how to wear a watch

How to Wear a Watch Properly: A Guide With Everything to Know

Less than a decade ago, there were some people who wondered if “time was running out” for the wristwatch. With more and more people relying on smartphones to tell time, the thought was that wristwatches might disappear.

But that hasn’t happened. In fact, you could argue that more people are using wristwatches to make fashion statements than ever before. Some are even wearing wristwatches that don’t work in the name of style.

Are you interested in incorporating a wristwatch into your wardrobe? It’s important to learn how to wear a watch properly before you do it. You can hurt the look at a beautiful watch by not wearing it in the right way.

If you’ve never worn a wristwatch before, we don’t blame you for not knowing how to wear one. But we do urge you to figure out how to wear a watch prior to putting one on your wrist.

Here is how you should go about doing it.

Begin by Buying the Right Watch

Before you start trying to learn how to wear a watch properly, you’ll need to purchase a watch. This can sometimes be easier said than done.

There are all kinds of different watches out there. From dress watches that you would wear to a wedding or another formal event to touchscreen watches that you can sync up with your phone, there is no shortage of watch options.

Your goal should be to look around and find the watch that suits your needs best. You don’t want to buy a super formal watch if you’re looking for a watch that you can wear pretty much every day.

Ask yourself a series of questions prior to purchasing a watch and learning how to wear it. These questions should include things like:

  • “Where am I going to wear my watch?”
  • “What am I going to use my watch for?”
  • “How do I want my watch to tell time?”
  • “How much can I afford to spend on a watch?”
  • “Is a watch going to be something I wear every day or only once in a while?”

This site features a lot of different watches and will serve as a great place to start when you’re shopping around for them. Take your time and track down a watch that you love so that you feel invested in it enough to want to wear it the right way.

Make Sure Your Watch Fits

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to wearing watches is wearing watches that are either too loose or too tight. No matter how amazing your watch might be, it’s not going to look its best if it doesn’t fit right on your wrist!

When you buy a watch, try it on for size and see how it fits. It should be loose enough to slide around on your wrist just a little bit but not so loose that it’s sliding up and down your arm every time you move.

If your watch is too loose, it’s not going to be comfortable to wear it around. It’s going to move around on you all day long and annoy the heck out of you.

It might also put you into harm’s way. When you’re wearing a loose watch, it can get snagged on any number of things and hurt your wrist or break your watch. It can cause skin irritation as well if you’re not careful.

Wearing a watch that’s too tight isn’t going to be comfortable, either. It can cut off circulation to your hand in some cases and leave imprints on your skin when you remove it.

There are some watches with straps that are simple enough to adjust to make them tighter or looser, depending on your needs. But there are also some that will need to have links taken out or put in to make them fit.

Whatever you do, don’t walk around with a watch on that doesn’t fit. It’ll hurt your wrist and hurt your appearance in the process.

Put Your Watch on the Correct Wrist

You’re free to place your watch onto whichever wrist that you want. If you feel more comfortable with it on your right wrist as opposed to your left one, you can wear it on your right wrist.

But generally speaking, most people wear their watch on the wrist opposite their dominant hand. That means that right-handed people usually wear watches on their left wrist, and left-handed people usually wear watches on their right wrist.

It’s a good idea to do this because it’ll allow you to use your dominant hand to write without your watch getting into the way.

One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that many watchmakers create their watches for those who are right-handed and wear their watch on their left wrist since only about 10% of people are left-handed. Anyone who plans on wearing a watch on their right hand should check to see how comfortable it’ll be before committing to buying it.

Position Your Watch in the Right Place

If you’ve never owned a watch before and don’t know how to wear one, you might not have the slightest clue where exactly a watch should go on your arm.

There are some people who try to wear their watch too high on their arm and pay the price for it. There are others who allow their watch to fall down onto their hand and experience pain because of it.

You don’t want your watch to fall too high or too low on your arm. It should sit right on the tip of your ulna, which is the small bone that juts out from your wrist.

That bone can hold your watch in place and stop it from sliding too far up or down your arm. It can also help you avoid the discomfort that can sometimes come along with wearing your watch in the wrong place.

Consider How Your Cuffs Will Affect Your Watch

Are you planning on wearing your watch with shirts that have cuffs on them?

This can be a lot more challenging than you might think. But you can get through it by following a few simple rules.

For starters, don’t ever attempt to put your watch on top of the cuffs on your shirts. It’ll look terrible and will bring the wrong kind of attention to your watch.

Instead, wear your watch so that your cuffs cover it up in some instances and show it off in others. Your cuffs should fall over your watch when you have your arms by your sides. But they should pull back and uncover your watch when you bend your arms a little.

This allows your watch and your cuffs to work in conjunction with one another. They’ll jostle for position with each other throughout the day or night and make you look more stylish than you might appear otherwise.

Make Sure Your Watch Works Well With Your Clothing

The watch that you wear on your wrist is considered an accessory. It’s supposed to accessorize your main outfit and complement it nicely.

With this in mind, you should always make sure that your watch is going to work well with your clothing before you put it on. You don’t want to throw on, say, a sporty digital watch if you’re going to wear it with a suit and tie for a business meeting.

At the same time, you don’t want to wear a very formal watch that you would wear to a wedding or funeral to the gym. The style of your clothing should match the style of your watch and allow your watch to serve as the perfect accessory.

Keep Your Watch Clean at All Times

If you’re wearing your watch around on a daily basis, it’s going to get dirty over time. It’s your job to learn how to clean your watch so that it always shines when you put it on.

It’s amazing what you can do to the appearance of even the fanciest watch by using little more than hand soap and a toothbrush. You can make a watch sparkle and prevent dirt from irritating your skin when you make an effort to clean it.

Now That You Know How to Wear a Watch Properly, Start Doing It!

You might not need to wear a watch to tell time anymore. But it’s still a great idea to have a watch on hand to top off any outfit.

It’s also a great idea to learn how to wear a watch properly so that you’re not walking around with a watch on that’s dragging down your appearance. By wearing the right watch in the right way, you can give off the right impression to people and show them how stylish you are.

Need some help picking out a great watch? Check out our blog to find reviews on all of the latest and greatest watches.