What Hand Does a Watch Go On For a Man? (Ask Cladright)

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Think you know which hand a watch goes on for a man? Think again! Because depending which hand is a guy’s dominant hand, that answer can change.

Let’s keep it nice and simple: A man should wear their watch on their non-dominant hand.

That means if you’re right handed, you should wear your watch on your left wrist. Conversely, left-handed guys should wear their watches on their right wrists. Easy peasy, right?

That doesn’t quite tell the whole story, though.

For that, let’s take a closer look at some of the most common questions about which hand a watch goes on for a man.

“Which hand should I wear my watch on?”

Short answer: Your left wrist. Why? Most watches are designed to be worn on the left wrist.

But! There are exceptions (as mentioned above), so let’s explore those. Keep reading.

Why Are Watches Worn On the Left Hand?

The reason for wearing a watch on your non-dominant hand is simple: It protects the watch from getting damaged.

Since you’ll be using your dominant hand for more activities throughout the day, having a watch on that wrist would put it in danger of getting scratched, chipped, and tarnished.

As a side benefit, right-handers who wear their watch on their left wrist can easily check the time while their dominant hand is busy writing, taking a call, or holding a beverage.

Why Do Guys Wear Watches on the Right Hand?

Here’s the thing, guys. There’s a whole lot of weirdness around whether wearing a watch on your right hand says something about your sexuality. 

This is the same sort of thing that comes up with almost every piece of jewelry — that wearing it in an uncommon way means you’re gay, and wearing it in the usual way means you’re straight.

Heck, some guys even think that men shouldn’t wear any jewelry besides a watch!

But as you might expect, there’s really nothing to this belief.

If you’re left-handed, wear your watch on your right hand. That’ll keep it from getting banged up while you’re going about your day to day business, and make it easier to check the time while you’re writing or on a phone call.

Is There A Left-Handed Watch?

Okay, let’s take it a layer deeper. 

If you’re serious about your watch selection, you may have noticed that some watches feature the “crown” — that’s the little windy bit on the side — in different positions.

When the crown is in the usual 3 o clock position, it’s meant to be worn on your left wrist. If you find a watch with the crown in the 9 o clock position, that’s called a “destro” watch, and it’s meant to be worn on your right wrist.

Why this difference in crown positions? It’s all about being able to adjust the time with your off hand. To do that, you’ll need to have the crown facing towards your fingertips (not towards your elbow).

Otherwise, it’s a total pain to try and adjust the time; you’ll end up twisting your wrists around just to fine-tune your timepiece.

Hope this little tidbit helps you with your jewelry style and game!

If you ever have a question about your style, or you’re ready to up your game, just drop us a line on Instagram!

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