of a world wide market I didn't see much in the way of a trend to large watches unless one sees 40mm as large - and some portion of the press does seem to think that's the case. Again my opinion only but the trend in watches marketed on the TV seemed largely disconnected from the world at large. Viewed from a narrower perspective IWG enjoyed success with large watches which seemed to scratch an itch that had gone long unscratched and when that took off it didn't take long for Stan and Wing to jump on board at least to some extent. Any manufacturer looking for an indication of what would sell at WG was pretty much assured of hearing "bigger and heavier" but the trend there did not seem to be echoed at too many similar venues. Though neither was it totally unique.

There were some examples of outsized watches in other brands but they seemed a niche product like Breiling's larger pieces and the Seiko Marine Master which is pretty big as is any product originally designed for wear outside a wet suit - I think Panerai reissued one designed for the Egyptian Navy not too long ago.
(snagged from Google images):
61a1_12.jpg


You bring up an interesting point with preferring to feel a watch while it is being worn. I think this may have manifested in some models being offered in tungsten. There's not much heavier than a 50mm watch in tungsten and the material is almost three times the density of steel. But, as if to prove that there's a butt for every seat, watches of all sizes occasionally turn up in titanium and there's Breitling's new "Breitlight" and Invicta's had their "Ergonomic" for some time.

I tend to like both heavy and light depending on - well, I don't know - just "depending". Some Ball divers get pretty heavy but I was also drooling over the titanium Citizen Chronomaster which stakes out the polar opposite - 38mm case in titanium weighing all of 81 grams with the bracelet. Not bad if one can get over the hurdle of spending 2,400.00 on a 38mm quartz watch.

http://www.shoppinginjapan.net/ctq57-0953



Strictly anecdotally I seem to hear about as many folks saying they won't abandon large watches due to fashion as I recall hearing people say they wouldn't abandon 38mm due to fashion. If true this would imply we should enjoy a wide variety catering to all preferences for quite some time.
 
yup... picked up a couple donuts 34-36mm...and a russky...will post pics...it's liberating
 
This was a very interesting read. Very interesting insights that are all over the board. I am a guy that has settled in around the 44-50mm size. I have a few that are larger, but not many and they don't get the wrist time that some of the smaller watches I have do. Would I go down to a 40mm? Yeah, it would need to be a Rolex for me though. I have a Bulova that sits in my jewelry box that I haven't done anything with. It was my first "nice" watch that I got, and its in the 40mm area. The battery has died in it and I haven't replaced it because I just won't wear it. 40mm is just to small for me, but I would make the exception for a Rolex.

I really like to feel my watch on my wrist. For this reason I prefer bracelet models as well. I have started to venture into the strap watches a little with an S1 that I purchased a month or so ago, and I may do that more, but I still need the larger case sizes. It doesn't matter how much I like the design, if its under 44mm, I pass on it.

In regards to Bob's comment about the brands mentioned staying smaller and trying to keep it that way. I think you are right that they are trying to use their name and dollars to push people back to the smaller more classic sizes. But I think for the most part, the people that are laying down their hard earned cash for a Rolex are generally a little older, and are used to wearing that size watch as well. Us young guys can't necessarily afford that new Rolex at $10k and even if we could, we want something a little bigger so we look at a Breitling that's 46mm or something else along those lines. Push comes to shove, I don't think these guys are trying to stop the evolution of the watch market, I think they are just getting as much of the market as they can in the smaller sizes while they can. Breitling didn't have and still really doesn't have to many pieces over 45mm. They only have a few, and it wasn't that long ago if I remember right that they didn't have any. I think we are going to start seeing Rolex slowly upping the sizes of their cases over the coming years. I don't think we are going to see a 54mm Submariner any time soon, but I think they will start increasing their sizes by a few mms over the next decade or so. Just my 2 cents.


peeps thought petroleum derivative leisure suits and bell bottoms would last forever-- just ask PG

styles change

trending: smaller cases
 
What??? My polyester leisure suits are NOT in style? Next you'll tell me my patent leather platform shoes and bell bottoms are out of style, too. What about my Village People 8 tracks?

You really know how to hurt a guy ScottyB? And Mike... Don't think your innocent either!

Lol!
 
What??? My polyester leisure suits are NOT in style? Next you'll tell me my patent leather platform shoes and bell bottoms are out of style, too. What about my Village People 8 tracks?

You really know how to hurt a guy ScottyB? And Mike... Don't think your innocent either!

Lol!


ARNOLD boarding the wrong end of the train IMHO-STOWA intro 34.5mm BASEL 2016
 
My smallest is the Swiss Military @ 37mm! Just had it on for two weeks plus. I had to take
it back from my son. I traded for many quartz models. He was not wearing. For me from 37mm
to 50mm is my limit. I have small wrists at 6.5 in summer and 6.25 winter.

My decision more a function of wrist size. I am gravitating toward smaller sizes up to 45mm.
View attachment 2147
 
Good posts here.
I'm starting a new trend. I am going to wear a smaller size in SHOES. I measure a 10, but I think I look better in a 9...maybe even an 8 1/2. No more clownish shoes for ME! I'm buckin' the trend.
 
Good posts here.
I'm starting a new trend. I am going to wear a smaller size in SHOES. I measure a 10, but I think I look better in a 9...maybe even an 8 1/2. No more clownish shoes for ME! I'm buckin' the trend.

Let me know what your feet have to say about that in a few days. But in the name of style, I say go for it!:up:
 
I have watches from 42mm to 58mm, I am most comfortable from 44mm to 54mm, I gave my 35mm Wittnaeur 38 diamond and 30mm 12 diamond Bulova to my daughter, they are both gorgeous watches and I could pull them off, but they are bracelet and sized for my baby now



 
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My sweet spot is always going to be 47-50mm. The absolute lowest I can go to actually put on my wrist and wear would be a 45mm......and that would have to be some outrageous watch for me to wear at 45mm.
The days of 40mm watches on my wrist are mere memories of days of yore!
 
36mm that I would wear, but I own some dress watches that are even smaller from the 70's and 80's.
 
36mm that I would wear, but I own some dress watches that are even smaller from the 70's and 80's.

Some here were just learning how to tell time in the 70's! Lol

By the way...I am wearing a old 43mm Speedway II in your honor today! Not bad, Joel....not bad at all.
 
Nope, definitely not man enough and not woman enough, either, I guess. Just tried on a few of my older 38-40mm watches and they look weird on my wrist, to me. Funny, if I saw them on someone else's wrist they'd look fine. I gave my mom a couple of my smaller watches, like a 37mm women's Swiss Legend Commander that I used to wear all the time. We have approx. the same size wrist, and when she wears it I think it looks great. But on me? Just too small. My eyes have gotten used to seeing a watch that takes up the majority of my wrist real estate.
 
Nope, definitely not man enough and not woman enough, either, I guess. Just tried on a few of my older 38-40mm watches and they look weird on my wrist, to me. Funny, if I saw them on someone else's wrist they'd look fine. I gave my mom a couple of my smaller watches, like a 37mm women's Swiss Legend Commander that I used to wear all the time. We have approx. the same size wrist, and when she wears it I think it looks great. But on me? Just too small. My eyes have gotten used to seeing a watch that takes up the majority of my wrist real estate.

It seems things may be even more fluid than I had guessed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/watches/103202/gender-bending-in-watches-a-wristy-business.html
Excerpt:
Gender bending in watches: a wristy business.

No one bats an eyelid when a woman borrows her man’s watch, or treats herself to a bold, masculine timepiece. So when the limited edition Omega Seamaster 300 from the latest Bond film Spectre was snapped up by women almost as fast as it was by men, it came as no surprise.

What is intriguing is that women’s watches are now being increasingly bought by men.
...
Philippe Delhotal, creative director, says "women increasingly want mechanical watches, which tend to be larger up to 39mm, and some men prefer 36mm, so sizes are becoming interchangeable.” IWC has always claimed not to design women’s watches, yet its diamond-bezelled Portofino, which launched in 2014, was shown only on tuxedo-clad women, making its intention clear, but the model is selling well to men in the Far East.

Caroline Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, has also witnessed the move towards men sporting more diamonds on their wrists. “Our large size Impériale with diamonds sells to men,” she says. “In the Noughties the trend was for women to wear oversized watches – now men are wearing ladies’ models.”

According to Guido Terreni, managing director of Bulgari Watches, the style started in Japan. ...

And all that is old is new again.
 
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