Hands-on with the Shinola Canfield Sport

As I mentioned in our preview article the day the watch launched, I felt more drawn to the 40mm variants of the Shinola Canfield Sport. While the 45mm might be the more technically interesting with the extra date-related complications, it’s the compactness of the smaller sibling that does it for me. We recently spent some time with a 40mm Shinola Canfield Sport, and now it’s time to share our thoughts.

Now, don’t worry – the Shinola Canfield Sport is not about to turn me into one of the chronograph faithful. I still don’t have a particularly good use case for a chronograph, but I do like what Detroit-based Shinola is doing, both in terms of the products they’re making and the place they’ve decided to call home. Obviously, the Shinola Canfield Sport is powered by a quartz chronograph movement, and makes some interesting design choices. In that the registers are not what one would consider on the centerline. This is odd because the upper two have chrome rings, which lean it towards a panda-eye style of layout, but a break from the aesthetics you might expect there.

Internally for team WWR, this caused some consternation. Now, for me, who’s (again) not much for chronographs, I liked the dials being above the centerline, as it sets the watch apart a bit. That, along with the third sub-dial that doesn’t have the ring (and tries to blend in more) makes for a clever look. And for me, with the Shinola Canfield Sport, it’s all about the looks.

Here, the slate blue dial is spot on. And hey, look at that, they even managed to have a color-matched date wheel in there. Even the ceramic insert in the fixed bezel carries the same hue (albeit in a much shinier finish). Paired as this one was to a cognac strap, it carried a casual feel. Swap something darker, say a grey or black, onto those wire-style lugs (another detail I like on the Shinola watches) and you could certainly have something that’s a bit dressier.

With a price of $850, this iteration of the Shinola Canfield Sport is on the more affordable end of the range (which tops out at $1,100 for the 45mm on a steel bracelet). Still a premium pile of coin for a Ronda-powered quartz chronograph, for sure, but if you’re a fan of the Shinola aesthetic (and story, of course), then you’ll probably be ok with that. That is to say, it’s in line with the pricing tiers we’ve seen established for the brand. And frankly, if you like it and can afford it, then who cares what anyone else may think? You do you, and all that. For me, I’d opt for a three-hander or a GMT (as we saw in the Filson pair-up), but I wouldn’t mind seeing this shade of blue pop up other places in the catalog, that’s for sure. shinola.com