Skagen 2018 watch collection review

This past summer was a strange one. It’s been sweltering hot, and humid, but it came to its end quickly—almost like a warning of the winter that’s about to come. Luckily, Skagen offers plenty of watches that’ll keep your look in tip top shape, no matter the season. This collection is brand new to Best Buy, and couldn’t be more perfect for the end of summer.

In a fast fashion world, even accessories are beginning to have seasons. Watches with floral accents, for instance, are best left to the spring and summer; watches in weathered tans look great in the fall. (I think metal bands are incredibly chic for the winter, but I know they’re not a popular choice. Things get cold here in Canada!)

These watches from Skagen, however, are timeless. They have a uniformly slim profile, with a trendy, modern look that sits in a comfortably minimalist frame of mind; nothing flashy, but not stripped right to its bones, either. Each style is offered in a selection of colours, and a mix of metals.

What makes a Skagen watch stand out

These watches are all about accessibility, from their price point to their weather-ready styles. Despite being made abroad (US company; Japanese movement; Chinese bands), they’re still designed based on the same elements of Danish design that they were when the brand first launched in 1989.

“Skagen” is the name of the Danish coastal town that inspired these designs, which emphasize simplicity and a clean, Scandinavian aesthetic. And that’s what these watches are: simple.

This collection, as well as the brand’s permanent line, offer a great alternative to the ubiquitous Daniel Wellington Classic Watch. I love the Skagen line because it’s minimalist without being austere. Instead of featuring plain, straight markers to denote hours or minute increments, these watches offer a few different choices. Some styles, like the Ancher, have contrastive, straight markers. Others, like the Anita, are detailed with crystal indexes.

Overall, the brand is a great Daniel Wellington alternative, and it’s also similar to MVMT—without looking like a copycat brand. These watches are very similar to a lot of others out there, but they’re unique enough to get noticed.

The stainless steel Anita watch

The Skagen Anita 30mm comprises most of Best Buy’s collection from the brand. Why wouldn’t it? It’s a stellar timepiece. The Anita delivers Quartz movement and a 30mm stainless steel case. It’s water resistant to 30 metres, with numerals (a detail that I love) and crystal indexes, as mentioned.

I have the four stainless steel Anitas available at Best Buy photographed here: one in the photo at the top of this post, and three just above. This is a truly timeless watch. It’s slim an delicate, fitting comfortably onto a smaller wrist and never looking bulky. I have it paired with a few other items that remind me of the same aesthetic, my Illusion glasses from BonLook and my Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume, which radiates the same power-suit-after-hours vibe as these watches.

The Anita is available in stainless steel in silver with a gorgeous blue face, a rose gold/silver mix, a gold-toned case with a stainless steel band, and a simple silver.

The leather Anita

For me, the cream of this crop of timepieces was the Skagen Anita 30mm watch with a leather strap. These watches are so me, and they fit perfectly with the looks that I’ve been rocking as the days cool down.

I have the Anita in Brown/Gold and Grey/Rose photographed here with a few other fall favourites: my BonLook glasses, again, and a bottle of Serge Lutens Santal Majescule. The Serge smells to me the way that these watches feel—sensual without being sexual, and almost powerfully genderless. I love that the crystals bring a little bit of femininity back into the piece to play with, and the brown leather finish is (if I may say so myself) gorgeous against my skin.

I’m not a watch person, which I cop to often because they feel so imbalanced on my arm. But I love this one.

The leather Anitas look great paired with a black and white outfit or with a baggy sweater. To me, they feel like fall; like I should be wearing a chunky knit and holding a chai latte while crunching my way through fallen leaves. They pair wonderfully with a wool coat and boots as well (I always go with a classic beige or camel), and are slim enough not to get too caught on the cuff of your gloves.

Four options for men’s watches from Skagen

One of the things that I love so much about minimalist watches is that the “men’s” and “women’s” variations often look so similar. On a smaller frame, the 30mm Anita in brown leather looks a lot like the Skagen Signatur 40mm, with a narrower strap and smaller watch face. The similar designs make room for gender play and androgyny, but also open up a great resource for wearing a watch that codes as masculine despite a smaller frame.

(Unfortunately, I have yet to see femme-coded watches on a thicker watch strap, but I have a feeling they’re not too far out!)

While the Signatur offers a gorgeous, supple leather strap that looks great with a dress shirt (I love this kind of design against a crisp white shirt with thin blue lines), the Skagen Ancher in Black/Silver has a more utilitarian feel to it. It’s playfully square—metaphorically—and is water resistant down to 50 metres, despite a slim, 8mm profile.

For a little extra oomph in your (or your partner’s) style, Skagen makes two other watches that don’t fit the typical minimalist aesthetic: the multi-functional Holst and the Batmobile-esque Melbye. The Holst displays the day of the week and day of the month, adding detail to the watch itself—I think it looks like a dressy version of a forest-y aesthetic. (Give me all the flannel!)

The Melbye goes in the other direction entirely and gets super slick instead, with a sports-style design and sleek, mesh, metal lines. It’s made from brushed titanium, and its seconds hand is highlighted with a red tip to track your progress.