SKAGEN WATCHES

Skagen Watches

With the dawn of the 21st century, the world of watch making has seen the emergence of a crowd of younger companies determined to challenge the old order. These newcomers are offering beautifully designed, well-made watches at much lower prices than their older competitors, bringing fine watches into the price range of the average person.

One such company is Skagen Denmark. Despite the name, this is an American company formed by two Danish natives, Charlotte and Henrik Jorst. In 1989, these two set out to make unique, beautiful lifestyle items that captured the design sensibility of their native land. They have succeeded at this, producing a captivating look at only a fraction of the price demanded by some of their older competitors.

While Skagen Denmark makes sunglasses, jewellery and other items, their watches are particularly remarkable because they have all the good qualities of high-end timepieces without the high-end price. Clean, tasteful designs combine with quality workmanship to produce watches that would certainly sell for much more if they had an older brand name.

While many Skagen watches are elegantly simple, others have multiple dials and functions. Some of the models are stainless steel; others are titanium or rose gold. There is much variety here, with round and rectangular dials, numerals and non-numerical hour markers, day and date indicators and small second hands all well-represented in the selection.

The designs of the men's models are emphatic but reserved, their obvious masculinity tempered by an inherent sense of composition. Bezels are narrow and made of brushed or blackened metal, unlike the massive, heavy-looking bezels on many other designer watches. This gives the dials a handsome, unassuming quality that is often missing in their higher-priced cousins. There is an almost gentlemanly quality to Skagen watches, a strength that does not need to be overbearing.

The ladies' models are smaller and more demure than the men's, a look emphasized by their narrow straps and bracelets. There is a ladylike quality that is just as obvious and pleasing as the manly qualities of the men's models. Many of these watches have bracelets of metal mesh, an unusual touch that emphasizes their femininity and sophistication. The bezels on the ladies' models are round rather than tapered, a departure from other designer lines where the opposite is more often true.

With their dedication to quality and affordability, Skagen is well on its way to becoming a modern classic.

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