Dial Size Matters

[@borismedovar9968]

I remeber the days when all watches were 35-37mm and a size problem was non-existent. Only design and price mattered.

[@KabobHope]

Now saying a watch is too big or too small starts a flame war in the comments.

[@Anirossa]

Something I really like with white dials is how they appear bigger than if they were black, so you can have a smaller footprint on your wrist and smaller dimensions but still having it looking good if compared to what you get away with with a black dial.

[@chasehuggins6157]

Excellent.

[@BonDijon]

Great vid idea. still really love that nomos and how it just fully breaks the idea that 33mm will always look "small". It certainly does not lmao - like you shown clearly, it appears pretty much like the king seiko lmao

[@philiproberts1473]

Yes dial size makes a big difference. For instance a smaller dress watch can look larger than a bigger dive watch. Other factors influence the visual size, particularly dial colour and design. If the numerals/indices are not at the edge of the dial, such as on some GMT and chrono watches, they can appear smaller.

[@SoundShunter72]

Case diameter is still very important, right after lug to lug. The watch still has to physically fit on your wrist and if you take a normal proportioned watch, a 36mm case will usually translate to a lug to lug of 44mm to 46mm, which is plenty for someone with a 6.25 inch wrist like me. I don't like watches with small lugs, like a Junghans Max Bill. So while I COULD wear a 40mm watch with a shorter lug to lug, I don't necessarily like that. I don't care about wrist presence. A watch may "look" big or small on my wrist for a million reasons, but the end of the day I just watch something that's well proportioned and for me that's usually 36mm. By the way, 95% of movements are smaller than 30mm. So to think that your 44mm watch has a tiny 26mm movement inside of it surrounded by a plastic spacer is just hilarious to me. Also, I like to see a bit of my strap as well, instead of it going off 90 degrees from the lugs down.

[@PhilbyFavourites]

The key point to notice is that none of these 4 watches have a chunky size enhancing bezel (ie they are all dress watches and not divers). And… you need to see them on a wrist…

[@derosa1989]

People commonly refer to case diameter, but as you point out, the dial size also has an impact on how big the watch looks. Sometimes it's even difficult just to find the dial size specs it's not talked about too much.

[@markgill8444]

I couldn't agree more and am often disappointed when reviewers don't include this when they discuss specs (btw, what's the dial diameter of your Farer Lander IV GMT 😉. I know the case is 36mm, but Farer often have very large dials when compared to the case). I have a 6" wrist and for me, I don't like a dial over 30mm. I sold my Sarb033 (black dial. Yours is the 035) as the dial was too large for my taste. I have a 37mm GS sbgx261, but it wears much smaller (and better) than the sarb ever did. My daily is a 36mm CW C63 Sealander, of which I find the proportions perfect. I'll also happily wear a 38mm diver as the dial is a similar size. I'm quite tempted by the Farer GMT, but worried the dial will be too large.

[@stuntmonkey00]

Most modern watches aren't bigger watches, they are just a similar sized dial with bigger bezels. A 36mm Nomos wears about the same as a 42mm dive/field watch because the actual dial size isn't that different. The 40mm Nomos watches actually look disproportionate because there is too much dial space for the minimalist design. Or how a 41mm Rolex Sub looks kind of tiny for it's size because the bezel is thick and the dial doesn't take up as much real estate.

[@jankay8569]

agreed