If you want to know which wrist you should wear your watch on, the general answer is the left wrist. This isn’t a steadfast rule though – you can also wear your watch on the right wrist. The primary reasons people wear their watches on the left hand is practicality.
Why Do Guys Wear Watches on the Left Hand?
Due to most men being right-hand dominant, guys typically wear their watches on the left hand.
Because of this, the most common rule of thumb is that you should wear your wristwatch on the left wrist.
This comes from a sense of practicality – if you’re busy writing with your right hand and need to check the time, it’s easier to check your left hand without interrupting your writing or flow of thought.
Also consider other activities that require use of your dominant hand. When driving, you’d want to keep your dominant hand on the wheel while your non-dominant hand is free to be checked for the time.
We Are Launching a Podcast!
Enter your email below to be notified when we launch The Gentleman’s Playbook Podcast, coming late 2021! Also, click here to see what we have in store!
What About Wearing Your Watch on the Right Hand?
Wearing your watch on your right hand is completely valid! There is nothing inherently wrong with strapping your watch to the right wrist and doing so isn’t a slander to fashion.
If you’re left-handed, you should definitely wear your watch on your right wrist (say that five times fast).
Doing so allows your dominant hand to be free for writing, driving, and any other activity that involves a lot of use of your dominant hand.
History of the Wristwatch
We won’t go in-depth on the history of watches, but we wanted to touch on the history of wristwatch wearing for those of you that are interested.
In 1916, a new trend in European fashion was birthed – wearing bracelets with small clocks on them. This trend was then criticized by The New York Times as being seen as a joke by Americans.
Before this, the wristwatch was being developed because of the brutal warfare of World War I.
Pocket watches were used by soldiers but proved to be impractical when in the trenches. The most effective placement they found was on their wrists, and the military started strapping pocket watches to their wrists, creating demand for future wristwatch development.
Check out our list of the best business watches for less than $150.
We Are Launching a Podcast!
Enter your email below to be notified when we launch The Gentleman’s Playbook Podcast, coming late 2021! Also, click here to see what we have in store!