Watches can be expensive; it’s hard to find a really high-quality watch for under a couple hundred bucks, but that’s not to say it can’t be done. You’ve just got to know what to look for – what is good and what isn’t. In our opinion, you can’t go wrong with Skagen.
Skagen (also called Skagen Denmark) is named after the northernmost town in Denmark and uses the principles of Scandinivan simplicity and minimalism in all their pieces (though they are now owned by an American company). The best part, however, is that you can still snag some of them for pretty cheap; take the Skagen Signatur, which can be found for well under $200 – sometimes even less. It’s rocks a 400mm sandblasted case with three-hand movement, with both linear and do markers, and numeric hour indicators. A quick-pin allows you to swap it out with any other leather strap you’d like to use.
Most recently, Skagen released a sequel to their original smartwatch – the Skagen 2. It rocks an ultra-minimalist design that looks a bit like the Signatur, but with a smart, touchscreen watchface as opposed to dials. It’s got all the smart features you’re looking for, including activity tracking, heart-rate monitoring, smart notifications, integrated Google Assistant, and Google Pay, for convenient payment anywhere that is accepted. It’s also waterproof and swimproof.
The coolest feature of the Falster 2, however, is the magnetic mesh wristband, which quickly snaps itself shut around your wrist; no buckles. You can even swap it out for a strap of your choosing. Its asking price is also less than a week’s wages.
Finally, for those of us who like the idea of a smartwatch but want something just a little bit more subtle, there is the Skager Jorn, which they call a Hybrid watch. It has many of the main attractions found in a smartwatch (push notifications, activity tracking, sleep monitoring, etc) but looks and functions like a regular watch. You’ll only need to replace the battery on average every 4 months, which is a nice break from most smartwatches.
Does Skagen sound like a brand you’re interested in? It sure does for us. Check them out for yourself.
