The choice of which wrist to wear a watch on has been much questioned, but the answer is more subjective and lies on the wearer’s personal lifestyle or individual preference. If so, what makes people to wear watches on right hand and what makes some people love to wear watches on left wrist? Keep reading. We would see the correct hand on which to wear a wristwatch.
Perhaps you have had a wrist watch before and probably, you are currently wearing a watch on one of your wrists. So what wrist do you wear a watch on and why?.
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Which wrist to wear watch on – left or right?
Again, What wrist should a watch be worn on? If you consider the majority rule, then you should wear your watch on the wrist opposite your dominant arm. So should you wear a watch on the left or right hand? The general rule of thumb is to wear your watch on your non-dominant hand. So, if you’re right-handed, wear your watch on your left. And, if you’re lefthanded, wear your watch on your right.
There is no general agreement about which wrist to wear a watch on. However, I believe there won’t have been any question on which side to wear a watch, if everyone came out from the womb with a watch on one arm. In that was the case, the wrist on the arm would have been the naturally accepted side for wearing wrist watches.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and we need to determine by ourselves on what wrist should a wrist watch be fastened neatly on right or left? If you already know which wrist to wear a watch on, share your views to our audience in the comment form at the end of this post.
While you wear a watch on left or right hand, check out this guide on how to get a perfect watch band size and length for your wrists.
And if your watch wears too big on your right or left wrist, you definitely have a small wrist. In that case, here are some wrist watches for small wrists for you.
If you look round and see that you want but the smallest smartwatch with a thin, slim and lightweight design for your tiny wrist, check out these best lightweight smartwatches we got for you.
Read More: What is the average size of a woman’s?
Why do people wear watches on their left hand?
Many people, I included wear wrist watches on the left wrist and it has become an unnoticeable reflex action to me. Before I decided to write this post, I never asked myself why I wore my watches on the left side instead of the right arm.
I guess, I unquestionable did that because I grew up seeing my father wearing his always digital watch on the left wrist and that appeared to be the norms for me.
A careful observation shows that most people, including me, wear watches on their left wrist. That seems to support my choice to have my watch go on the left hand.
But what hand does a watch go on for a man? I have heard a recommendation that a man’s wrist watch goes on his left arm while women wear on their right wrist.
This gender barrier is what I don’t agree it should hold, but I believe one needs to wear a watch on the wrist that is less active and convenient to read time when the other hand is busy. So as to what side men wear watches, my answer is that it depends whether the person is a right-hand man or a left-hand man.
Related: Proper ways How to measure your wrist size fr bracelet
So Why are watches worn on the left hand?
Let us find out if there is any logical explanation to this lifestyle but I can confidently tell you why most people wear watches on their left hands also has a historical background.
1. For wrist watch Protection
If you are a right hand dominant male, it is wise to protect your watch by wearing your watch on left wrist. If you wear watches on your dominant hand, the watch crystal may quickly get scratched or damaged.
This is common with construction workers, military soldiers in the combat field, mountain bikers and other people involved in rugged outdoor activities. For the majority of guys who are right-handed, left-hand watch wearing is a common style. Wearing a watch on a non-dominant hand makes it less exposed to damaging and breaking.
2. For Convenience
Which hand do you wear a watch on if you are a right-handed man? I think wearing watches on the right hand is insane for someone who is right-handed. It won’t be convenient to glance over to read time on the dominant wrist.
Take, for example, that you work in the office and you write with your right hand, which one is more convenient – to check time on the wrist while writing or to stop writing just to read time from the right wrist?
In the medical field, nurses find it more facilitated to handle patients or medical equipment on the right hand and check patients vitals signs or pulse rate from the left.
3. A Way to wear Right hand watches
Watch manufacturers understand that over 80 percent of the world is right-handed. So they make watches with the crown positioned on the right , which are to be worn on the left hand. These right hand watches are designed to provide the ease of setting and winding with the right hand. Such watches can only be worn on the left arm.
4. Left is the less dominant hand
People use the dominant hand more frequently when working. It is more easier to keep a check on the wrist watch worn on the left if your dominant hand is in the right arm. The advantage is convenience and less damage.
5. Manufacturers recommendation
Today, there’s variety of smart watches in the market. Some of the best smartwatches have touchscreen interface, and it may seem pretty hard to operate the watch apps with a less dominant hand. Because nearly everyone has right hand as the dominant one, they prefer to wear their smartwatch on the left wrist.
But the accuracy of the heart rate monitoring sensor in smartwatch depends on the type of wrist?
If your dominant right hand frequently moves, your smart watch with a wrist based heart rate tracker may not hold firmly onto the skin of your wrist. This ends up with poor heart rate data. Meanwhile, the HR smartwatch could stay tightly in-contact against the skin of the left wrist(less active arm) without wobbling. This can result in displaying accurate heart rhythm values.
6. Gender Divide
Do women have to wear their wrist watches on the right arm and men on the left hand? Some people agree to this divide but i don’t agree with it. There is no scientific support whether a man’s handsome looks is impacted more by wearing a watch on the left hand or not. Whether a men or women wear their fashion watches on left or right, it is just a cultural conception.
7. Easier to set the time with right hand
The vast majority of watches have their crown on the right side of the watch case. If you are wearing your watch on the left hand, the crown becomes easily accessible, making it easy to change the time.
Why wear watches on right hand?
Only a small fraction of people wearing it on the right wrist, but why is it so, when majority wear on the left?
1. Best way to wear left handed watches
Most wearable in the market are designed for the right-handed guys and it looks like the Lefties people are left out. Watch manufacturer explicitly designed left handed watches or “destro” watches with their crowns on the left, at nine o’clock. These are easier for left-handed people to wear on their right wrist and the best way to access the crown is to use the left hand.
2. Right hand is not dominant
If your right hand is less active than the left hand, probably you are a left-handed person. Since there is not set rules as to which wrist you should wear watch, the most people worldwide choose to wear watches on their non-dominant hands.
That is why lefties wear watches on their right hand. This is true even if the watch crown is not positioned on the left. I am pretty sure this is the reason why most people decide to wear their apple watches upside down.
Since the minority of people in the world are left handed, it is more convenient for them to wear their watches on the right arm. This is the best way to protect the watch crown from getting damaged, especially when diving.
3. Easier to set the time with dominant left hand
If you wear your watch on the right hand, it becomes essentially possible for dominant left-handed people to change the time with a watch on right arm.
Amazon image : Apple watch that goes for both righthanded and left-handed people
Case Study – Apple watch S3 is the best right-hand and left-hand smartwatch
Apple watch S3 has a rotating display, which is versatile for both right-handed and left-handed people. Apple watch fits both lefties and the righties – you can set it to read from the right side or from the left side. But there are plenty of question about the apple watch for people who are left handed.
Left-handed people wear watches on their right wrists, but the apple watch buttons are on the wrong side when you see the watch on the right wrist. The apple watch button is designed for right-handed people and it is proper to wear on its left arm. However, left-handed guys must change the settings before they use it.
Does Apple have Apple watches for left-handed people?
YES & NO.
NO – apple does not make watches specifically for left-handed people.
YES – their smart technology makes it easier to change orientation to suit left-handed people with few settings. Actually, apple watch allows users to change orientation to suit the non-dominant hand or the wrist the user intents to wear the watch on.
Should you wear an Apple watch on left or right hand?
You can wear your apple watch on either wrist or any of the hands (left or right) as you desire. All you need to do first, is change the watch face orientation so that it fits the arm you intend to wear the watch on. Don’t worry as Apple watches come with digital crown button that is positioned on the right which suits people with dominant right.
How to configure the Apple Watch for left-handed use
Apple Watch can be used by left handed people. If you want to set up your newly purchased apple smart watch its good news as Apple’s made it easy to set up your the watch for left-handed usage. Apple will ask when you are setting up, which wrist you intend to wear the watch on. Left-handed people will normally choose the right hand and the orientation is automatically set up for the right wrist.
If you have had the watch already set for wearing on the left arm, and you want to switch to wearing on the right hand, don’t worry. We will show you how to change the orientation of apple watch for wearing on the right wrist.
Know that an Apple smartwatch can be used on either wrist, but you need to first set it to proper orientation of the less active arm. So here is a simple way how to set up the Apple Watch for left-handed use.
- Open the Settings app in your Apple Watch.
- Tap General.
- Tap Orientation.
- Tap Right under Wrist.
- Tap Left under Crown.
After you are done, rotate the watch and you will see how the watch face or screen gets oriented.
Left handed watches
Here are some destro watches in the market. which go well on right wrist and used mostly by left handed people.
- Seiko 5 sport watch – a classic sport watch with jap movement
- Stuhrling Original Aviator watch – the old school dial watch is manly big and looks like the pilots watches back in the 1930s
- Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Dive Watch – An affordable diver’s timepiece with a hefty crown at 9 o’clock position.
- Nixon 51-30 Chrono watch – a summer fit yellow dial destro for men’s wrists
- Citizen Promaster Dive watch – best automatic left handed diver’s echo-drive watch.
- Hamilton Khaki Aviation X-Wind watch – a professional style pilot’s watch.
- Tudor Pelagos LHD Watch – expensive like a Rolex Submariner, this classic style left handed crown watch comes with a titanium case. It is a good timepiece from the Switzerland.
- Tag Heuer Monaco Watch
- Panerai Luminor Left-handed watch – sturdy steel destroy watch, with sand colored dial.
- Rolex GMT Master II watch – A classic pilot’s watch from Rolex – GMT Master II
- Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m Watch – a Cousteau approved watch with unconventional, undersea feature.
FAQ
1. What If I don’t want to wear watch either on left wrist or right wrist?
Get pocket watches. Most men used pocket watches while only women used wristwatches several decades ago. During the war periods, pocket watches came into use for military activities. Although they looked larger , bigger and bulky as compared to some best slim watches we have today, they were still carried by soldiers.
At that time, combat soldiers use custom leather pouches strapped on their wrists to carry the watches. Today, things have changed hands. Pocket watches are still used, mostly by the medical workers. Get into hospitals and you find nurses with pocket watches.
These pocket watches were later modified to have clips of hangers to easily wear on chest or bags. In the hospital, handing or pendant watches are mostly used by doctors to avoid contamination of their wrist watch by infectious blood.
2. What hand do lefties wear a watch?
Lefties find it protective of their watches and also more convenient to read time by wearing their watches on the right wrist. Left handed people have their left arm very active while the right arm is less dominant or less active. To avoid getting wrist watch damaged, most people, as the general rule choose to wear watches on the non-dominant hand. The non dominant hand of a lefty or left handed man is in the right side.
3. What is the best watch for people with dominant left hand?
Left handed watches have their crown on the left side and they are easily operated with the left hand. Such watches are worn on the right wrist. Here are some destro watches for people who want to wear watches on their right hands.
- Seiko men’s SKZ211K1 Five sports Stainless steel automatic watch
- Nixon women’s facet watch
- Apple watch S3 smartwatch
4. On which hand does a woman wear a watch?
I also wonder what hand should a woman wear a watch. Although most females wear watches on their left wrist, some ladies wear it on the right. Some people are of the opinion that men should wear watches on their left while ladies wear watches on their right. A woman that does not feel comfortable having a wrist watch on her right is free to move the watch to the left. There are not set rules.
5. What hand should a man wear a watch?
Which arm does a man’s watch go on? This is similar question about women. The man’s less active wrist is the best side to wear a wristwatch. Since there are also men who are left handed, left-hand watch wearing won’t suit them. More preferable, the less active arm or the nondominant hand is where men should wear watches. It is inane to wear a watch on the side or hand you are using to draw your signature.
5. How do I choose a smartwatch that is right for my wrist?
There is plenty of things to look at when choosing a smartwatch and I think you can check out this insanely working guide for buying a smartwatch here.
Wrap Up
Which hand should you wear your watch on is a matter of how it suits your convenience and blends with your outfit. But the majority of users wear on the non-dominant arm. no no strict rules apply so the decision is up to you. Let me ask you -what wrist do you wear your watch on ? Use the comment form below to share your views.
I found fun in watches especially when I started having difficult time select wearables for my skinny 5.5 inch wrists.
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