Does anyone else struggle to read their watch at a quick glance?

It depends a lot on the specific watch. Some skeletons have decent contrast on the hands and markers, others are basically abstract art with a crown. What did you get?

I've been wearing skeletons for years. Honest answer: no, it doesn't really get easier, you just get used to looking twice. If I need to know the time fast I grab a different watch.

It's an openworked automatic with silver hands on a dark movement. Looks great in photos, less great at 7am in a dim kitchen.

Silver hands on a dark skeleton is tough. I had one like that, and ended up selling it partly because of that. Now I look for skeletonized watches with at least some lume or blued hands that catch light differently.

Reading the time on a skeleton is a skill, sort of. You learn to recognize the position of the hands against the visible gear train rather than looking for a clean dial. But low light is always going to be a compromise unless there's lume. And most openworked pieces don't bother with much lume.

I just use my phone if I'm in a hurry. The watch is for me to enjoy, not for timing a train

That's fair, but some of us want a watch that actually works as a watch. I don't think that's unreasonable.

Agreed. I still wear mine most days but I stopped pretending it's a tool. It's jewelry that happens to tell time if you're patient.

Has anyone tried swapping to a strap that contrasts with the case? Sounds silly, but a lighter strap helped me orient the watch faster somehow. Or maybe I just imagined it.