When people are looking for all types of watches, they tend to think of Switzerland. It’s probably the most obvious country that comes off the top of their head, but there are other European countries that create extraordinary watches, and Denmark is one of them.
Sure, Danish watches aren’t known for making high-end luxury watches, but they are most certainly highly regarded when it comes to design and style. Danish watches are best known for their functionalism and simplicity.
If you’re interested in purchasing a Danish watch, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best Danish watch brands on the market today.
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Here’s a quick rundown of our choices:
- TRIWA – Best Overall
- Obaku Denmark – Most Affordable
- Nordgreen – Best Minimalistic Designs
- Vejrhoj – Best Distinctive Design
- TID – Best Limited Edition Selection
- Ole Mathiesen – Best Classic Design
- Bulbul – Best Contemporary Selection
- Skagen – Best Modern Selection
- Georg Jensen – Most Prestigious Brand
- Lars Larsen – Best Urban Designs
Top Danish Watch Brands
1. TRIWA – Best Overall Brand
TRIWA offers a watch for literally everybody, which is why we like this brand. This watch brand comes from Stockholm and creates timepieces that are both unique and affordable, which is why we placed this at the top as our best overall choice.
The brand was founded in 2007 by four friends who shared a passion for revolutionizing watches into a modern symbol. They did this by putting together classic silhouettes and the simplicity of Scandanivia. They also create their timepieces with stories that transcend style, trends, and status that they strive to highlight the important issues of our time.
As far as we can see, they create some very unique timepieces. One of our favorite pieces is from the women’s collection. It’s called the Pearl Nikki and it’s absolutely stunning. It’s made with stainless steel and silver plated polish with a mother of pearl dial. The movement is quartz, Time Module VD32 and it’s water resistant up to 5 atm. It costs $229.00, but the sheer beauty of this timepiece makes it completely worth it.
In the Men’s collection, the Bronze Gun Falken is one of their most popular watches. It’s made with gun plated stainless steel and the dial is a sunray brushed bronze metal. The strap is made with stainless steel as well as the buckle. It features a quartz, Miyota 1L45 movement and is water-resistant up to 5 atm. The regular price is $219.00, but you might catch it on clearance for $109.50.
2.Obaku Denmark – Most Affordable
Obaku Denmark has a slogan that reads “Where Nordic Meets Zen”. This should give you a clue as to what type of watch comes from this brand. You will find that a majority of Danish watch brands stick with a minimalistic look.
Obaku Denmark also blends Asian Philosophy with their watch designs. Their name comes from a mountain in which the founders named the company after in 1661. You may also notice that their logo represents the circle of life.
There are stores in 67 countries around the globe and they market their watches as “affordable luxury”.
On the other hand, their watches are made with japanese quartz movements, which is something you would find in a fashion watch, which is why most of their timepieces only cost between 100-200 Euros. Most watch enthusiasts wouldn’t consider this a luxury.
Their most popular mens watch is the Obaku Mens Classic Dress Watch. It’s a very minimalistic stainless steel watch.
It features a simple slim case with a milanese mesh band with an adjustable fold over clasp. It’s water resistant up to 30 meters and has a high-quality quartz Japanese movement and scratch-resistant mineral crystal face.
One of their ladies watches really caught our eye. It’s the Stjerner-Medallion. It features a black stainless steel mesh strap and a gold case.
Inside of the extra hardened mineral crystal glass is a dial covered in Swarovski crystal dust. It emits a beautiful shine when hit with light. Additionally, it’s water resistant up to 3 meters.
3.Nordgreen – Best Minimalistic Design
Nordgreen is a fairly new Danish watch brand. They began in 2017 as a Kickstarter campaign and received full funding.
Their designer is Jakob Wagner and he’s well-known for his designs at Bang & Olufsen and other Nordic brands. He’s the winner of several awards and has a collection at MoMA, New York that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Nordgreen has a program in which part of their profits go to three different causes such as Water for Good, CoolEarth, and Pratham UK. Their brand has both minimalistic women and men designs as well as a wide range of strap options. You can change up your look without having to purchase a new watch.
Their most popular men’s watch is their Pioneer bundle. It’s their Pioneer watch with two additional interchangeable straps for versatility. It has a stainless steel band that also comes with it along with a stainless steel case and white dial. It’s very minimalistic, but still beautiful.
On the women’s page, we found the Unika bundle to be our favorite. It features a rainbow black dial and a silver 5 link band. It will also come with an additional strap and if you purchase their watch from the website, you can choose another and to go with the one you get from the bundle.
4.Vejrhoj – Best Distinctive Design
Vejrhoj is an independent watch brand based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their name comes from the high hillsides that sit next to the sea where the founder grew up.The company was founded in 2013 by Janus Aarup.
He set out to create a Nordic watch brand based on his passion for craftsmanship, timepieces, and design.
This brand is full of dreamers who aim to create bold designs that stand out from the rest. We have never seen a watch as unique as these.
They are all created with natural hardwood, stainless steel, and Nordic minimalism. These watches are known for being the center of attention during gatherings and great conversation starters.
One of our favorite men’s watches is the Arch 03. It’s crafted from 316L stainless steel with a gold finish and natural walnut wood.
There is an elegant gold finish and a high-quality Swiss quartz movement from Ronda. The strap is made from black italian leather and is equipped with a quick release function. Lastly, it’s water-resistant up to 3 atm and has a 2-year limited warranty.
Our favorite women’s watch is the Petite Black & Gold. It features a 34mm casing and the overall design combines natural cherry wood and gunmetal.
All of the wooden components are under a sturdy mineral crystal glass with a sapphire coating. The dial is made of circular brushed gunmetal with engraved numbers. This watch is also water-resistant up to 3 atm and comes with a 2-year warranty.
5.TID – Best Limited Edition Selection
TID is a Swedish term for “time” and they are a brand that understands the emotional value of a timepiece. The company is based in Stockholm and was founded in 2012 by Ola E. Bernestål, Petrus Palmér and design studio Form Us With Love’s, Jonas Pettersson, and John Löfgren.
TID does a wonderful job of exploring time through their products and creativity. Their collection uses both practical and forward-thinking designs, resulting in a watch that you can wear all of the time.
Even though their products are made with only the highest quality materials, they are extremely affordable. Additionally, they make it a point to collaborate with various artists to produce limited edition timepieces.
The only thing that bothered us about this brand is that the details of their watches aren’t very clear. They are extremely vague when it comes to describing what their watches are made from. Additionally, most of their watches seem to be sold out.
Their most popular women’s watch is the No.1 36 Black Edition. It has completely black features and graphic black-on-black aesthetics. It’s by far one of their boldest monochrome watches and doesn’t last long once it comes back into stock.
As far as the Men’s watches are concerned, their No. 1 40mm Black/Tan Leather Wristband watch is one of their most popular. This timepiece is made from stainless steel with either a monochromatic brushed steel finish or an ion coating. It’s paired beautifully with a tan leather wristband.
6.Ole Mathiesen – Best Classic Design
Ole Mathiesen has a small watch shop in Copenhagen and has been in the Mathiesen family for 3 generations.
In 1919, Axel Mathiesen took over a well-respected Swiss-made watch shop called Alvilv Dahl. In 1957, Alex Mathiesen gave the store to his watchmaker son, Ole. He had previously worked at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Ole designed his first watch under the family name. So not only did he own a watch shop, but he was also an independent watchmaker.
In its third generation, Ole’s son Christian runs the company. They create and sell high-end watches that bear the “Swiss Made” mark, which makes their watches even more valuable.
While we were scouring their website, we came across the 7097BRG19WU from the Tradition collection.
The collection pays tribute to the memory of Breguet. It features a self-winding anthracite movement with retrograde seconds. It’s set in 18-carat gold and is complemented by a brown alligator strap. The backing is made from sapphire crystal and it’s water-resistant up 3 atm.
7.Bulbul – Best Contemporary Collection
Bulbul was founded in 2013 by designer Jacob Juul. The first watch launched was the Pebble, which is named after the pebbles that are found along much of the Denmark coastline. Their watches are very contemporary. They merge daring and bold with high-quality, innovative craftsmanship.
Bulbul has a long-term, holistic perspective. Each one of their designs relates to the whole design family. Their watches are made from the most resilient materials and components they can find. Each one of their watches are meticulously crafted to ensure durability and perfection.
If you’re looking for a bare minimum, contemporary watch, the Ore 02 is what you’ll want.
It features a Swiss movement, an Italian leather band, sapphire glass, and a German steel band. The 316L steel case holds a Swiss Made, gold plated, four jewels Ronda Movement with 10 years of battery life. It’s water-resistant up to 5 atm as well. This timepiece runs upwards of $386.
8.Skagen – Best Modern Collection
Skagen was founded in 1989 and is named after a town within teh Jutland peninsula. It was created by Henrik and Charlotte Jorst, who moved to the US from Denmark. Even though the brand’s origins and designs are set around Danish styles, the watches had started being manufactured in Hong Kong.
In 2012. Fossil bought the brand. Their leading principle is “Good design for better living” and simplicity. These watches have an extremely clean and sleek design with uncomplicated features. They are made in China and use Japanese Miyota quartz movements. The brand is relatively affordable, costing roughly $100-$200 per watch.
Their top selling watch is the Grenen Black Leather Watch. It features a stainless steel case with a three hand date and black dial.
It’s complemented by a 22mm leather strap with a single prong buckle. The watch is water-resistant up to 3 atm and is on sale for $81.00. It’s a very simple design that’ll pair wonderfully with any outfit.
9.Georg Jensen – Most Prestigious Brand
The company began producing watches in 1969, but has a heritage dating all the way back to 1904 in Copenhagen. George Jensen was a goldsmith and a sculptor who made his way of living by establishing his silver smithy in Copenhagen.
Their watches are considered to be luxury high-end Swiss Made watches. Since watch production began, their designs have spread joy and elegance with a unique combination of functionality, artistic aesthetics, and craftsmanship.
Unfortunately, their watches can cost well over $1000.00. If you’re into luxury watches without worrying about the price tag, Georg Jensen is for you.
One of their most popular men’s watches is from the KOPPEL collection. This watch features a Swiss quartz movement inside of a stainless steel 316L case.
The parts are encased in a Convex, double curved sapphire crystal material and the dial is made from black enamel lacquer with inset printing. A calfskin strap pairs beautifully with the case and it;s water-resistant up to 3 atm.
If you’re looking for a women’s watch, we have another one from the KOPPEL collection you may like.
It features a Swiss quartz movement inside of a 3mm, stainless steel 316L case. The dial is composed of white mother-of-pearl with diamond indexes and inset printing. The case is beautifully paired with a white alligator skin strap. Don’t get too excited, though. This watch will cost over $2,000 when all is said and done.
10.Lars Larsen – Best Urban Design
Lars Larsen began in Svendborg, Denmark in 1919. Every one of their watches are meticulously assembled by skilled watchmakers in Denmark. They stand on the shoulders of a variety of Danish designers who helped make Danish design the phenomenon they are known as today.
Their inspiration comes from urban Danes’ casual and active lifestyle.
For urban Danes, watches aren’t about timekeeping anymore, they’re more about embracing time to the fullest. The quality and craftsmanship that is put into a Lars Larsen watch makes it an affordable luxury you can wear for life. Fortunately, they’re pretty affordable costing only 150-200 Euro.
As we tediously picked through their website looking for a watch that stood out, we came across the NOA.
We liked this watch because it’s one that we haven’t really seen before. It’s a 23.5 Ct. PVD rose gold plated watch set in 316 stainless steel.
The chronograph is rose gold but the dial is green. It’s definitely a color combination we haven’t seen before. It also has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with multiple anti-reflective coatings and it’s waterproof up to 2 atm. This watch is also part of the men’s collection.
Conclusion
As you can see, Danish watchmakers create some of the most gorgeous, unique, and luxurious watches. If they are marked with “Swiss Made”, don’t expect the watch to be affordable for an average person.
This is why we chose TRIWA as our best overall. They have a huge selection of luxury watches at prices that are affordable to everybody.
Other brands such as Lars Larsen and TID, also have affordable timepieces that are both unique and even limited edition. All in all, we hope that this article has given you the information you’re seeking.