Shinola Goes Dark With the Black Blizzard

Detroit’s watchmakers have built a successful business. Now they’re getting aggressive.

Despite taking its name from the dust storms that made the grapes of the thirties so wrathful, the Black Blizzard is good news for American watchmaking. Shinola’s latest is cast in a polished titanium case—a first for the Detroit-based brand—that shines and glints like a Mustang’s fender. Hand assembled in Motor City, the chronograph comes in two case sizes (42mm and 48mm) and takes the brand’s old-school aesthetics to a bolder extreme with a toothy diver-style bezel.

Anyone whose been following Shinola’s progress (Bill Clinton, Bruce Weber) will recognize the echoes of the Runwell in the design, but despite its bolder dial, the Blizzard sits noticeably lighter on the wrist. The power source is Shinola’s Argonite 5050 quartz chronograph movement, with a 1/10th of a second chrono and big date indicator.

In addition to both the black rubber strap and metal bracelet, each watch also comes with a rather substantial armory of accessories, including a leather card wallet, carrying case and leather-bound coffee table book that details the effects of the dust storms that kicked America’s breadbasket into wicker shreds. It’s a hell of a package and a hell of a tribute to the frontier spirit – which, well, shined on – but the watch would have been enough. [$1,500; Shinola.com]

Photos by Shinola