WATCH TALK FORUMS banner

Watch Parallax Phenomenon

1800 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  JohnR
Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this phenomenon which JBH and I refer to as the "Watch Parallax Phenomenon." As WPP goes, a watch looks smaller on your wrist as viewed from, well, from your head, as compared to seeing your watch on someone elses wrist where it looks considerably larger. Or maybe compared to seeing a picture of you with your watch on. I'll wear my Sub and think its a nice size but not overly big, but then I'll see one on someone else and think, wow, they must have gotten the Maxicase-Sub. Same happens with pretty much all of my watches. I'm afraid to see my 44mm Panerai on someone else with a spindly wrist like mine. :scared:
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
Interesting theory. And probably accurate.
I have people who give me a heads up - or swift kick - if my watches are too big and overpower my arm.
I've had the reverse, too, particularly watch TV. A watch looks normal size - then I hear its a 48 mm giant.
Wrists come in different shapes not just sizes. Two people can have a 7" wrist and the same watch will look very different. Some are very wide but not too deep, some not as wide but thicker with the same circumference. You see more of the bracelet on the top or on the sides but they removed the same number of links.
Do these pants make my butt look big? ;)
Of course not, honey.
There's only one answer to that if you're smart.:T
Just take a look in the mirror to see how the watch looks.
That's what me pledge to keep my RDII inside!
Wrists come in different shapes not just sizes. Two people can have a 7" wrist and the same watch will look very different. Some are very wide but not too deep, some not as wide but thicker with the same circumference. You see more of the bracelet on the top or on the sides but they removed the same number of links.
Yes, but since my wrist is only 6.5", the majority of people are going to have larger wrists which you'd think would make the watch look smaller, but my watches look larger on everyone else.
The reason why this becomes such a critical issue is in answering the question, "how big is too big?"

I've sort of resolved that 40-42 is the sweet spot for me. Anything larger than that just looks too darn big on me. My wife has worked with me over the past couple of years to arrive at this conclusion. :lol: In fact, I now accept that a 36mm Datejust looks quite good on me.

But I do have to admit that a 40mm watch looks none too big on me until I see it in a photo...then it looks ginormous. :lol:
I've never given much thought to how the size of the watch looks relative to my wrist, I guess mainly because I'm pretty big and can accommodate a big watch and I've never seen a man's watch that looked too small on my wrist, although there may be some.

I have a dead Wenger in my drawer that is so big the crown created a huge callous on the back of my left hand. When a woman brought it to my attention, I became so self-conscious about it that I started picking at it and it just got bigger and bigger. It took me forever to get rid of that callous.

I never want that to happen again, so if, when I bend my wrist back, the crown contacts the back of my hand without giving way, it's too big.

That's my rule of thumb, er, hand.
Of course not, honey.
There's only one answer to that if you're smart.:T
no, but your butt makes those pants look HUGE!!!!!:D
I asked Mrs. Boscoe about this issue tonight.
She rolled her eyes (the Here We Go Again Another Stupid Watch Discussion Eye Roll, which is not to be confused with the You Are Such a Geek eye roll or the Do You Really Think I Want to Sleep With You After Six Shots of Tequilla Eye Roll) and said:

You're nuts.

Guess that sums this up nicely.
I asked Mrs. Boscoe about this issue tonight.
She rolled her eyes (the Here We Go Again Another Stupid Watch Discussion Eye Roll, which is not to be confused with the You Are Such a Geek eye roll or the Do You Really Think I Want to Sleep With You After Six Shots of Tequilla Eye Roll) and said:

You're nuts.

Guess that sums this up nicely.

I guess then this would apply to the rest of us as well then huh... :huh:
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top