If you’re into minimalism and love a classic look, the Daniel Wellington watch will hit the spot. The watch face is clean and ultra thin and only has the bare essentials. It comes without a second hand so the watch is, well, silently free. If you’ve ever been bothered by the ticking sound while trying to fall asleep at night, you’ll know exactly what I mean. When I finally decided I was going to get myself a Daniel Wellington watch, I went through countless photos of the different variations of their watches on their Instagram account. I finally decided to go with the classic look in rose gold with the Bristol leather strap. Of course, at the last minute I broke down and ordered the black Sheffield strap as well.
All was not bright and rosy when I finally received the package the next evening. There were some flaws in the strap as a scratch in the band. I was slightly disappointed as many of the reviews had emphasized the “luxury quality” of this watch, and it seemed rather odd that their quality control passed a scratched strap. Perhaps it’s because these watches have been made in China, but then so are iPhones so I’m not sure what to say on that front. I decided not to bother with exchanging the watch, as I figured that the flaw and scratch were both going to be sitting under my wrist.
When I tried the watch on, I have to admit that I did cringe as the leather started cracking a little as soon as wrapped it around my wrist. I’m a little undecided on how I feel about this roughened up look. I guess I sort of expected the leather to look like this after a year or two rather than the second I put it on. It does make the strap look like a brighter brown instead of the dark brown that I was going for, but maybe the worn-in look will grow on me.
The face of the watch is beautiful and I have no regrets on choosing the rose gold instead of the silver. If you want to use the watch with a brown strap as well as a black one, I think rose gold is the more versatile color to choose. While gold and silver might stand out on a black or brown strap, I feel like the rose gold has a softer look that makes the color combination a dream.
Part of the reason the Daniel Wellington watch appealed to me was the fact that I can switch out the strap at home without having to make a trip to a watch store. It’s like having two different watches at a cheaper price. The watch came with a small tool that allows you to push the spring in and pull out the strap. I was surprised however, to find that the extra strap did not come with it’s own spring. So you have to tug out the spring from the strap that was on the watch, and fit it into the extra strap.
So far I much prefer the black Sheffield strap to the brown Bristol. It just has a cleaner look with soft slick leather that perfects the minimalistic look. The backwards D in the logo is a little trippy and makes me want to read the whole thing backwards. Wellington, Daniel. It sounds about right since I’m currently living in Korea where the last name is read before the first name.
As you can see, the leather hasn’t cracked up like the brown Bristol strap and has maintained a solid black look. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the leather of both straps will age well, but I’ve not got high hopes for the brown one. The face of the watch was everything I dreamed of with its slim minimalistic look, but the straps left much to be wanted for. However, I don’t particularly regret buying the Daniel Wellington watch as I got it on sale and I absolutely love the clean cut slim aesthetic. I’m in trouble though, because I may want to start collecting pretty watches now that I’ve got a taste of this one!
Your turn ♥ So tell me, how many watches have you collected and which one is your favorite?
