Introducing the Shinola Station Agent

If you know one thing about me (aside from my penchant for GMT watches), it’s that I’m a bit of a fanboy when it comes to watches from Shinola, since they’re built in my old hometown. Now, they’ve embraced the train history of Detroit with the Shinola Station Agent.

Now, you may be wondering – what do you mean, the train history of Detroit? While we tend to think of trains for commuting and moving freight, passenger service still exists, and of course it had a much larger footprint not that long ago. That’s where this watch comes in. As Shinola puts it:

Nothing embodies what a Station Agent is about like the story of Michigan Central Station on December 27th, 1913. The old wooden station caught fire in the afternoon; by dinnertime, trains were running smoothly in and out of the new Michigan Central Station, which wasn’t supposed to open for another week. Reporters in the Free Press said nary a suitcase nor postcard was out of place. Thanks, in no small part, to the watchful eye (and seconds hand) of the Station Agent. 

As tribute to how the city and the station have risen from the ashes time and time again, the bespoke Runwell Automatic Station Agent box is treated with fire and embossed with the motto of Detroit and includes an exclusive story booklet and brass badge. 

So, yeah, there’s definitely a linkage there (and I can say I’ve taken the current iteration – Amtrak – along those rails. Never on time, though…) We’ve seen Shinola watches with automatic movements before (in their dive watches), but the Shinola Station Agent puts it into their popular Runwell design, complete with an exhibition caseback. Again, it’s a shame to see the Shinola “badge” missing from the caseback, but they’re showing off what they built.

Around front, the Shinola Station Agent is very much a Runwell, albeit with the small seconds on the dial. In terms of color scheme, it’s got some pseudo-vintage feel, with the white dial and aged luminous paint. Paired on the included brown strap, it’s got a nice casual feel; I think you could easily swap in a black leather strap and move it to a dressier watch if you wanted.

The new Shinola Station Agent is available now for $1,450 directly from shinola.com

Tech Specs from Shinola