I was in Shinola today off Rush in Chicago and checked out the just launched Runwell Automatic. I know they catch flack as a brand but Ann Arbor is my home town. Now that they have autos it's easier to support them. They have some great products outside of watches too. The store experience is top notch. Complimentary scotch, enough said! Personally I prefer the Wicker Park/Bucktown Shinola store due to a knowledgeable associate that used to work for Horween but Rush is the flagship and has a knowledgeable representative I've seen at both locations. Either one is a nice shop.
They still have a lot to learn and are growing to do, but overall I think they are starting to figure it out and heading in the right direction. I do feel the products are a bit overpriced but it is an American company with US wages. They do have distribution deals with major highend retailers, Neimans, Saks, and Nordstroms. This is where I've seen discounts for the quartz. One can hope the same filters down for the automatics. This is the second model they've launched as an auto. I've heard associates call the Monster line LE, but its not currently in the traditional sense, although the first run was a true LE. The Monster is a solid watch with nice wrist presence.
Anyway, back to their flagship, the Runwell. It houses a swiss sellita movement and is in 39mm or 45mm. I was able to check out 5. 2 39mm and 3 45mm. The 39mm, I wish it was 41/42mm (they have a quartz runwell in 41mm) but the 45mm wore smaller than 45 due to lug shape but still 45mm. They appear bigger in the wrist shots than real life. They did a very nice job on this watch. Check out the link below to find out more.
My initial thought is I'd buy one and probably will but didn't. It is my hometown! Take that for what its worth...
39mm
Black was nice but small in real life. Too much so for my tastes. The pics makes it look bigger. 41/42 would be a winner..
White was gold and feminine feeling. It didn't make the wrist shot cut. In fairness I don't think I strapped it to my wrist.
45mm
Black was vintage vibed, killer strap, and pretty cool.
White had an awesome lacquer appearance to the finish on the dial and a very nice strap.
Blue was very nice and mostly looked black with a nice strap.
Personally it would be the 45mm for me without question. It's hard to choose which one? Initially I went for the black but after trying on all three I can't say for sure which I'd choose. Opposed to the Monster, I thought I'd like the blue but hands down black on bracelet is the way I'd go with the Monster.
I know I liked the vintage brown strap the best as it suits my style more for what I'd wear this watch with. The dials are a toss up.
I typically like white the least but the finish was the best and made a strong argument for choosing white. That's rare for me and says volumes. It really made it feel dressier and worked well on the black strap.
The black had a very cool vintage feel that suites the watch style but so did the dressy feeling of the white. The black was a more of a slightly faded vintage black. Again, I liked it first and grabbed it first, and I think last too.
The blue was interesting. I like blue watches. The blue is very dark and at first I thought it was black but this had as much to do with being next to the black vintage as its midnight blue. In the right light the blue was more apparent and appealing. Being a wolverine fan the blue was just right.
In the end I still don't know which one? I am near there frequently and will report back with more pics and thoughts. If I had to choose today, the vintage strap for sure. The blue dial due to the Wolverines and Michigan roots makes a strong case. The black dial would be the one I'd take in stock configuration and probably would have walked out with on initial reaction alone. The white all day if white was my thing. Again, really tough call. They make a killer cordovan nato I'd love to see on all three that would influence my choice as its a top notch strap that would change the watch altogether. Though, I can't remember the width of it so it might not even be an option.
https://www.shinola.com/collections/runwell-automatic.html
The pics:
They still have a lot to learn and are growing to do, but overall I think they are starting to figure it out and heading in the right direction. I do feel the products are a bit overpriced but it is an American company with US wages. They do have distribution deals with major highend retailers, Neimans, Saks, and Nordstroms. This is where I've seen discounts for the quartz. One can hope the same filters down for the automatics. This is the second model they've launched as an auto. I've heard associates call the Monster line LE, but its not currently in the traditional sense, although the first run was a true LE. The Monster is a solid watch with nice wrist presence.
Anyway, back to their flagship, the Runwell. It houses a swiss sellita movement and is in 39mm or 45mm. I was able to check out 5. 2 39mm and 3 45mm. The 39mm, I wish it was 41/42mm (they have a quartz runwell in 41mm) but the 45mm wore smaller than 45 due to lug shape but still 45mm. They appear bigger in the wrist shots than real life. They did a very nice job on this watch. Check out the link below to find out more.
My initial thought is I'd buy one and probably will but didn't. It is my hometown! Take that for what its worth...
39mm
Black was nice but small in real life. Too much so for my tastes. The pics makes it look bigger. 41/42 would be a winner..
White was gold and feminine feeling. It didn't make the wrist shot cut. In fairness I don't think I strapped it to my wrist.
45mm
Black was vintage vibed, killer strap, and pretty cool.
White had an awesome lacquer appearance to the finish on the dial and a very nice strap.
Blue was very nice and mostly looked black with a nice strap.
Personally it would be the 45mm for me without question. It's hard to choose which one? Initially I went for the black but after trying on all three I can't say for sure which I'd choose. Opposed to the Monster, I thought I'd like the blue but hands down black on bracelet is the way I'd go with the Monster.
I know I liked the vintage brown strap the best as it suits my style more for what I'd wear this watch with. The dials are a toss up.
I typically like white the least but the finish was the best and made a strong argument for choosing white. That's rare for me and says volumes. It really made it feel dressier and worked well on the black strap.
The black had a very cool vintage feel that suites the watch style but so did the dressy feeling of the white. The black was a more of a slightly faded vintage black. Again, I liked it first and grabbed it first, and I think last too.
The blue was interesting. I like blue watches. The blue is very dark and at first I thought it was black but this had as much to do with being next to the black vintage as its midnight blue. In the right light the blue was more apparent and appealing. Being a wolverine fan the blue was just right.
In the end I still don't know which one? I am near there frequently and will report back with more pics and thoughts. If I had to choose today, the vintage strap for sure. The blue dial due to the Wolverines and Michigan roots makes a strong case. The black dial would be the one I'd take in stock configuration and probably would have walked out with on initial reaction alone. The white all day if white was my thing. Again, really tough call. They make a killer cordovan nato I'd love to see on all three that would influence my choice as its a top notch strap that would change the watch altogether. Though, I can't remember the width of it so it might not even be an option.
https://www.shinola.com/collections/runwell-automatic.html
The pics:
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