Skagen
- Founded
- 1989
- Based in
- Reno, Nevada, USA (Danish design)
- In our catalog
- 1 watch from $125 to $155
Skagen sells a feeling more than a mechanism: the calm, pared-back look most people associate with Danish design. The watches are thin, light and plain, with mesh bracelets that sit flat on the wrist and slip under a cuff without catching. They're inexpensive and easy to wear every day, which is exactly the point.
History
Henrik and Charlotte Jørst moved from Denmark to the United States in the 1980s and started selling thin, minimalist watches in 1989. They named the company after Skagen, the fishing town at the northern tip of Denmark where the North Sea meets the Baltic. Department stores picked up the brand quickly, and through the 1990s and 2000s Skagen became a go-to for affordable, understated watches.
In 2012 the Jørsts sold the company to Fossil, which still owns it. Under Fossil, Skagen has added hybrid and touchscreen smartwatches alongside its quartz watches, and it now also makes jewelry.
Signature models
- Ancher: Named after Michael and Anna Ancher, two painters of the late-nineteenth-century artists' colony in Skagen. A plain dial, slim hands and a leather or mesh strap. It's the house style in one watch.
- Signatur: A slightly dressier line with fine indices and thin cases.
- Grenen: Named after the sandy spit at Skagen's tip, with a pebble-like case.
What it's known for
The Milanese-style mesh bracelets are the thing people remember, along with cases that rarely go past 8 mm thick. The movements are Japanese quartz, so the watches are accurate and need nothing more than a battery every few years.
What you don't get is horological depth. These are well-made fashion watches, not heirlooms, and the steel and finishing reflect the price.
Price and positioning
Most Skagen watches cost $100 to $200. If you love the look but want a little more design pedigree, Junghans's quartz Max Bill and Mondaine cost a bit more; if you just want a slim, calm watch for the office, Skagen does the job well.
Skagen watches in our library
- Skagen Ancher ($125 to $155)