Before you choose a strap length, you need one number: the circumference of your wrist where you wear your watch. It takes a minute, and you need nothing special to find it. This guide shows two ways to measure, how to turn the figure into a strap size, and when the table alone is not enough.
Where to measure
Measure where the watch actually sits: just above the small bone on the outside of your wrist, on the side of the arm. Not on the bone itself, and not higher up the forearm. Use the wrist you wear your watch on.
With a tape measure
- Use a soft tape measure, the kind used for sewing.
- Wrap it once around your wrist where the watch sits, close against the skin but not tight.
- Read the figure where the tape meets its start, to the nearest half centimetre.
With a strip of paper
No tape measure at home? A strip of paper and a ruler work just as well.
- Cut a strip of paper about 1 cm wide and 25 cm long.
- Wrap it around your wrist where the watch sits, close but not tight.
- Mark the point where the end overlaps the strip with a pen.
- Lay the strip flat along a ruler and read the distance from the end to the mark.
Avoid string or thread: it stretches or cuts into the skin and gives a figure that is too small. Paper keeps its length.
From wrist to strap size
For watches with ordinary lugs and a pin buckle, this is how your wrist circumference translates into a strap size:
| Size | Long side | Short side | Wrist circumference |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 100 mm | 60 mm | up to 15 cm |
| S | 110 mm | 70 mm | 15–16.5 cm |
| M | 115 mm | 75 mm | 16.5–18 cm |
| L | 120 mm | 80 mm | 18–19.5 cm |
| XL | 125 mm | 85 mm | 19.5–21 cm |
| XXL | 130 mm | 90 mm | 21 cm and above |
The first number is the long side with the holes, the second the short side with the buckle. If you are between two sizes, choose the larger one. The guide to watch strap length explains the numbers in more detail.
Why the watch matters too
The table assumes an average watch. The case sits between the two sides of the strap, so a long case, or one with long lugs, takes up more of your wrist and needs a little less strap. A small watch needs a little more. The shape of the wrist plays a part as well: a flat, wide wrist and a round one with the same circumference do not wear a strap in quite the same way.
If your watch is unusually large or small, send me your wrist circumference and the model, and I will suggest a length.
The best check: a strap you already wear
If you own a strap that fits you well, its length tells me even more than your wrist measurement. Measure the long side from the end at the case to the tip, and the short side from the end at the case to the fold around the buckle. Then look at the hole you use.
- On a middle hole: order the same length.
- On the hole nearest the tip: the strap is long for you; choose one size shorter.
- On the hole nearest the case: the strap is short for you; choose one size longer.
Folding and butterfly clasps
The table is for pin buckles. A folding clasp adds some length of its own, and a butterfly clasp uses a strap with two equal sides, such as 120/120. For these, please send me your wrist circumference with your order, or write to me first, and I will set the length for your clasp.
Quick reference
| Where do I measure? | Where the watch sits, just above the bone on the outside of the wrist. |
| With what? | A soft tape measure, or a strip of paper and a ruler. |
| How tight? | Close against the skin, not tight. |
| Which size for a 17 cm wrist? | M (115/75) as a general guide. |
| Between two sizes? | Choose the larger one. |
| Folding or butterfly clasp? | Send me your wrist circumference. |
