Why are modern watches so thick?

[Jumpingjackflash]

Surely with modern tooling and manufacturing techniques modern watch could be made thinner?

Even heritage models from different manufacturers are so much thicker than the originals. The Tudor Black Bay is almost a perfect watch for the money but again it is really thick. I just wished watch company’s made slender watches.

[bigandclever]

Fashion.

[anonymous-user]

It’s for showing power and virility. If you’re rocking a big thick watch you’re probably rich and powerful and well endowed and fertile.

Thin watches are for girls and crybabies and people that are unsuccessful.

[RichB]

It all started 10 years ago when football managers and sportsmen all started wearing mahoosive watches. Of course if it's massive and think it doesn't slide under their suit jacket of shirt sleeve which great adverting for manufacturers.

[bobbybee]

Poor state education?

[agent006]

No point spending thousands on a watch only for it to be thin enough for your shirt sleeve to cover it up all the time.

[Bobajobbob]

Before the chunky watch fashion there was a trend for super thin watches and no doubt the cycle will repeat again.
Was it Rado that made super thin ceramics that were popular for a while?

[dc2rr07]

Couple of reasons for you to consider, glass backs which have to be thicker and maybe watches now have more complications in them resulting in more layers of gears.

[RichB]

dc2rr07 said:

Couple of reasons for you to consider,<clip> maybe watches now have more complications in them resulting in more layers of gears.

nope... it's all fashion for heavily built directors...

[squareflops]

The BB is definitely on the thick side @ 14.8mm but on my 7.5" wrist it doesn't look too overpowering to my eye. I sometimes wear a little Seiko 5 and going back to the BB is marked but not excessive. I do prefer a thinner watch and may consider the BB58 in the future as it's arguably better proportioned being a few mm smaller in all measurements.

I don't feel the trend is still for hefty watches with a lot of focus on vintage so it feels a little odd that Tudor would size the BB as they did especially it being a heritage piece. hence the 58 I guess..

[toasty]

Piaget have just made a watch, albeit a not-for-sale concept, at just 2mm thick with the crystal only 0.2mm.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/piaget-altiplano...

[glazbagun]

Piaget were making watches fifty years ago that were thinner than 99% of what's on the market today. As others have said, it's a fashion thing.

It also means that watchmakers can get away with using more agricultural movements, so not many complaints from that side.

[prand]

Do Rochefoucauld do a new version of their 80's classic? That was supposed to be pretty thin

[Johnniem]

prand said:

Do Rochefoucauld do a new version of their 80's classic? That was supposed to be pretty thin

And I believe is water resistant to 3 atmospheres.

[Wills2]

Plenty of thick watches and thin ones, larger sizes and smaller sizes, it's called choice and you've got a huge selection to choose from, no idea what the issue is.

Watch fans have never had it so good.

[dimots]

If you're under 6'6" and have wrists of >7.5" what are you doing wearing an expensive watch anyway? You just look like a desperate over-compensating manlet.

[Wills2]

dimots said:

If you're under 6'6" and have wrists of >7.5" what are you doing wearing an expensive watch anyway? You just look like a desperate over-compensating manlet.

Well done you've won PH idiot post of the week and that takes some doing as the competition is strong.

[Bobajobbob]

Wills2 said:

Well done you've won PH idiot post of the week and that takes some doing as the competition is strong.

It was a top troll for sure. I simply wasn’t aware of the unwritten rule that only skinny wristed basketball players may buy a decent watch.

[bobbybee]

Its thanks to junk food, as people are getting larger so are the watches. It's so they can fit round the wrist of the average fat F**K

[ZesPak]

Wills2 said:

dimots said:

If you're under 6'6" and have wrists of >7.5" what are you doing wearing an expensive watch anyway? You just look like a desperate over-compensating manlet.

Well done you've won PH idiot post of the week and that takes some doing as the competition is strong.

I don't know, this guy still takes it imho:

zygalski said:

Whilst it's cheap as chips, can you really buy a decent timepiece for £500?
It may get plenty of wrist time, but it's hardly going to be grail.
Extra long sleeves in the boardroom.

Got to love the Watches subforum. Combine Dimwits and Idiots and you get Dimots all over the place.