If you’re shopping for a new watch online, there are a few things you should look for to ensure you’re getting something that’s not just gorgeous, but also fits your wrist perfectly. It’s important to make sure the case is the right size for your wrist, but there’s something even more important than that – the correct width and length of the watchband.

If you get a watch with a band that’s too long for you and you’ll wind up wearing it around your elbow. But if you get one that’s too short, it’s even worse since you can’t possibly make it longer.

So, how do you determine what width and length of a watch band are perfect for you? Read on to find out!

Length Vs. Width Of Watch Bands

What’s more important – the width or length or a watch band?

I would say the length, definitely. The width of a watch bracelet depends on the size of the case. It’s designed to fit the case well and you’ll always see wider bands on bigger cases and smaller bands on smaller cases.

But the length differs from watch to watch, and most manufacturers will offer the same exact watch with several lengths of the band. That’s because all of us have wrists of different sizes and what might be the perfect fit for me could be way too small for you.

When shopping for a brand new watch online, it’s crucial that you make sure you’re getting a good bracelet length. Always go for the perfect fit if it’s available, just make sure that you’ve measured your wrist correctly and that you know what’s the right band length for you.

If you can’t find a length that’s perfect for your wrist, always go for the longer option. You can easily adjust the length of virtually any watch band out there, and it’s better to get something big and adjust it than to get something that’s too small and you can’t even get it around your wrist.

Also, if you really like a particular watch case but you hate the bracelet, keep in mind that you can always replace those. It’s really not hard to take off the bracelet on your own, and you can get someone to do it at any watch store. Just make sure to have a bracelet that you already like and that fits well before you take the watch into a store.

How To Measure Your Wrist?

The quickest and easiest way to measure your wrist is to take sewing tape and just wrap it around your wrist. This is the fastest way to determine the length of the band that’s perfect for you. One important thing to note here is that you should measure either above or the knuckle, depending on how you prefer to wear the watch.

No sewing tape at home? That’s fine, there are ways around that. You can take a piece of Sellotape/scotch-tape and just wrap that around your wrist. When you’ve cut out the perfect fit, take it off and measure it with a ruler or basic measuring tape. And if you don’t have scotch tape at home, just take a piece of paper and cut it out to a length that comfortably wraps around your wrist.

I would also advise that you don’t wrap anything too tightly around your wrist. Leave a bit of wiggle room, so that the watch doesn’t feel too tight on your wrist. And if you’re looking at a watch that doesn’t have the perfect band length for you, always go with the longer option. It’s better for it to be a bit loose, than to wear a watch that just cuts of the blood flow to your hand.

Importance Of Case Size

Watch cases come in many different shapes and sizes. Cases of women’s watches tend to be smaller since women generally have smaller wrists, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the bands are narrower or shorter. That’s because the width of a watch band is not determined just by the size of the case, but rather the width of lugs.

Lugs are those two tiny ‘horns’ that stick our on either side of the watch case and which secure the band to it. Their inner width is what determines how wide the band is, so if you can’t find info on the exact width of a watch bracelet, try to find info on the lug-to-lug width instead. However, keep in mind that a lot of manufacturers list the outer width.

Obviously, larger cases have wider bands while smaller cases tend to feature narrower bands. But the length usually stays the same. The standard length for women’s watch straps are 165-180mm, where for men’s watches it’s 184-197mm.

The average width of a watch band depends on exactly how big the case is. With smaller, 36mm cases the band is usually around 18mm, but it’s as wide as 22mm on larger 44mm cases.

Also, you should always pay attention to the size of the watch case, and not necessarily because of the bandwidth. Just measure the width of the case against your wrist so you can have a general idea of how it will fit and look on your arm. 50mm+ cases are definitely not for everyone, and certainly not for people with dainty wrists.

Importance Of Materials And Clasps

It’s certainly convenient to know the circumference of your wrist, but it’s not always necessary when shopping for watches. Especially for watches with silicone, leather, or nylon bands that have buckle closure. These bands usually feature multiple holes, so you secure the buckle to different positions. This means that a single band is designed to fit a wide variety of wrist circumferences equally well.

But if we’re talking about stainless steel bracelets or push-button deployment clasps, then it’s essential to know exactly which length is best for you. Quality watch manufacturers always offer multiple band lengths, allowing you to really get as close as possible to the perfect fit.

If there are no options for bracelet length, you will need to get the watch adjusted. You can take it to a watch repair store or you can do it yourself – it’s actually really easy to do if you have a steady hand, and all you need is a watch band tool kit. You can get one for approximately $10-20, and learning this useful skill can save you a lot of money on future adjustments.

It’s important to note that it won’t always be possible for you to manually adjust the bracelet length. Some brands don’t make it easy to do this on your own, and if you pick up a very specific watch you will need to get it resized at an authorized store.

How you spend your money is entirely your business, but it’s always great to support brands that are attempting to make a difference. That’s why it’s smart to know exactly who and what you are supporting with your hard-earned money, even when you’re shopping for something as simple as a wrist watch. 

In this post we’ll talk about watch brands that are eco-friendly and sustainable. Some of them pull plastic directly from the ocean for every watch they sell and others plant trees for every package they ship. And we’ll cover other things like using recycled materials, monitoring the supply chain and treatment of factory workers. 

Read on to see the top eco-friendly and sustainable watch brands that are trying to make a difference and minimize their impact on the environment!

Sustainable Practices To Look For

I’m not going to list all the eco-friendly brands below, so how can you recognize the others?

It’s pretty simple really – just look for sustainable practices. The most important thing to look for is what material a brand uses for their watches. Luxury watch brands – which are far from sustainable – use only the best materials like luxurious leather and sapphire crystal glass, and they’re miles away from being eco-friendly.

You should look for vegan watches that don’t feature genuine leather but faux leather instead. Also, if a brand is using plastic in their watches (nylon bands or acrylic on the dial), check if they are using recycled plastic. It’s also possible to recycle stainless steel, and if a brand uses recycled stainless steel or other metals in their watch cases, that’s a huge plus.

Some brands even make watches from wood, which is definitely something you should be considering if you’re on the prowl for an eco-friendly watch. Not only are these completely sustainable, but they’re also really unique and perfect for people who want to stand out.

Another thing to consider is whether a brand is doing anything to minimize their carbon footprint. Watch manufacturers are caught up with the rest of the fashion industry and most of them are trying to do their part to minimize their impact on the environment. Even Rolex have upgraded their facilities near Geneva to include rooftop gardens with rainwater collectors, in an attempt to minimize their impact on the environment. This is really easy to check, and if a brand is doing something they are proud of, you can usually find it in their ‘about us’ page.

Something else you should consider is the labor practices of a brand. If their factories are overseas, they need to be SA8000 certified, otherwise it’s a big red flag. It’s one thing to manufacture where labor costs are lower, it’s a completely different to thing to exploit children and disregard the Geneva convention.

Last but not least, don’t forget to check out the packaging. It should include just the essentials, and best case scenario, everything that you get in the box should be recyclable – apart from the watch, obviously.

Mondaine

MondaineSingle Hand Watches (Unique Timepieces) is one of the most famous Swiss manufacturers out there. They actually have the license to use the design of the Swiss Railway Clock for their dial, which is what makes them stand out among other great manufacturers from Switzerland.

But what’s even more important is that Mondaine is really doing everything in their power to make their watches eco-friendly. They have launched an entire collection of sustainable watches, which are predominantly made from natural and recycled materials. The Essence collection features the latest watch technology with 70% of the parts that are built from reusable materials.

They’ve also expanded this collection since the initial launch to include watches with easily replaceable straps. And of course, they offer vegan and eco-friendly straps that are made from things like recycled PET bottles and cork lining.

Citizen

Citizen is another big name in the watch industry that is doing its part to increase the brand’s sustainability. They launched the Eco-Drive collection more than four decades ago, when the oil crisis made it clear that there is a growing need for more sustainable materials and clean energy sources.

They launched their first light-powered watch back in 1976, which is certainly impressive. Nowadays, their Eco-Drive collection has more watches than you can count, including everything from diving watches to elegant dress watches. They’re all solar powered and require no batteries, so as long as they see the light of the day, they will keep ticking.

Citizen also uses vegan leather in some of their watches, but not all. Their luxury watches still include genuine leather and all the premium materials, but that’s what people expect for the money. You can get an eco-friendly vegan watch from this brand if you want, and I think that it’s important you know that. Especially since they had such a big impact on the industry more than 40 years ago.

Nordgreen

Nordgreen was always going to be a sustainable brand since they went ahead and put ‘green’ in the brand’s name. Sustainability has been one of their top priorities and they’re proud to tell you about all their eco-friendly accomplishments so far.

The brand is carbon neutral, which isn’t something a lot of brands can say about themselves. They’ve planted thousands of trees to offset the emissions of their Copenhagen offices, and they continue to do so in order to offset the impact of every single package they ship. And by the way, all of their packaging is minimal, recyclable and made from recycled materials.

There’s a couple other things you need to know about this brand. They sell refurbished watches, which means that very few of their watches actually get thrown out. Also, this brand is all about giving back to the community, and when you buy a watch from them, a percentage of the proceeds goes to one of their three favorite causes – providing education or clean water to children in need or protecting the rainforests.

You can read more about the various NGO’s they’ve partnered with throughout the years and all the ways in which they are giving back to the community on their site. But if you want to be a part of their story, all you have to do is get yourself a stylish Nordgreen watch.

TRIWA

TRIWA is another brand that let us know from the start that they were going to do things differently. Their name stands for ‘Transforming the Industry of Watches’, which is a pretty big statement. So, can their actions back up that claim?

Yes! This brand has an entire collection of watches that are made from plastic pulled out of the oceans. To be more precise, the strap and case are made from recycled ocean plastic, and the other materials are more standard for watches. The case back is stainless steel and the glass used to protect the dial is tough and durable mineral crystal.

TRIWA also has a collection of watches that is made from humanium metal. That is metal gotten from the destruction of illegal firearms, so this particular collection of watches might be more important than the previous one. Also, 15% of profits from every Humaniun metal watch sold goes to IM Sweden, which is an organization working to achieve a world free from exclusion and poverty.

Woodwatch

Woodwatch is exactly what it sounds like – a company that manufactures wooden watches. Different types of wood are used for creating the cases and bracelets of their watches, so every single wristwatch from Woodwatch is unique in its own way.

The brand also plants three trees for every watch they sell, which allows them to compensate for their wood consumption and minimize their carbon footprint. They do the same for every package they send out, which puts them at the top of the list of eco-friendly brands.

There’s a lot of variety within their offer, including everything from simple dress watches to chronographs and automatic watches. But keep in mind that they don’t do diving watches since wood isn’t the right material for that.  

TIVC

TIVC is another brand that was founded with the intent to make a difference. Their name stands for Time IV (for) Change, and their mission has been to create gorgeous vegan watches from the start.

All of their leather bands are vegan and cruelty-free, meaning that no animals were harmed in the process of making TIVC watches. The leather they use is made from recycled materials, and it feels just as good as genuine leather. Maybe even better since you know it’s 100% cruelty-free and better for the environment.

Also, the brands use recycled aluminum and stainless steel for their watches, so more than 50% of every single watch they make is made from recycled and sustainable materials. To top it all off, their Hong Kong factory is SA8000 certified, so you can be entirely certain that when you buy a TIVC watch you are supporting a company that is truly doing its best to create positive change.

Solios

One way of increasing the sustainability of a brand is eliminating the need for batteries entirely. That’s exactly what Solios does, by manufacturing only solar-powered watches. And that is just scratching the surface of their sustainable effort.

Solios also uses cruelty-free Eco Leather bands that are free of PVC, PU as well as toxic waste. But not all of their watches come with sustainable vegan leather bands – some feature mesh stainless steel bracelets, which stand out with the colorization process. While most other brands opt to color the metal in the cheapest way possible, Solios instead uses ionic colorization. It’s a lot more expensive but creates zero chemical waste.

If you decide to get a Solios watch, expect it to arrive in 100% recycled and recyclable cardboard. The brand is dedicated to minimizing waste and environmental impact in every way possible and they manage to do that with the most wasteful part of any watch – its box.

Baume

Luxury brands often get a pass when it comes to eco-friendly practices, but I’m happy to say that times are changing. Baume & Mercier is one of the luxury brands that is trying their best to make their practices more sustainable, starting with ethical business practices and minimal carbon emissions.

They still use some luxury materials, but they guarantee that everything is ethically sourced. Baume won’t sell you a watch with leather from an exotic animal, but they will sell you a watch with a band made from trout skin. They still use diamonds in some of their watches, but they originate only from countries that apply the Kimberly Process. This means that none of those are ‘blood diamonds’, and you can be certain that they are completely ethical.

On top of that, Baume has a limited edition collection of watches that are made from recycled plastic from oceans. You get an RPET bracelet lined with cork as well as a case that is 80% recycled plastic and 20% glass fibers that increase its durability.

Baume might not be as sustainable as brands that are fully committed to Vegan watches and natural materials, but they do so much more than other luxury brands that they definitely deserved to be mentioned. And if you’re in the market for a luxury watch, you might as well give your money to the company that’s at least doing something to make a difference.

SOLGAARD

SOLGAARD is one of my favorite brands on this list for two reasons. One is that their watches are exactly my style and the other is that they pull 5lbs of plastic from the ocean for every single item they sell. Let me say that again – for every item you buy from this brand, 5lbs of plastic get removed from the ocean and then upcycled and reused.

How exactly do they manage that? Well through their partnership with the Plastic Bank. This also creates jobs for locals in the Philippines, so it’s not just helping the environment but also the society.  

And it gets better. This brand isn’t just about watches – in fact, I feel like they’re more on an afterthought for them. They sell luggage, backpacks, solar banks (solar-powered speakers and power banks) and wristwatches. And they sell a bag that is entirely made from recycled ocean plastic, which is just another reason why they deserve to be on this list even though they’re not that big in the watch world.

But let me tell you one thing about their watches – even though they sport a minimal design, their unique hexagon shape makes it surprisingly easy to tell time. That’s their thing and I love it! If you’re looking for a unique watch, you might as well buy one that’s easier to read and that has a direct impact on the amount of plastic in the oceans.