How to wear a bracelet with a watch without scratching either

The simplest way to wear a bracelet with a watch is on opposite wrists: watch on your non-dominant hand, bracelet on the other. If you want both on the same wrist, keep the bracelet narrower than the watch, leave a gap of about a finger’s width between them, and choose a bracelet that will not scratch the case — leather, beads or a smooth, snug steel link. Match the metal tones, or mix them deliberately.

Which wrist

Most men wear a watch on the non-dominant wrist, which for right-handers is the left. It keeps the watch out of the way of writing, eating and shaking hands, and it takes fewer knocks. Some men here prefer the right wrist, including for religious reasons, and that is equally fine. The rules below work on either side.

Opposite wrists is the default for a reason. Nothing touches, nothing clicks during a meeting, and each piece gets seen properly. It is also the only arrangement that looks right with a heavy Cuban.

If you wear both on one wrist

1. 1Keep the bracelet narrower than the watch case, and ideally no wider than the watch strap. A bracelet that out-sizes the watch makes the watch look like the accessory.
2. 2Leave a gap of about 1.5–2 cm, roughly one finger. Less than that and the two grind together every time you move your hand.
3. 3Choose a bracelet that fits closely. A loose bracelet slides into the watch; a snug one stays where you put it.
4. 4Put the watch where it normally sits, just above the wrist bone, and the bracelet on the hand side of it if it is thin and snug. A slightly looser bracelet sits better on the elbow side, where the forearm widens and stops it sliding down.
5. 5Limit it to one bracelet beside the watch unless the extras are soft beads or cord.

Matching metals

The easy rule is to match the bracelet to the watch case, not the strap. A steel case with a steel link bracelet, or a gold-tone case with a gold-tone bracelet, reads as a set. A black PVD bracelet goes with a black case, a black dial or a black leather strap.

• Steel watch: steel bracelet, black bracelet, leather, or beads. Gold tone works only if something else — a ring, a belt buckle — repeats it.
• Gold-tone watch: gold-tone bracelet, brown leather, or wooden or tiger’s-eye beads.
• Two-tone watch: either metal works, which makes it the most forgiving watch to build around.
• Black or gunmetal watch: black PVD, matte steel or dark beads.
• Smartwatch or fitness band: a thin steel or leather bracelet on the other wrist. On the same wrist it tends to look like two gadgets.

Mixing metals can look deliberate rather than careless, as our guide to mixing gold and silver jewellery explains, but it takes a little more thought when both pieces sit side by side at the end of the same arm. For the whole-outfit version, see matching jewellery to your watch.

Protecting the watch from the bracelet

Steel is hard, and a steel link bracelet knocking against a polished watch case will leave fine scratches within weeks. The crystal is less at risk if it is sapphire, which is very scratch-resistant, but mineral glass on many everyday watches scratches more easily. Clasps are the worst offenders, because they have edges.

• Soft bracelets are safest beside a watch: beads, braided cord, leather.
• If it is metal, choose smooth rounded links or a flat mesh over sharp-edged or iced links.
• Turn the bracelet so the clasp sits on the underside of the wrist, away from the watch case.
• Brushed finishes on both pieces hide the fine marks that do appear.
• Take both off to type for long periods if your wrist rests on a laptop; that is where most desk scratches come from.

Office, wedding and weekend

At work, keep it quiet: watch on one wrist, a thin steel or leather bracelet on the other, both able to disappear under a shirt cuff. The general principles are in our guide to jewellery for the office. At a wedding, you can go bolder — a gold-tone watch and a matching Cuban on the other wrist looks sharp with a sherwani or a prince coat, where the sleeves usually leave the wrist visible. At the weekend, a watch and a couple of bead bracelets on the same wrist is the relaxed version that actually suits stacking.

If you are starting from nothing, a 316L steel link bracelet on the wrist opposite your watch is the least risky combination. Zayr’s men’s bracelets are 316L steel, with gold and black tones in PVD, so you can match them to a steel, gold-tone or black watch without the colour wearing at the edges.

If you can hear your bracelet and your watch, they are too close. If you cannot see them both at once, they are probably on the right wrists.