Delite: Danish design for life by the sea

Denmark is a country where you are never more than a few dozen kilometres from the sea — and its design shows it. Delite, founded by Peter Seidelin Jessen, is the finest example: nautical objects combining craftsmanship, function and that warmth the Danes call hygge.

Keeper of the storm glass

Delite is today the great name in handcrafted storm glasses: the mysterious ampoule of shifting crystals we explained in this guide. Every piece is made and checked by hand, and — a very Danish detail — there is a repair and spares service instead of throwaway culture.

Warm light: lamps and lanterns

From Delite and their compatriots at E.S. Sørensen come our Danish oil lamps and electric lamps: cabin lanterns, table lamps and wall lights that give that golden glow no light bulb quite imitates. Many models exist in 12 V versions for on board.

And the Schatz legacy

Delite is also the house that keeps the Schatz 1881 clocks in production — we tell that story here — including the supply of original movements and spare parts. German tradition, Danish hands: a combination that is hard to beat.

Hesitating between the series? Read Delite instruments: Clausen, Zealand or Royal Mariner — which series to choose.

Måløv, Denmark: a design house by the sea

Delite is based in Måløv, some twenty kilometres from Copenhagen, and its name is a play on delight. The house brings together under one roof several Danish traditions of objects for the boat and coastal life, among them the lamps of E.S. Sørensen and, for years now, the manufacture of the Schatz 1881 clocks and instruments. The common thread is Nordic design: simple forms, honest materials — brass, stainless steel, glass, wood — and pieces made to last and to be repaired.

What Delite makes

• Lamps: the oil lamps of old (Ship's Lamp, Captain's Cabin, Old Danish, Petrolux) and the Fyrskib, designed by Peter Seidelin Jessen, a lightship-inspired lamp in brass and steel. In ship's lamps and oil lamps.
• Storm glasses for wall and table, in storm glasses.
• Thermometers, enamelled and wall-mounted, and hygrometers, in thermometers and hygrometers.
• Clocks and barometers of its own, such as the Clausen line in brushed stainless steel and the Royal Mariner porthole instruments, alongside the whole Schatz 1881 range (Royal, Midi, Fyrkat).
• Nautical gifts in wooden boxes — sextant, telescope, dice, cards, liqueur glasses — and décor such as porthole tealight holders and key rings, in nautical decoration.

Why we import directly

RelojesNauticos.es works in direct import with the Danish maker: that means the full catalogue, original references and, above all, spare parts. Wicks, glasses, burners, gimbals, keys and movements come from the same factory as the original piece; you will find them in spare parts. It is the difference between a seasonal object and one that passes from one generation to the next.

How to recognise the Delite style

Calm proportions, no superfluous ornament, finishes that age well: lacquered brass that needs no polishing, brushed steel that hides marks of use, acacia wood for boards and boxes. These are objects made for daily use, at home and on board, which is why they work so well as gifts — see our nautical gift guide. The full range is on the Delite brand page.

Frequently asked questions

Are Schatz 1881 and Delite the same company?

Schatz 1881 is a brand with its own history (Triberg, 1881) that is today made and developed under Delite in Denmark; we tell the story in the history of Schatz 1881.

Are Delite lamps the old E.S. Sørensen lamps?

Yes: the classic E.S. Sørensen models continue within Delite, with the same compatible spares.

Where are the products made?

The main lamps and instruments in Denmark; some gift and décor items are produced outside Denmark under Delite's design and control.