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Skagen (pronounced “scar-gun”) is a Danish watch brand that specializes in minimalist design. The company is well known for creating affordable, fashionable and discrete watches for both men and women. Skagen gets its name from a remote town in Denmark called Skagen, this is the northernmost tip of Denmark and is best known for its fishing industry.
The Skagen was branded by Danish couple Henrik & Charlotte Jorst who moved to America in 1986. Initially, the couple decided that they would sell various Danish products to Americans, including Jacob Jensen watches. After visiting a corporate gift fair in 1991, the couple were persuaded to try and make their own watch brand, which is how the idea of Skagen was born. Just one year later, the brand had already turned over $800000 in its first year of trading.
By 2005, the company were selling over $70 million per year before eventually being acquired by Fossil in 2012. A deal that once structured would earn the Jorst couple approximately $235 million.
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Is Skagen A Luxury Brand?
No. Skagen is a fashionable brand that produces inexpensive fashion watches. Whilst these watches are pretty good value for money, they certainly aren’t luxury. All in all, it is difficult to find a Skagen watch that sells for over $250, therefore we can rule it out right away. The average entry-level luxury watch usually costs in excess of $1500, so from a price perspective it is certainly not luxury.
Secondly, Skagen does not make their own movements, nor does it use precious stones or metals. This is another essential factor in determining if a brand is luxury. Skagen is a good watch brand, but certainly not luxury.
Are Skagen Watches Good Quality?
Skagen watches are pretty decent quality. They are not overpriced and are relatively inexpensive when compared to other fashion brands. The watches are made by Fossil who also make watches for the likes of Diesel, Armani and Michael Kors.
These 3 fashion brands are not luxury, but certainly do not use very cheap and basic materials, nor do they use cheap Chinese movements. Skagen is no different. Very similar materials to other fashion brands are used for Skagen, as well as Japanese movements to run the watches.
The only real difference between Skagen and other fashion brands is that Skagen watches are more of a minimalist design and generally cost less money as they aren’t quite as well known.
It should also be noted that some of the higher end Skagen watches have Swiss movements. These watches are easily identifiable as they will cost more money and also have a different dial. At the very bottom of the dial, text will read “Swiss made” or “Swiss movement” if the watch was made in Switzerland.
Is Skagen Owned By Fossil?
Yes. Skagen was acquired by Fossil in 2012. This is not too uncommon and often you will see larger fashion brands buy equity shares in smaller companies. Fossil has decades of manufacturing experience when it comes to watches, so they are able to continue the designs of Skagen and make watches at a lower price.
How Long Do Skagen Watches Last?
Skagen watches can be expected to last for well over 5 years. As they use a solid Japanese Miyota movement, this would be expected to last around 10 years. Other than this, there is not really too much that can go wrong with a quartz watch – other than you damaging it yourself.
In all likelihood, you will either be bored of the style, break the watch, or simply forget about it before it breaks. Whilst Skagen watches will not last you a lifetime, you will certainly get value for money out of them.
Where Are Skagen Watches Made?
Skagen watches use a Japanese quartz movement and are assembled in China. This is the same process used in many other watch brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss or Coach.
Skagen Compared With Other Watch Brands
When looking at a watch from a purely visual perspective. You can see that Skagen is closest to brands such as Bering, MVMT and Daniel Wellington.
Bering makes a lot of sense, as it is another minimalist Scandinavian brand. Although there is a lot of crossover, Bering generally makes more masculine watches than Skagen and costs a little more money.
MVMT & Daniel Wellington are somewhat visually similar – but do not have as good a reputation as Skagen. This is because both of these brands have questionable backstories and also claim to make “luxury” watches. These brands certainly do not make luxury watches by any metric. Skagen is also a little cheaper to buy online than these brands too.
Can Skagen Watches Be Repaired?
Yes. All Skagen watches come with a warranty, so if they break they can be sent for repair. If you damage your Skagen watch outside of warranty or it stops working, a regular watch shop should be able to repair it.
Depending on what is wrong with the watch, Skagen are not a particularly difficult brand to fix. The battery is easy to replace, the movements are common and you can buy replacement straps.
The only issue is if you break the glass of a Skagen. Due to the fact that the watches have no bezel, the glass on the front of the dial is very difficult to replace and can only really be done by the brand themselves.
Whether a repair is economical and worth the time over buying a replacement is another thing entirely. Often it’s just best to cut your losses with fashion watches as the repairs can cost more than a brand new model.
Does Skagen Make Solar Watches?
Yes. Skagen does make solar watches that use very similar technology to Seiko and Citizen Eco-Drive models. However, most of the watches Skagen produce are not solar but use a standard quartz movement with a battery. If you are looking to buy a solar-powered Skagen watch, the online listing will always mention this and in some models, it will say “Solar” towards the bottom of the dial.
The Best Skagen Watches
Mens Skagen Watches
Melbye
The Skagen Melbye is one of the best-selling watches of the brand for men. Although the dial is a little busier than almost every womans watch they make, it is still pretty minimalist.
Available in a variety of different color schemes, as well as having the option of either mesh or leather straps, you can almost certainly find a combination that will suit your taste. The watch is also incredibly lightweight since the case is made out of titanium. This hypoallergenic material weighs much less than steel, so you barely notice that you’re wearing a watch.
Fisk
The Fisk is a Scandinavian take on a classic dive watch. Although the fisk is built to look like a dive watch, it should not be used as one as it cannot withstand the water pressure in comparison to a watch like a Seiko Padi or Rolex Submariner. It is water resistant up to 100m, so it doesn’t mind getting wet, just don’t take it too deep.
A good thing about the Fisk is that it is its own style of dive watch and is not yet another copy of a Rolex. The double dot at the 12 o’clock position distinguishes it from the competition. As well as having rectangular lumes at each quarter of the watch. This will not be confused with any other brand.
Holst
One of the more professional watches in the Skagen range is the Holst. This watch is pretty much suitable for any occasion such as work or pleasure and can be worn every day of the week. Once again, within the Holst series, there are a huge variety of different color dials and straps, so it’s likely that even if you think this color is not for you, another one will be.
Not only this but there are various dial layouts of the Holst too. Whilst the lack of bezel and general shape of the case are the same, there are chronograph models, as well as very minimalist dials with no subdials at all.
Solar
If you’re looking for a fashionable solar watch that is not Seiko or Citizen, then you’ve come to the right place. In all honesty, there really aren’t too many other options other than Skagen or Bering. This watch has the typical Skagen design other than having the hour numbers inside the indicators, which is really quite strange and unneeded, but obviously a design idea.
Of course, the main benefit you get from this watch is you set it once and forget about it for 5-10 years. As long as you leave the watch in daylight it won’t stop and you won’t need to change the battery.
Womens Skagen Watches
Freja
This is pretty much the watch design that got the breakthrough for Skagen. The Freja has a small dial like a traditional, feminine watch should, but is certainly not vintage. Available in many different colors, the Freja has a very simplistic and minimalist dial, with no numbers at all, using only a crystal for each hour indicator.
As the watch dial is small and a mesh strap is used, the watch is extremely lightweight and almost unnoticeable whilst wearing. The fact that this watch does not have a bezel really opens up the dial and makes it easily visible to read even though the case is only 26mm.
Hagen
The Skagen Hagen is a modern, fashion watch that is not oversized at all when compared with other modern brands such as Michael Kors. The case size is 36mm, which is pretty standard, but remember that the watch doesn’t have a bezel, so the dial is very readable. Another benefit is that you don’t have a giant case of very chunky lugs with chronograph pushers that make the watch look even bigger.
To add to the femininity of this watch, the band and lugs are very small which helps to make the watch look smaller than it actually is.
Falster Smartwatch
One of the key benefits of being owned by a large group such as Fossil is that you’re able to make smartwatches. Something that would have been unavailable to Skagen in the past is making a smartwatch. The Falster is a pretty standard Wear OS (Google) watch. It has all of the expected features such as a heart rate monitor, GPS and Google pay.
Of course, the real selling point is that it is a fashionable watch made by Skagen. If you own a Garmin or another sports watch brand such as Suunto, you may feel a bit uncomfortable wearing it in an office environment. The Skagen Falster is a smartwatch that is easily wearable in both formal and casual settings.
