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Round-UpTen Must-Have Skagen Watches For The Fashionable Minimalist

Drawing largely from the minimalist aesthetic, timepieces by Skagen are renowned for their ultra-slim profiles and uncluttered dials. Chic, neat and modest, these watches are the perfect foil to one’s contemporary fashion sensibility. This lifestyle watch label, now a part of Fossil Inc., assembles impressive timepieces where ornamentation is outdated

The Watch Guide February 15, 2019

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Taking its name from the northernmost port town in Denmark, Skagen Designs came to the forefront during the early nineties in the States. With its simplistic styles, its Danish-born founders, Henrik and Charlotte Jorst, could accurately capture the cultural essence of their hometown—down-to-earth and amiable living. After two decades of assembling modish timepieces, it became a global brand reaching markets in Europe and Asia. By 2012, Fossil Inc, to assist further in its distribution, acquired it. In an interview, the Fossil Group’s chairman and chief executive officer, Kosta Kartsotis remarked about Skagen possessing enormous potential as a lifestyle brand, and how there are many similarities in the history and values of both the brands. The alluring elegance of timepieces by Skagen Designs (a subsidiary of Fossil that delves into watches, handbags, jewellery and other personal goods) has led it to win the prestigious Red Dot award multiple times and this is quite rare among watchmakers around the world. What’s more impressive about the stylish watches under this label is that they are reasonably priced even though they are assembled from high-quality stainless steel and sometimes, even titanium.

Furthermore, not all Skagen timepieces come with analogue dials. Its recent venture into the smartwatch market has been quite fruitful with the game-changing Falster collection, inaugurated at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2018. In fact, Frederik Thrane, Skagen Designs’ creative director has avered, “An appreciation of simplicity and a thoughtful approach to how your time is spent are key elements in the Danish way of life—and we capture them in our smartwatches through minimalist execution and customisable function.” With the splendid variety of timepieces by this brand sustaining the understated aesthetic without being too plain, The Watch Guide cherry-picked the top 10 chic Skagen watches for the modern fashionista.

Top Picks For Men

Falster 2

Featuring the classic slim design of Skagen timepieces, the Falster 2 is an inimitable smartwatch that does not have a bulky look that is seen in other smartwatches. The magnetic steel bracelet and the stylish lugs look simply chic with the black dial. While it is encased in steel with a diameter of 40mm, the touchscreen with AMOLED panel is just about 30mm. Even though this timepiece is an improved version of the Falster—the one that everyone fell in love with initially due to its slim profile—the modifications are elusive. While the previous one had a 42mm case size, Skagen trimmed down 2mm, which makes it look even more modish on the wrist. Operated by Google’s latest version of Wear OS, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, the newer version has a heart rate monitor, Near Field Communication (NFC) and GPS function. You can keep your smartphone at home and track the routes on the dial that can be seen clearly. The NFC function is pretty solid allowing the user to use Google Pay without checking the phone. However, this function is not available in India yet. The heart rate monitor is quite accurate, and it keeps a record routinely every 20 minutes and is synced to the Google Fit account. Moreover, with this timepiece, you don’t even have to worry about splashes of water or light rain, as it is water resistant to 30m.

Signatur

While 40mm of width is on the smaller side, this robust timepiece does not feel so small at all. The linear and dot indexes on the grey dial and the three-hand movement with tinges of orange and a date window at three o’clock make it a sophisticated watch to pair with smart casuals. The battery gets recharged as light reaches the solar cells underneath. With daily exposure to light, a fully charged battery will run for up to six months. The grey CORDURA® EcoMade woven strap has been produced using recycled materials. This eco-friendly quartz timepiece, offering a 50m water resistance, perfectly fits in the Signatur collection with its straightforward demeanour.

Skagen — Secured with a grey CORDURA® EcoMade woven strap produced from recycled materials, this eco-friendly quartz timepiece perfectly fits in the Signatur collection with its straightforward demeanour

Horisont

This timepiece, assembled drawing inspiration from the moon’s rotation around the earth, has a refined appeal. While the dainty silver dots mark the hours, the hand indicates the minutes. Its distinctive appeal can be seen with the combination of the vibrant blue sandblasted dial surrounded by the 40mm case and mesh strap in steel. Its quartz movement and resistance to water up to a 50m depth makes it a unique timepiece in the famed Horisont collection.

Jorn

Enclosed in a 41mm-wide steel case, this masculine quartz timepiece features a white dial with linear indexes for hours and shorter indexes for minutes to make the hour, minute and seconds hands stand out. With the crown and smooth-edged lugs adding grace, the chic finish on the brown leather strap exudes an understated vibe without leaving out refinement.

Top Picks For Women

Anita

The yellow golden bezel stretching out with smoothened lugs is easy on the eyes with the time-honoured brown leather strap. With the suave champagne dial perfectly complementing the golden hands and hour markers in precious stone, this 30mm round timepiece will complement any simple attire. Despite the fact that this quartz movement watch looks quite tasteful—as the collection’s name, Anita is a Hebrew derivative for grace—it is also robust. It not only has a steel case but also a durable PVD coating, and the durable mineral glass accompanied with it.

Freja

While this may seem like a larger watch with a 34mm width, its slim profile and the shining dark blue dial with the suave finish on the blue leather strap are perfect additions to any smart-casual ensemble. The sophisticated reddish tone on the robust golden PVD case, the raised edges on the bezel at the six o’clock and 12 o’clock positions and only the hour and minute hands, make this timepiece an exquisite one to flaunt around with panache. Another important feature of this quartz timepiece is that it is water resistant up to 30m, making it an everyday accessory for which you don’t have to think twice when getting ready for a party by the pool.

Karolina

A brilliant combination of white and gold, this voguish timepiece with quartz movement is for those who love to style boldly without leaving out sophistication. The sandblasted white dial with linear golden indexes along with the sleek golden hands for hours and minutes create a neat look. While the 38mm yellow gold PVD-treated case seems bigger, the thin mesh bracelet in steel with the same hue and material flawlessly balances it. Sporting this timepiece with formal ensembles including pastel-hued dress shirts and dark skirts would exude an elegant style statement no matter where you are.

Leonara

The exquisite glass bezel of this petite timepiece is a fantastic interpretation of how sunlight is reflected off the ocean. Leonara in Italian means ‘light’ and this watch, in a 25mm case size, is one of the most attractive ones in the entire collection. While the hour markers with glass crystals stand out perfectly against the brown dial, its sturdy rose-gold mesh strap with PVD coating is a fine complement to its mien. This feminine timepiece with a quartz movement is ideal to pair with any proper outfit for any occasion. Moreover, you won’t lose your style quotient even when you’re splashing around in shallow waters of a beach, as it is water resistant up to 30m.

Grenen

This tasteful timepiece looks more formal with the golden numerals and a date window at the six o’clock position. Encased in 38mm of solid steel with PVD coating in golden with a reddish tone, this quartz watch is equipped with two elegant hour and minute hands, offering a smooth contrast to the white dial. Accompanied by a dark brown leather strap hanging to the curvy lugs, this watch with the long-lasting quartz movement would be a sophisticated addition to office wear.

Top Pick For Any Gender

Holst

This multifunction quartz timepiece by Skagen packs in all the features without being too unwieldy. While the 40mm case is made of steel, the strong PVD coating in grey complements the clean grey dial and the same durable coating on the 21mm steel strap flawlessly. The distinct linear indexes for hours and the golden-coloured hands for hours, minutes and seconds along with the golden borders on the sub-dials do make it look more refined. At the 12 o’clock position, you will see the sub-dial keeping track of days in a week, and at the six o’clock position, the sub-dial mentions the date. This watch would also be useful under a water depth of up to 50m and will resist damage owing to its strong mineral crystal glass.

Watches by Skagen are simple yet elegant to supplement any lifestyle. With cleaner looking dials, contemporary straps in various materials and coatings, this award-winning timepiece label remains a true vanguard of everything minimal and modern.