The Best Large Watches

There was a time when larger watches were just about everywhere but the last decade or two have seen a big swing towards smaller case sizes. In fact, we would go so far as to say that a majority of watch enthusiasts I know claim to top out at 42mm. Of course, everyone should wear watches that look appropriate on their wrists, but have we gone too far in being reflexively conservative about case size? Well, we took this opportunity to ask our editorial team to pick their favorites and the results actually paint a fairly good outlook for those of you with big wrists and/or big personalities. Let’s take look at our editors’ picks for favorite large watch over 44mm.

[toc-section heading="Rolex Deepsea"]

The Rolex Deepsea Ref. 136668LB in solid 18k yellow gold is a big watch in size, heft, and vibes. Measuring 44mm wide and 17.7mm thick and weighing in at 322g (about 70% of a pound), this solid gold Rolex isn’t just flashy but has 3,900 m of water resistance. Rolex was thoughtful about this Deepsea as they adapted the Ringlock compression ring in blue Cerachrom to match the bezel, a touch that goes a very long way in creating that very cool solid blue face against the yellow gold case. Another worthy touch here is the RLX Titanium case back which evoked 2024’s “Harmony of Contrasts” theme pretty perfectly with yellow gold, titanium, and ceramic coming together to create one big, beautiful watch with a $59,700 price tag to match. – Bilal Khan

[quote-media quote=" Another worthy touch here is the RLX Titanium case back which evoked 2024’s “Harmony of Contrasts” theme" image="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/9723/3501/files/Rolex-Deepsea.jpg?v=1763235974" caption="" media="left"]

[toc-section heading="IWC Big Pilot"]

We all know IWC for its Pilot’s Watch collection, and today that collection is diverse enough to account for all wrist sizes and for modern tastes. But tastes have changed over the years, although the history of military aviator’s watches have mostly been descendants of a decidedly large watch format. In 2002, IWC paid homage to the large pilot’s watch — one that would often be strapped to an aviator’s leg — with the introduction of the Big Pilot. Today we consider that watch an icon of the brand’s lineup and a star of the early aughts that also saw other large timepieces come to prominence and popularity (cue Panerai and the Royal Oak Offshore to name just two).

The BP became a companion piece of John Mayer and his love for the watch catapulted it into pop culture infamy. Today, the large format has somewhat cooled and the Big Pilot’s popularity has waned. It’s bolstered by a newer smaller Big Pilot of 43mm (which pales in comparison to its 46.2mm older sibling), and supported by the Mark series, both of which play in a similar aesthetic sandbox. While my wrist can’t support the over-46mm size, it still stands as one of the most iconic large watches in my mind. – Danny Milton

[toc-section heading="Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon"]

Confession time: I am a recent convert to big watches. I have a small wrist, so, naturally my tastes have drifted toward the shores of Small Watch Island. It just so happens that during recent years that this was a popular vacation destination for the watch industry following trends. I’m like Bane from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, but for small watches instead of darkness and other metaphors: “I was born in it.” …You get the idea, I digress. TLDR: Big watches haven’t really been my thing.

Now I have come around to the idea and learned how to make larger watches work for my tastes. And when it comes to watches with larger diameters, the real kicker is the height. So when it came to picking my “favorite,” I wanted to select something that had a reasonable height to counter the large diameter, which led me to the newest Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. This guy is 44.25mm across yet “only” 13mm tall. I’ve always liked the look of the DSoTM models, but the tragic flaw, for me, was the thickness. Here, with the unique “dark” iteration of the Cal. 9908, the Ceramic version of everyone’s sweetheart chronograph cuts a full 2mm of thickness bringing it into a much more wearable range.

[quote-media quote="When it comes to watches with larger diameters, the real kicker is the height." author="Jonathan McWhorter" image="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/9723/3501/files/Omega-Speedmaster-Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon-1.jpg?v=1763230405" caption="" media="right"]

The Speedmaster Moonwatch is a classic, there’s no denying that and no need to waste words when so much has been said already. Yet, the DSoTM range is a well-executed modern take on the classic formula where Omega can truly flex their watchmaking skills and continue to iterate on their historic catalog into the future. Further, this version is the best execution of the Full Black color scheme, leaving the bezel tachymeter rendered in Liquidmetal with the chronograph hand and Speedmaster signature in red. A unique take on the classic Speedmaster Moonwatch that equally stands apart but not too loudly. –Jonathan McWhorter

[toc-section heading="Seiko Prospex 1970 Heritage Diver’s Black SLA061"]

I’m not typically one to rock a plus-sized watch. I know my limitations, and if anything, my tastes have skewed smaller in recent years. My usual sweet spot rests in the 37mm to 40mm range, and I’m delighted at the way my vintage collection is looking these days, with some of my more elegant Swiss dress watches checking in with diameters as small as 33mm. And you know what? They look great, and not a bit underbaked. Despite this, I do have a place in my heart for a few select watches that err on the side of brutish. These include some choice G-Shocks, of course, and my beloved Citizen Promaster Dive, an unkillable denizen of the deep that measures a hearty 44mm across. But if you’re on the fence about wearing a bigger watch, I beg you to give a Seiko Turtle or Willard dive watch a spin. My first ‘serious’ watch was a pre-abused 6309-7049 “Turtle” from 1979, a watch I consider near-perfect in terms of wear. The cushioned case shape and compact lug-to-lug means this thing looks amazing on almost anyone. Seiko offers a plethora of modern Turtles that, despite a slightly upsized case, still offer a great wear experience, despite their 45mm diameter. I recommend you try one on: I did, and I bought it. 

Since my Seiko love is very real, it was a no-brainer to pick one for my aspirational Big Watch: the modern 44mm Prospex Willard, but a very specific variant. That would be the SLA061, also known as the Prospex 1970 Heritage Diver’s Black Series, limited to 1,000 watches. This baby wears as well as any of Seiko’s cushion-cased dive watches, but gets an added bit of oomph from its deadly serious countenance. I think I’m having a bit of a black watch moment, because my most-clicked images these days seem to be of vintage Heuer Monzas and Monacos in stealthy black, with those arresting details of fluorescent orange or red. Shoutout to the vintage Enicar Sherpa Ops and Porsche Design Chronograph 1 for providing the same black-hearted feels. Thankfully, the modern Willard LE has a much more resilient black finish, due to Seiko’s hard coating on the case and bracelet. The dial is downright seductive, too, with a wavy black finish that frankly, wouldn’t look out of place on a Grand Seiko, and there’s just the right amount of sizzle from the orange of the stoplight second hand and depth rating. The movement caliber gets an upgrade, too, with the 8L35 running at 4 Hertz with a reserve of 50 hours, each one hand-assembled at Seiko’s Shizikuishi Studio. At $3,300, it’s a pricey bit of kit, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and these days, my heart is black. –D.C. Hannay

[toc-section heading="Jacob Five Time Zone"]

Admittedly, big watches aren’t really my thing. Nine times out of ten, my personal tastes have me gravitating towards the teeniest watch in any given room. But there is one larger-than-life watch I make an exception for – the Five Time Zone by Jacob & Co. It’s so audaciously over the top, I can’t help but love it. An icon of hip-hop and pop culture, it’s one of the defining watches of the early 2000s. Debuting in both 40mm and 47mm sizing, this watch spoke to the globe-trotting opulence that was seeping into the music, and the larger cultural consciousness of the time, boldly putting five independent time zones on one colorful, often iced-out dial.

[quote-media quote="An icon of hip-hop and pop culture, it’s one of the defining watches of the early 2000s. " image="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/9723/3501/files/Jacob-co-five-time-zone-50-cent.jpg?v=1763232019" caption="" media="left"]It’s been seen on the wrists of the shiniest stars of the era, from Jay-Z to Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bündchen, and Paris Hilton, to 50 Cent, Pharrell, and even Bono. The list is endless. As an unabashedly huge fan of the 2003 reality TV series “The Simple Life,” I think my favorite take on the Five Time Zones is the iced-out, pastel-hued model (paired with a baby pink leather strap, no less) famously seen on Paris Hilton.  – Erin Wilborn

[toc-section heading="Panerai Submersible"]

Panerai, as one of the watchmakers that kickstarted the late-’90s/early-aughts trend toward large watches in the first place (thank you, Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger) is, to me, the essential brand to include on this list. And, as the only Panerai watch in the modern lineup that still adheres to the maker’s original mandate of making tough, military-style watches for underwater missions, I’ve got to go with the Submersible as my pick. 

For many years marketed as a sub-family of the more ubiquitous Luminor, the Submersible — whose design inspiration comes from the l’Egiziano model of the 1950s, developed for Egyptian navy divers  — was finally spun off as its own collection in 2019.  As the company’s only true “tool watch,” the Submersible features the patented, lever-lock crown protection device pioneered by the Luminor and has also provided a proving ground for Panerai to showcase some of the innovative high-tech materials that it has brought to the watch industry, including Carbotech, an ultra-lightweight, corrosion-resistant material constructed of carbon fibers developed by Panerai,  and BMG-Tech (“Bulk Metallic Glass”), an extra-hard, corrosion-resistant, antimagnetic composite of copper, aluminum, titanium, nickel and zirconium. 

[quote-media quote="The Submersible's design inspiration comes from the l’Egiziano of the 1950s, developed for Egyptian navy divers " image="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/9723/3501/files/Panerai-Submersible-1.jpg?v=1763232475" caption="" media="right"]

Submersibles are water-resistant to a professional-grade 300 meters and are equipped with a ratcheting, unidirectional dive-scale bezel with raised dots at the hour markers, à la the vintage Egyptian Navy model. The original Submersibles measure 47mm in diameter, a size still preferred by some (and more evocative of the titanic, 60mm L’Egiziano), and contain the self-winding Caliber P.9010. Panerai has also added smaller and more wearable versions, with the recently launched Quaranta Quattro (44mm) models occupying the midrange between the massive 47mm first-generation original and the slightly more unisex 42mm versions, outfitted with the smaller in-house P.900 movement. –Mark Bernardo