A Guide to Bracelets for Men

It’s a judgment call, Arnold, but we recommend you go with a solid or a neutral like a tiger’s eye to balance out the multicolored bracelet. That will make sure the colorful one doesn’t just muddle your look but really stands out as an accent.

Nice, Rosemary. You know we like everything custom made!

Many thanks, spread the word and tell everybody to subscribe.

When you’re not wearing a watch, this is simply a preference. We generally wear our bracelets on our dominant hands and watches on our non-dominant hands. While it’s rare to find a Black Lapel guy without a watch, we’d probably just continue wearing the bracelets on our dominant hands out of habit. Still, there’s no fashion rule you need to worry about running afoul of when it comes to which wrist gets a bracelet. Go with what’s comfortable.

Absolutely not. In fact, if we catch you on the street with your wrists so adorned we will pummel you.

Kidding!

Of course it’s okay, Michael. The watch, traditionally, goes on your non-dominant side and so your bracelets, so as not to interfere with telling time or scratch your watch, generally go on your dominant hand. But none of these rules are worth fretting over. Wear them how you want.

Sure. Style is all about how you express yourself. So as long as you aren’t piling on bracelets for the sake of just showing how much fancy jewelry you own, go ahead and express yourself.

To answer the first question: it depends on what you’re talking about. If you’re in a creative field and dressing casually, the sky’s the limit. As Johnny Depp proves, it’s almost impossible to overdo it on the jewelry if it’s part of your overall look. On the flip side, if you’re talking about wearing a bracelet to work and you’re, say, an accountant in a conservative American office, even one bracelet is a lot on one wrist. You’ll have to use your judgment to determine the right amount of wrist bling. Our advice is to make sure that judgment is informed. Look around at other men who have been in the same setting you’re dressing for longer than you have. In your office, how many bracelets is your boss wearing? If you’re the boss, how many other bosses in your field wear bracelets.

To answer the second question, of course you can wear a bracelet with a wristwatch. It just gets a little crowded and you’re likely to be unbalanced. Plus metal bracelets and watches rubbing against each other is asking for trouble. Unless you’ve got a reason you’re looking to stand out as “different” we’ll, again, advise that you just play by the rules and wear your bracelets opposite your watch.

This brings us to a larger point. And excuse us for offering these unsolicited two cents but here it is: It sounds like you’re looking for some rules to break to display some creativity. We find that a creative attitude is more effective when you don’t telegraph it with contrarian dress. In other words, dress like you want to be taken seriously and people will listen to your out of the box ideas. Dress out of the box and people will dismiss you before they even hear what you have to say.

Oh, and if you’re looking to keep your costs down, stick with the bracelets on the right side above. Though, you should note that this article was published over three years ago so many of the products and prices have since changed.

Of course. Diamonds aren’t just for women! We still always err on the side of the less bling is more, but this bracelet is becoming a timeless staple that’ll garner some envious attention.

Keep your steel stainless and your style flawless, Mike.

Thanks, Vince. These are nice bracelets, but “interesting” story concept behind them…

Continued content! Nice. Thanks for the suggestion, Ben.

Is that a Sons of Anarchy bracelet? If so, that’s awesome, and you’ll definitely be channeling your inner Jax wearing that and black jeans.

Well hello to you too! Thanks for the kind words, you’ve seemed to uncover our mission: helping men look (and feel) better! Keep on comin’ back for more.

Yes!! What a great practice and contribution to your friends style game. Keep up the good work.

We’re not quite sure what to tell you here, Bob. We dig the bracelet but sadly it doesn’t look like it can be shortened. It’s not really a faux paus for the bracelet to be sliding up and down your wrist, it’s just going to get lost under a dress shirt or jacket. Your best bet might be to wear it more often in short-sleeves weather or attire so you can show it off.

We wear our watches on our non-dominant hands and bracelets on our dominants. Aside from giving you a balanced look, this system ensures that your metal watches and bracelets don’t scratch each other. We’ve seen people wear soft (i.e. leather) bracelets on the watch side but aren’t fans of that because the bracelets seem to always obscure the watch face, making telling the time a two-handed activity (one hand to hold the watch, the other to push aside bracelets).

All of the bracelets on the right side of this page are our budget options. Just click on the image you like for more on each bracelet.

There’s no rule of thumb about that, Petah. Obviously, too tight would be a problem. Loose enough to slip over your hand and fall of is no good. Anything in between those two extremes is a matter of preference.

These are dope! Hook bracelets are a favorite among the Black Lapel crew.

I prefer The Radford. It’s less flashy than The Amour, so your husband will be able to wear it on a more day-to-day basis with a bigger variety of his wardrobe. Awesome gift.

Correct, you’re either big pimpin’ or lil skimpin’. A thicker chain is more flashy and makes more of a statement, but if you’re into more understated man jewelry then opt for a delicate chain.

Glad we could help. We love the idea of our stories being presented in an institution of higher education!

Is it fine? That depends on your personal style. If you’re a funeral director, say, and you dress in traditional, somber tones with minimal accents, it’s probably not a good idea. But if you find yourself in settings where a Dresden Files reference is appropriate, why not?

Turquoise bracelets look great with dark gray suits. There’s something about the counterbalance of dark gray and light turquoise that really works. We also like wearing multiple bracelets (though some guys go overboard with that) for maximum effect. It’s a good idea to ground a lighter, brighter bracelet with a sturdy metal cuff or ID bracelet in the adjacent spot on your wrist.

To be fair, we did highlight some of the more extremely priced bracelets here to show that you can go high- or low-cost when it comes to dressing your wrist.

Your comment about making them yourself is intriguing. Sounds like you’ve done it before. Care to share some pics?

Nothing wrong with the “economy” one if it gets the job done, David.

May just not be your thing, though nobody says you have to wear these with a suit.

Yes, Mr. Depp is the king of casual cool. He makes it all look so easy.

And yes, the watch definitely plays a role in dressing the wrist. The NATO strap does the trick (there’s even one on the other hand of our model in the image at the top but it’s obscured by the gloriousness of the bracelets!)

We agree Lile, we’ll be adding a Pinterest button to the top of the page in the not too distant future.

Thanks for the kudos and for spreading the love in your social sphere.

Way to add a personal touch to your wrist wear, Chance. Whether you wear them all on one arm or split them up, bracelets on one, watch on the other, multiple bracelets can multiply your style.

Thanks, we like all these bad boys too.

20 years! That’s a signature piece if we’ve ever heard of one. Talk about timeless style! Nice work.

True, the bracelet with the suit is a more urban chic look. We didn’t say you had to wear these with a suit, it’s just that you can, if it works for your style.