The former leader of the free world can afford whatever darn watch he pleases—we don’t need to rehash the details of his book deal, do we?—but Barack Obama seems to have taken his role as ambassador of all things American beyond his tenure in the Oval Office. For example: he rocked a Detroit-assembled Shinola Runwell at an exhibition game between the good ole’ U.S. of A. and Canada this week ahead of the Paris Olympics. (Perhaps due to Presidential influence, the Americans clinched the win by 14 points.)
Shinola’s watchmaking story is an interesting one, but in brief: Folks my grandparents’ age will remember Shinola as a shoeshine, and in particular the once-popular dig “You don’t know shit from Shinola.” In 2011, American entrepreneur Tom Kartsotis, founder of Fossil, launched a lifestyle company that borrowed the name of the defunct shoeshine manufacturer. The idea was that Americans would be willing to pay a premium for American-made products, and for products produced in Detroit in particular—and indeed, this seems to have worked, as there are now standalone Shinola retail outposts located across the nation.
A few years back, the brand ran into some trouble with the FTC concerning its marketing strategy, as the definition of “American-made” with respect to watchmaking is a strict one, and Shinola’s watches are assembled in Detroit from largely foreign-made parts. However, the brand seems to have largely moved past this hiccup, releasing its first mechanical watch in 2017 and continuing to expand its offerings. These days, you can spend a few thousand bucks on an automatic Shinola if you so please, but many of the brand’s wares remain affordably priced well below $1,000. And the whole Detroit angle? It worked: Presidents Clinton and Obama have purchased them and given them away as gifts.
President Obama’s personal watch is from the Runwell collection. Measuring 41mm in stainless steel, it has the WWI-era trench watch-influenced case lines of many Shinola watches, with wire-type lugs, an onion crown, and a smooth, polished bezel. The white dial is also clearly influenced by vintage American pocket and trench watches, with Black Arabic indices, a simple minute track, and a sub-seconds indicator above 6 o’clock. The sword hands are lumed for night-time reading, and the dial is proudly signed with the brand name, movement name, and “Detroit.” (In a cool touch, the caseback also has a laser-etched, individual serial number.)
Powered by the Argonite 1069 quartz movement, the Runwell measures just 10.1mm thick and comes paired to a brown leather strap with contrasting top stitching. A dressier piece, it’s only water resistant to 50m, so it wouldn’t be the best choice for the President if he decides to take the family scuba diving. But at $595, it’s almost a no-brainer graduation gift—or even a nice holiday present, for that matter. Who knows if Tom Kartsotis envisaged presidents wearing his watches when he founded the brand, but you’ve gotta admit: It’s a marketing slam dunk.
