There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I do personally tend to skew more traditional with dress watch sizes, and think 38 mm or there abouts is the spot (generally speaking 36-40). However, I have a 7 inch wrist. Those with larger wrists may want to be in the 40-44 range, but again, be aware of how thick the watch is.
40mm is the absolute minimum size that looks like a proper dress watch fit on my wrist. I really love Nomos watches and their style, but they have very few that are sized 40+mm. So please keep this in mind when a nicely styled dress watch appears here that's 42mm and you think it's too big; I'm super excited to have a potential watch to purchase! 😀
Sometimes even 40mm isn't enough... My 40mm Autodromo Stradale is one of my favorites in my collection, but it wears incredibly small.
Another big thing to consider is the height of the watch. Anything over 10mm needs to have a good stylistic reason. I don't need to slide my watch under a cuff, but I do want a clean minimal restrained profile.
A final out in left field idea to consider is a square dress watch. Square watches can be rather polarizing, especially with some of the tacky designs out there. A Christopher Ward slimline squared is frequently on my wrist and in my opinion is dress watch retro done right in an extra thin case. Plus its size fits like a 42mm round watch on my wrist. If you like to be a bit different, take a look at some square dress watches as you won't see them on many wrists.
Someone with a bigger-than-life personality and dress choices like Don Cherry would look a little less flamboyant in a Sinn 1736 or a Lange And Sohne Saxonia than a Hamilton intra-matic, or JLC's rendez-vous, or Omega's de ville tresor, which is 40mm.
The watch is also something that should be noticed - it adds to the completeness of the suit and the person. It should, however, not detract from the image or person. If the watch is not meant to be noticed, why would we endeavor to find a watch that 'fit' us?
If I'm actually buying a "dress" watch, I'll go for something thinner and smaller, like the 40mm Atlantic Seaport. And I'm still in the market for a dress moon phase.
I think it's a matter of personal taste and what a particular man feels that they can carry off. It's a match of event, wardrobe, personality, wrist size and taste that determine what a man decides to wear.
I wear a 38mm Tag 6000 series out, and I find that it suits a business-casual dress just fine, and could even be worn to a wedding or some other significant event, perhaps just not a black tie event. The problem is that on my wrist it looks like a quarter. I also appreciate the (light/worn) level of lume, as it does not distract and really is present at night when needing to know the time.
The Squale, and really any Submariner homage, can easily go with any dress. Even with my low-budget Orient Mako, it still suits most situations because it appears premium. And exactly! A good anecdote of this is https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/what-i-learned-from-renting-a-rolex-2016-7
I recently picked up a vintage Tissot-Massey moon phase, and it has been quite nice on nights out. https://omegaforums.net/attachments/20170121_125248-jpg.345604/
I have an 8" wrist, so a 38mm would look small on me as well. I have an Seiko Alpinist and at 39.5mm it's really as small as I want to go. Such a shame there are so many vintage watches I'd love to wear, including some of my own, that just look redicuously small on me. I have a 34mm RW Parsifal that was my dress watch for years when that size was the style. It's now in my wife's collection.
I was always wanting an alpinist, I adore the style, but I have a similar problem to you with it, it is quite small. My everyday is actually a Bulova precisionist and despite it being chunky as all hell, is about the right size (I believe 42mm) on the wrist.
Lots of vintages are unfortunately smaller and people take horrible care of them, which is just annoying. The old Omega seamasters are so beautiful but it is rare to find one that hasn't had work done replacing the dial or hands, or such deep cuts into the metal that you need a new case.
Oh, parsifals are nice, but it would be like you wearing a ladies tag with how small it is. I couldn't even fathom it on my wrist. Good on you to keep it in use though, I am sure your wife is happy with it.
I do wonder about some Piaget's, they appear far too small for a guy my size.