His and hers, male and female, are slowly disappearing from the tabulation. Of course, you are no more likely to see a man waving a 28mm watch with a diamond border than you are to see a woman waving a giant 49mm Breitling timer. With the recent trend in replica watches, there is now a wide range of mid-sized watches suitable for any gender; Can share watches, whether it’s his and hers, his and his, hers and hers, etc. Rolex watches have long been available in a variety of sizes, so they’re a nice way to view the following table.
Of the pack, the classic Rolex Datejust in just about any configuration is a no-brainer. I’m particularly fond of the reference 116200 for many reasons. To begin with, the smooth bezel variant is a little less traditional and more understated. Second, it’s a new enough reference that it runs the Superlative Chronometer certified Caliber 3135 self-winding movement. Finally, at 36mm across a perfect size for just about any wrist. This past year Rolex updated this unique model to the new Caliber 3235 and a slightly more slender case, but in the process they edited out one minor detail that previously stood out on this reference – its railroad style minute track which runs outside its hour indices.
When compiling this list, it doesn’t get much more iconic than the Explorer, so long as we hope it to stay under the 40mm case diameter mark. Of course, there’s the origin story of the first explorer reference going up Everest, as well as the general longstanding collectibility of the Explorer line as a whole, but take that all away and you’ve still got a real amazing watch.
To be frank, when this mid-size version of the Yacht-Master came out, I was disappointed that it wasn’t on offer in the larger 40mm case size, but, I’ve grown to love the more compact and funky watch. That subtle pop of neon blue on its seconds hand and text stands out perfectly against its dark rhodium dial. The 37mm diameter sports watch feels a touch smaller at first, as its dial is more compact than other offerings on account of its bezel.
We had to get the Air-King into the mix here, though we’re choosing for an older reference that’s more similar to the Explorer on our list than the current production 40mm Air-King out there.
This fake Rolex Date Date reference can’t really be considered a midsize watch, which is the largest product we throw here in the mix; However, its geometrically textured ice blue dial has something so fascinating that it really feels like the kind of watch everyone should wear — if they can.