A Philosophy of Time with Nordgreen Watches

In partnership with

Nordgreen launched in 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the aim of producing watches that were both minimalist and meaningful. To that end they collaborated with designer Jakob Wagner to create three timepieces. Norgreen built a direct-to-consumer platform that allows them to keep price points fair, and it’s currently only possible to buy their pieces online.

In addition to their commitment to design, Nordgreen has pledged that for every watch sold, a donation goes to a charity supporting one of three non-profits: Water for Good, providing clean water in the Central African Republic, Cool Earth, protecting rain forest in Latin America, and Pratham UK, providing education programs in India.

The watches are beautiful, with details that are both discreet and purposeful. They are available with mesh metal, leather, and nylon straps that you can also buy separately to switch up your style. Wearing a Nordgreen watch is truly wearing a piece of Danish design on your wrist, and luckily it’s more affordable than your average Egg Chair.

Here are Nordgreen’s three minimalist, Danish-designed watches:

The Infinity

There’s a lovely fluidity about the Infinity watch, found in the sum total of its many details. The body is rounded, while the actual face of the watch is concave. The 12 hour marks on the outer edge of the face all seem to fade inwards on a slope, and the minute and second hand pitch strongly forward, and just slightly backward, symbolising the ongoing nature of time. It’s a delicate watch, and we love the rose gold mesh iteration.

The Infinity in 40mm, $195 – 220

The Infinity in 36mm, $195 – 220

The Philosopher

The Philosopher represents a philosophy of time, one that focuses on the present while paying respect to the past and future. The conical body of the watch is wider at the face than the base, and an asymmetrical second hand that motions back towards the past as it strikes the present. The concentric circles inside the face of the watch demarcate the space between actual time (where the second and minute hand strike) and the space that labels time (the markers). This small geometric detail adds an architectural characteristic to the wristwatch.

The Philosopher in 40mm, $205 – 230

The Philosopher in 36mm, $205 – 230

The Native

The idea behind the Native is that it captures the timeless (ha!) style of those from Copenhagen. Nordgreen is a brand that celebrates their Danish, and specifically Copenhagen, heritage, and this watch is an homage to classic lines, top quality materials, and functionality. The light, rounded back and clean, open face make it easy to wear with anything.