One of the oldest and most-discussed topics in the watch world is how to wear a watch. Many people often wonder, “Should watches be worn loose? Or should they be tighter on the wrist?” After I’ve done my research, I found the answer to the question.
As a general rule, watches should be worn loose enough to slip just over your wrist knuckle. Watches are meant to be worn snugly around the wrist: not too tight where it constricts your wrist movement, but not too loose either. Adjusting the watch band is the best way to get a comfortable fit.
When I first started getting into watches and learning more about them, I used to have no clue whether or not I was wearing my watch properly. However, after educating myself more about the proper way to wear wristwatches, I’ve figured out the best way to wear a timepiece comfortably and fashionably. Read on to view the full article where I break down how watches should be worn.
How Should Watches Be Worn: Loose or Tight?
Generally, it’s recommended that watches should be worn loose enough to slip over your wrist knuckle. When I refer to your wrist knuckle, I’m talking about the little bone on your wrist that sticks out like a bump — your timepiece should be able to slip just over that bone and stop.
And here’s why:
When you wear a watch too tight and your watch is unable to slip over the wrist bone, you’re constricting the movement of blood in your body. This can result in lower blood pressure, wrist marks and scratches, dizziness, and chronic pain. On the other hand, if you’re wearing your watch too loose, then your timepiece is going to move up and down your arm, which is aesthetically unpleasing and distracting.
If you’re going to wear a watch, wear it loose enough to slip over your wrist knuckle. This gives it a perfect balance of not being too tight where the watch is constricting your wrist movement, but it’s also not too loose where it’s sliding up and down your forearm.
Not only is this the most comfortable way to wear a watch, but it’s also much more fashionable! Since watches are meant to be seen and admired by others, you want to ensure that it has enough room for all of the necessary parts and the watch face to sit comfortably on your wrist.
How To Adjust A Watch Band For The Best Fit
Properly adjusting your watch band is crucial for getting your timepiece to slip over your wrist knuckle and get the best and most comfortable fit.
When people notice that their watch fits too tight or too loose, they often get discouraged and leads them to wear their timepieces less often. However, once you understand how to adjust watch bands correctly, you can see just how easy it is to get the perfect fit.
Before we get into adjusting watch bands, there are differences between a watch strap (leather strap) and a watch bracelet (precious metal strap). If you are unsure about the difference between them, click here to view my article differentiating the two.
Adjusting A Watch Strap
Adjusting a watch strap for the perfect fit is in my opinion one of the easiest and most efficient ways to wear your watch correctly. The majority of watch straps come with a belt buckle, which makes it easy to adjust to the ideal fit.
To get the watch strap to slip just over your wrist knuckle, simply adjust the belt buckle on the strap so that it slips perfectly over your wrist knuckle: it’s as simple as that.
With my Panerai Luminor Chronograph (pictured above), all I have to do to adjust the fit of the leather strap is by using adjusting its belt buckle so that it slips perfectly over my wrist knuckle.
Adjusting A Watch Bracelet
Adjusting a watch bracelet to get your watch to fit perfectly is significantly harder than a watch strap. Unlike watch straps, watch bracelets don’t come with a belt buckle that easily adjusts the fit of the band, but rather they have precious metal links.
Most wristwatches with a bracelet come with extra metal links. This is because if the band is too tight on you, then you can add the extra metal links to make a more comfortable fit.
To adjust a watch bracelet to the best and most comfortable fit, simply take the watch bracelet off of the timepiece, add extra links to the bracelet, and re-attach the bracelet back onto the wristwatch: it’s a pretty straight-forward process!
When I first got this Breitling Wings watch (pictured above), it was initially too tight on me, but luckily it came with extra links for the bracelet. Since the watch band was too tight, I simply added the extra links to the bracelet, and the timepiece was able to slip just over my wrist knuckle.
If you don’t have any extra metal links for your specific watch, there are tons of online stores and third-party sellers that sell the extra links for your exact timepiece.
Conclusion:
When wearing a wristwatch, it should be loose enough to slip over your knuckle, which is comfortable and fashionable. Wearing a watch should be effortless: it should not be too tight where it causes you any pain or constricts your wrist movement, but it also should not be too loose where the watch will slide up and down your arm.
Adjusting the watch band is the best way to have your watch slip perfectly over your wrist knuckle, but there are differences when adjusting a watch strap and a watch bracelet.
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