Watch won't fit inside shirt cuffs....

[bdbb]

So I finally got my first nice dress watch, and I've discovered that it won't fit under the cuffs of 90% of my dress shirts. I guess the question is...is it even supposed to go under the cuff and does it look bad if the cuff is just up against it?

 

[Golf_Nerd]

Originally Posted by bdbb

So I finally got my first nice dress watch, and I've discovered that it won't fit under the cuffs of 90% of my dress shirts. I guess the question is...is it even supposed to go under the cuff and does it look bad if the cuff is just up against it?

IMO it looks very bad if the cuff is just up against the watch.

If you are fashioned forward it is possible to wear the cuff open (very casual).

Another solution is to buy new shirts.

 

[orthofrancis]

Is the watch an automatic (self winding) chronograph? Many of the self winding watches are based on the Valjoux 7750 movement, and are quite thick.

You could move the button out a bit, but I think wearing the watch over the cuff looks awful. I also agree, that having it just push your cuff up your arm is not a good solution.

Since you just bought it, why not return it, or are you hooked on the watch already?

Pictures?

 

[longskate88]

Originally Posted by bdbb

So I finally got my first nice dress watch, and I've discovered that it won't fit under the cuffs of 90% of my dress shirts. I guess the question is...is it even supposed to go under the cuff and does it look bad if the cuff is just up against it?


Is it a DRESS watch? Most true dress watches are very thin and simple, and would fit under any cuff, unless your shirt is skin-tight. That's the point of a dress watch, to fit under cuffs. Visit Timezone.com for recs if you need any. GL

 

[bdbb]

The watch is a hamilton jazzmaster chronograph and it's thicker than I expected. I love the watch though and have no interest in returning it. The problem is that I also like my shirts...plus since I buy most of them online(and would continue to in the future), there's no way to tell if the cuffs would be the right size.

I don't understand how people can wear a watch with RTW shirts...if the cuffs are properly sized then the watch isn't going to fit. My watch is only working with shirts where the cuffs were what i considered much too large before I got it.

 

[longskate88]

Originally Posted by bdbb

The watch is a hamilton jazzmaster chronograph and it's thicker than I expected. I love the watch though and have no interest in returning it. The problem is that I also like my shirts...plus since I buy most of them online(and would continue to in the future), there's no way to tell if the cuffs would be the right size.

I don't understand how people can wear a watch with RTW shirts...if the cuffs are properly sized then the watch isn't going to fit. My watch is only working with shirts where the cuffs were what i considered much too large before I got it.

The Jazzmaster is super thick, like 16mm(?) IIRC, I almost bought one once. Some dress watches are as thin as 5 or 6mm, though they aren't chronos. Like others said, you can move the button to enlarge the cuff slightly, but you're stuck with the thick watch. The non-chrono version would be thinner, or you can get a thinner chrono, try Longines for something in a similar price range.

 

[Bunny]

could you ask a tailor to attach a 2nd (row of) button(s) to your cuff? I have some shirts with these dual buttons, and just use the outer for the watch hand and the inner button for the other.

I'm not necessarily a fan of this solution and just choose cuffs that fit my medium-sized watch, but for you it could be a neat stopgap solution?

 

[zjpj83]

If it doesn't fit under the cuff, it's not a dress watch. (Yes, I hate the oversized watch trend.)

 

[tricky]

I have a tag carrera chrono that's pretty thick. I usually wear my dress shirt sleeve buttons undone but I suppose it depends where you work and what type of look you can pull off.

Btw, the Hamilton is a very nice watch.

 

[bdbb]

Originally Posted by Bunny

could you ask a tailor to attach a 2nd (row of) button(s) to your cuff? I have some shirts with these dual buttons, and just use the outer for the watch hand and the inner button for the other.

I'm not necessarily a fan of this solution and just choose cuffs that fit my medium-sized watch, but for you it could be a neat stopgap solution?

This doesn't look like it can work because most of the buttons are very near the cuff edge to begin with, so moving them or putting new ones on them is out. But it did give me an idea...maybe I could get aome buttons attached further UP the cuff such that the bottom part that needs to slip over the watch can actually just be left unbuttoned.


To more fully explain the problem...it's not like I can just run out and get new shirts. I have a solid wardrobe of high end rtw like Turnbull, RLPL, brioni, and the like that all fits well and is in line with my personal style. But I can't afford full price or anything close, in fact each shirt I have is just a really lucky find that I got an amazing deal on, and it took a long time to accumulate them. And if I get more...well it seems like the RTW makers I like seem to also be the ones with the thinnest cuffs and it could be hard to track down shirts with thick cuffs.

From the post above, it seems like the watch is the real problem. I wasn't aware that this was unusually thick for a watch. But there's no way i'm getting rid of it because I like it too much.

 

[GuidoWongolini]

I wear THICK & BIG watches..

The secret is to get the strap or bracelet sized properly.. Wear the watch after the wrist bone or get get your cuffs sized accordingly.

Have a look at my WAYW posts - currently wearing a Panerai & that is a 44mm & about 15mm thickness

 

[borderline]

Clearly you need another watch. You probably don't wear fitted shirts constantly, and you may find that some of your shirts are slightly more generous in the cuffs than others. So just look for something with a lower profiile for the 2nd watch, and mix it up a bit.

Also, Glenn O'Brien on dress vs. sport watches:

Q: At Christmas I received a stylish watch as a gift. Right after I tried it on, my sister informed me that it was a casual watch: not to be worn with suits, etc. What exactly differentiates a suit watch from a casual watch?

A: This is perhaps one of the most ignored distinctions out there: the dress watch versus the sports watch. A dress watch is supposed to be small and discreet, whereas a sports watch is supposed to be visible at 300 meters and glow in the dark. But today most people choose their watches not on discretion or appropriate utility but just the opposite. Why wear a little gold thing easily hidden by one's shirt cuff when you can wear a diamond-studded watch bigger than an Oreo cookie, calling everyone's attention to your apparently limitless disposable income? So the question is, fundamentally, are you a gentleman or a playa or some attempted hybrid of the two? I think the sports-watch trend started with extended wear of the Rolex Submariner. Men aiming for a dashing image wore their diver's watches to the office, sending out the message "I may lease industrial washing machines Monday through Friday, but on weekends I stalk the tiger shark on the Great Barrier Reef." In their dreams, of course"”but isn't that what most sartorial imagery is about?

April 2006

 

[tricky]

Originally Posted by Phat Guido

Have a look at my WAYW posts - currently wearing a Panerai & that is a 44mm & about 15mm thickness

Damn, Panerai watches are crazy...hope to get one someday.

 

[bmulford]

Or you can go italian and wear it on the OUTSIDE of your cuff. I've never had the courage to do this myself, but Luciano Barbara seems to get away with it.

 

[soupcxan]

Simple. Just move the button 1 cm over on the cuff where you wear your watch. Much easier and cheaper than buying all new shirts and/or watches.