How to measure your wrist for a perfectly fitting watch

While the quest to find a suitable watch comes down to heritage, movement, and style, a bad fit is a cog in the wheel of the rest. Thus, everyone should know why a perfectly fitting watch is essential. Before buying a watch, you must consider a few criteria before making your buying decision, and these include:

• Measuring your wrist circumference
• Strap style and size 

How to measure your exact wrist circumference

As an online shopper, you will need all the help you can get in finding the best fit for your wrist. But a simple trick works all the time – selecting a watch whose band dangles nicely with enough grip and is snug enough not to fall off your wrist. A first-time buyer may ask, “what’s the fuss about getting the right fit?” Simply put, a rightly fitting watch serves longer than average watches.

Sometimes, regular rulers prove useful in measuring the circumference of your wrist except that the measurements may be inaccurate by a few millimeters. And if you have a plastic Vernier caliper, you will get the most accurate numbers, and in the absence of that, measuring tapes are perfect too.

You have to:

• Determine the size of the case and the band. The case includes the face of the watch while the band is the bracelet around the watch. 
• In knowing the right case, you must choose the appropriate case diameter and case thickness. Ideally, the watch case should be in proportion with your wrist size, but thinner cases are more preferred when wearing dress shirts, especially for women.
• You also want to consider the band length and width of the watchband. 
• Wristwatch products show strap lengths as X/Y mm. X represents the length of the long end, and Y is the buckle end. Use a measuring tape to determine the watch strap length in inches.

Measuring your wrist size

1. Find the largest size of your wrist by rotating your forearm until your palm opens upwards. Do not make the common mistake of rotating your wrist inward with your hand closed as this gives a size smaller than the actual wrist size.
2. Determine the mid-wrist point and place the end of the measuring tape here. It is also the same point where you buckle the watch. Not only does it ease the final reading, but it also yields accurate measurements.
3. Wrap the rest of the measuring tape across your wrist in a firm fit, leaving no space between the tape and the skin. Then, take the measurement.

If you’re buying a watch with a metal bracelet:

Watches with metal bracelets are often better fitted when loose. Considering that metal bracelets make your wrist sweat throughout the day, you would expect your wrist size to increase throughout wearing the watch. However, do not make the mistake of selecting large bracelets without snug fits – you have to find a balance between style and comfort. For a comfortable fit, you may add about half an inch to your original wrist size when buying metal watches.

If you’re buying a watch with a rubber or leather bracelet:

Leather or rubber straps are more attractive and comfortable when they fit snugly. If the strap is too loose, primarily due to sweat, the watch may turn around the wrist for most parts of the day. Therefore, you want to select a band or strap that is about three-quarters of an inch larger than your original wrist size.

Strap styles and size guide

With so much emphasis on measuring your wrist for the perfect watch, the quality of the watch you purchase also dictates its longevity. In addition to ideal fit and practical style, affordable luxury is one of the prominent attributes to look out for. Where better to get these types of watches than Filippo Loreti? Stocking luxurious timepieces for as low as $200, Filippo Loreti banks on years of hard work since becoming the brand with the biggest waitlist as mentioned on Business Insider.

Some of the strap styles you’ll find are Stainless Steel Mesh Bracelet, Stainless Steel Link Bracelet, Italian Leather Strap, and more.

To measure your wrist for watch straps, use the measuring tape as described earlier. To measure fit without a measuring tape, use a thread or string when your arm is laid flat on a surface and allow both ends of the string to come in contact. Comfort and fit are more important than personal style when choosing a watch strap. Neither too loose nor too tight, the strap is determined based on the long end/tail and short end/buckle.

Why watch straps are important

A strap is more than an accessory. Indeed, the soul of the watch lies less in the mechanics, as you’ll find in the straps. Without a strap, what you have left is a clock or miniature pocket watch. Because it makes the wristwatch what it is, it functions to hold the watch tightly on your wrist. As such, you must invest in your look because the moment you change the watch strap, the total outlook of the watch changes. Purchasing quality straps is a sure way to preserve the details of your watch.

Yes, the essence of watches is universal – telling time. But how the watch looks on your wrist is critical element too. While you may think that purchasing watches is a cakewalk, some people forget that size, style, and the price is essential factors to consider. Although the ‘size’ seems to suggest the fit of the watch on the wrist, it encompasses the width of its face or case and thickness of the bracelet. The proportions of these elements will determine how good-looking the watch appears on your wrist.