The Wear OS-powered Skagen Falster definitely gets form right—it's easily one of the best-looking smartwatches we've seen.
Starting at $275, however, it's disappointing to see it lacks some of the functionality we've come to expect at this price range, like GPS, NFC payments, and heart rate monitoring.
So while the Falster is a beautiful smart timepiece for the fashion-conscious, there are plenty of stylish alternatives, like the Fitbit Versa, that do more.
Simple and Chic
The Falster's minimalist design is gorgeous, with clean lines and raised lugs.
It's relatively lightweight at 1.4 ounces, and its 42mm case isn't overpowering on smaller wrists, making it a good unisex option.
The case is made of stainless steel and comes in black, silver, or rose gold.
20mm straps come in black leather, brown leather, steel mesh, or rose gold steel mesh.
The leather options go for $275, while the steel mesh bands are $295.
We received a rose gold model (both case and band) to review.
The Falster is comfortable to wear, and pairs nicely with a wide range of outfits from casual to formal.
It's rated IP67 for water resistance, though neither the leather nor steal bands are particularly gym-friendly.
No matter which band you choose, you'll find a single button on the side of the case.
Pressing it once brings up the main menu, while holding it down activates Google Assistant.
The OLED display is fully round and features a resolution of 390 by 390 pixels, making for crisp, detailed images and text.
It's What's Inside That Counts
Google's Android Wear is now Wear OS, but aside from the name change, there isn't much of a difference between the version of Wear OS here and the builds of Android Wear 2.0 we've tested in the past.
Things load more quickly, making for a better overall experience, but there isn't anything radically different.
The Wear OS app for iOS has been updated, making it easier to edit Google Assistant settings and select which apps you get notifications for.
As for unique software, Skagen focuses primarily on watch faces.
If you swipe left from the main screen and tap the small gear icon, you can customize the face's color and complications.
Under the hood, the Falster sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, as well as an accelerometer and a gyroscope.
It definitely doesn't have a big battery, however, as it petered out after about 16 hours of moderate use with notifications enabled.
The Falster doesn't have GPS, heart rate monitoring, or NFC.
The lack of heart rate and GPS are somewhat understandable, as this isn't a particularly fitness-oriented design.
But NFC is becoming a fairly common feature, with more and more retailers accepting it for contactless payments.
And at this price range, we expect to find all three sensors, like you do in the Fitbit Ionic.
Fitness Tracking
Although no one will mistake the Falster for a fitness tracker, it boasts pretty good accuracy.
On a one-mile indoor treadmill walk at 3.5 miles per hour, it logged 2,028 steps, for a just a four-percent difference from the 2,114 steps recorded by a Yamax SW-200 Digi-Walker.
On a one-mile treadmill run at 5mph, it logged 1,927 steps to the Yamax's 1,946 steps, for an excellent difference of less than one percent.
For distance tracking, the Falster underreported my walk as 0.86-mile, and overreported my run as 1.12 miles.
That's not surprising given the lack of advanced sensors, and unlikely to be a problem unless you plan to use the watch to track your runs.
Despite the Falster's relative accuracy, I wouldn't recommend it for intense sessions at the gym.
The steel mesh band isn't breathable or flexible, and can potentially irritate sweaty skin.
And you don't want to get the leather band sweaty, period.
But it's fine for light activities—I found it comfortable enough for a 90-minute restorative yoga class and long walks around the city.
If you're looking for more granularity when it comes to your fitness metrics, you're better off looking at a smartwatch-fitness tracker hybrid like the Fitbit Versa or the Garmin Vivoactive 3.
Both give you more a lot more options when it comes to tracking things like exercise, heart rate, weight, and sleep.
Conclusions
The Skagen Falster gets top marks for style.
But there are plenty of other stylish smartwatches in this price range that track a wider range of metrics and have better battery life.
The Misfit Path, for instance, costs significantly less at $150 and measures steps, distance, and sleep.
It doesn't have a touch screen, but it's compact, elegant, and doesn't need charging.
If you're an iPhone user, the Apple Watch Series 3 costs a bit more at $329, but you get a lot more for your money, including heart rate monitoring and access to Apple's superior third-party app library.
Our Editors' Choice, meanwhile, remains the Fitbit Versa.
Not only is it $100 less than the Falster, it has over four days of battery life, a growing app ecosystem, continuous heart rate monitoring, and extensive fitness features.
Pros
Sleek, unisex design.
Accurate step counts.
The Bottom Line
The Skagen Falster is a supremely attractive smartwatch that doesn't do quite as much as similarly priced alternatives.
The ideal smartwatch balances form and function.
The Wear OS-powered Skagen Falster definitely gets form right—it's easily one of the best-looking smartwatches we've seen.
Starting at $275, however, it's disappointing to see it lacks some of the functionality we've come to expect at this price range, like GPS, NFC payments, and heart rate monitoring.
So while the Falster is a beautiful smart timepiece for the fashion-conscious, there are plenty of stylish alternatives, like the Fitbit Versa, that do more.
Simple and Chic
The Falster's minimalist design is gorgeous, with clean lines and raised lugs.
It's relatively lightweight at 1.4 ounces, and its 42mm case isn't overpowering on smaller wrists, making it a good unisex option.
The case is made of stainless steel and comes in black, silver, or rose gold.
20mm straps come in black leather, brown leather, steel mesh, or rose gold steel mesh.
The leather options go for $275, while the steel mesh bands are $295.
We received a rose gold model (both case and band) to review.
The Falster is comfortable to wear, and pairs nicely with a wide range of outfits from casual to formal.
It's rated IP67 for water resistance, though neither the leather nor steal bands are particularly gym-friendly.
No matter which band you choose, you'll find a single button on the side of the case.
Pressing it once brings up the main menu, while holding it down activates Google Assistant.
The OLED display is fully round and features a resolution of 390 by 390 pixels, making for crisp, detailed images and text.
It's What's Inside That Counts
Google's Android Wear is now Wear OS, but aside from the name change, there isn't much of a difference between the version of Wear OS here and the builds of Android Wear 2.0 we've tested in the past.
Things load more quickly, making for a better overall experience, but there isn't anything radically different.
The Wear OS app for iOS has been updated, making it easier to edit Google Assistant settings and select which apps you get notifications for.
As for unique software, Skagen focuses primarily on watch faces.
If you swipe left from the main screen and tap the small gear icon, you can customize the face's color and complications.
Under the hood, the Falster sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, as well as an accelerometer and a gyroscope.
It definitely doesn't have a big battery, however, as it petered out after about 16 hours of moderate use with notifications enabled.
The Falster doesn't have GPS, heart rate monitoring, or NFC.
The lack of heart rate and GPS are somewhat understandable, as this isn't a particularly fitness-oriented design.
But NFC is becoming a fairly common feature, with more and more retailers accepting it for contactless payments.
And at this price range, we expect to find all three sensors, like you do in the Fitbit Ionic.
Fitness Tracking
Although no one will mistake the Falster for a fitness tracker, it boasts pretty good accuracy.
On a one-mile indoor treadmill walk at 3.5 miles per hour, it logged 2,028 steps, for a just a four-percent difference from the 2,114 steps recorded by a Yamax SW-200 Digi-Walker.
On a one-mile treadmill run at 5mph, it logged 1,927 steps to the Yamax's 1,946 steps, for an excellent difference of less than one percent.
For distance tracking, the Falster underreported my walk as 0.86-mile, and overreported my run as 1.12 miles.
That's not surprising given the lack of advanced sensors, and unlikely to be a problem unless you plan to use the watch to track your runs.
Despite the Falster's relative accuracy, I wouldn't recommend it for intense sessions at the gym.
The steel mesh band isn't breathable or flexible, and can potentially irritate sweaty skin.
And you don't want to get the leather band sweaty, period.
But it's fine for light activities—I found it comfortable enough for a 90-minute restorative yoga class and long walks around the city.
If you're looking for more granularity when it comes to your fitness metrics, you're better off looking at a smartwatch-fitness tracker hybrid like the Fitbit Versa or the Garmin Vivoactive 3.
Both give you more a lot more options when it comes to tracking things like exercise, heart rate, weight, and sleep.
Conclusions
The Skagen Falster gets top marks for style.
But there are plenty of other stylish smartwatches in this price range that track a wider range of metrics and have better battery life.
The Misfit Path, for instance, costs significantly less at $150 and measures steps, distance, and sleep.
It doesn't have a touch screen, but it's compact, elegant, and doesn't need charging.
If you're an iPhone user, the Apple Watch Series 3 costs a bit more at $329, but you get a lot more for your money, including heart rate monitoring and access to Apple's superior third-party app library.
Our Editors' Choice, meanwhile, remains the Fitbit Versa.
Not only is it $100 less than the Falster, it has over four days of battery life, a growing app ecosystem, continuous heart rate monitoring, and extensive fitness features.
Pros
Sleek, unisex design.
Accurate step counts.
The Bottom Line
The Skagen Falster is a supremely attractive smartwatch that doesn't do quite as much as similarly priced alternatives.
