Shinola’s New Chronograph Is Detroit’s Answer to the Moonwatch

The brand’s first manual-wind chrono pays tribute to the Motor City’s role in the moon landings.

Published July 10, 2024

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock … on the moon … you’re likely familiar with the story of the first watch worn on the moon. In case you aren’t, here’s the abridged version.

In 1965, Omega’s Speedmaster beat out a group of other chronographs to become the only watch qualified for NASA’s manned flight missions. Four years later, a Speedy was on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin as he set foot on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, and ever since then the Speedmaster Professional has colloquially been known as the Moonwatch.

Few other watches ever made it to the lunar surface during subsequent moon landings — only a Bulova prototype and, perhaps, a Rolex GMT-Master. But the draw of the Moonwatch remains one of the most compelling in the watch industry, and now Detroit-based Shinola has launched its take on an American Moonwatch with its first-ever manual-wind chronograph.

Shinola Mooncraft Monster Apollo 11 Edition

$3,995 at Shinola

The Motor City Moonwatch

While it’s safe to say that Shinola’s new watch takes some inspiration from the Omega Speedmaster — it’s an Apollo 11-themed hand-wound chronograph — the watch is not a copy. Hell, I wouldn’t even call it an homage.

Officially dubbed the Mooncraft Monster Apollo 11 Edition, the watch is an important release for Shinola as it represents another big step toward becoming a watch enthusiast brand.

Powering the watch is the manual-wind Sellita SW510 M b movement, marking the first time a hand-wound chronograph movement has ever found its way inside a Shinola. The movement boasts a 58-hour power reserve and is nicely decorated with black rhodium plating. It’s visible through a sapphire caseback.

shinola watch movement — The Sellita movement powering the Mooncraft Monster is Shinola’s first-ever hand-wound chronograph.

Another premium touch is the material used to construct the watch. Shinola eschewed stainless steel in favor of lightweight titanium for the case and three-link bracelet. The clasp is titanium as well and features a quick-adjust mechanism, something that still isn’t consistently seen on the offerings of many luxury brands.

The chronograph is operated via pump-style pushers which flank an oversized knurled bezel, both of which give off retro tool watch vibes to my eye. Also exuding such vibes are the boxed sapphire crystal and the bezel, which features a coin edge and a matte blue aluminum insert. It’s unidirectional and functions like a dive-time bezel, and while this obviously isn’t a dive watch, the Mooncraft Monster is depth-rated to 100m.

shinola watch on a mans wrist — The design of the watch is both retro and patriotic.

A Tribute to Detroit’s Apollo 11 Role

The Apollo program was not just achieved by a handful of astronauts at NASA. It was a massive undertaking involving hundreds of thousands of scientists, engineers, and other experts from across the United States.

One power center that was crucial in helping to achieve history’s only successful manned moon landings was Detroit. In the 1960s, the Michigan city was still a major industrial force thanks to its de facto role as the nation’s automotive manufacturing capital.

Chrysler developed the Saturn I and Saturn IB rocket’s first stage. GM designed the Lunar Roving Vehicle used in Apollo 15, 16 and 17. And Ford, through its subsidiary Philco-Ford, designed the mission control consoles that guided the astronauts from Earth.

shinola watch dial closeup — A subtle minute-track label pays tribute to the first moon landing.

To pay tribute to Detroit’s hitherto unheralded role in the Apollo program, Shinola’s new watch features a throwback patriotic color scheme of red, blue and cream, with the label “Apollo 11 – July 20 1969” printed on the minute track. The watch also includes special commemorative packaging detailing the important role Detroit played in the moon missions.

A Cool Watch or a Cash Grab?

There are certainly some cynical people out there who will be highly critical of this watch. Shinola was not even a brand at the time of the Apollo program, so one could say they’re simply riding the coattails of others. What’s more, as has long been the case with Shinola, plenty of people view the brand’s whole Detroit origin story as both opportunistic and disingenuous.

Personally, I think it’s a pretty cool watch. The Detroit stuff doesn’t bother me — Shinola has been in the city for well over a decade now and has created a ton of jobs, while also bringing some semblance of manufacturing back to the region. As for the Apollo theming, watch brands constantly create tribute watches to events and entities to which they have no real tangible connection, so again, I see nothing wrong there.

At a hair under 15mm thick, the Mooncraft Monster isn’t exactly svelte.

Shinola

I think the Mooncraft Monster is a good-looking chronograph with a nice movement and some really impressive specs. If I had to nitpick, I’d say the thickness of 14.95mm is too thick — that would be more excusable if this were an automatic, but for a hand-cranker it’s a chonker. Additionally, I think the watch is slightly overpriced at $3,995, but that’s the case with almost every Shinola watch.

But overall, I love what this watch represents for Shinola. It brings the brand one step closer toward being the high-end American watch brand it’s always longed to be, and I think anyone who picks one up is going to be quite happy with it.

The Mooncraft Monster is limited to 500 pieces and is available to pre-order now from Shinola.