Time To Talk About Detroit Watch Company

Detroit, the home of Ford, is famous for its motors. But what about the motors in the mechanical watches from Detroit Watch Company?

When we talk about luxury watch brands, names like Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Omega often spring to mind.  

If you’re a sports watch collector, you might be familiar with Audemars Piguet or Tissot. Motorsports enthusiasts may gravitate towards a TAG Heuer. Chronograph fans may be partial to a Breitling or two. All of these brands have Swiss heritage.  

Then, we have German watch manufacturers like Nomos and Junghans. Japanese giants like Seiko and Casio also have a huge presence in the industry. 

Goodness, even Great Britain can trace its watchmaking history back to the late 1800s! But what about America? Time to find out in this article!

USA Watchmakers  

America doesn’t have a huge watchmaking industry. Many US watch brands source components, movements, and materials from suppliers in Switzerland or Japan. 

Don’t get me wrong, many watch brands assemble watches here in the United States. But can you really say they are true American watch brands?

Companies like RGM, Oak & Oscar, and Martenero are different. They either manufacture their own watches in-house or test the parts themselves. RGM, for example, makes its own movements and designs all its parts.

Likewise, Martenero creates its watch designs and assembles its watches in-house. It sources movements from Miyota but watches straps from within the US.  

Detroit Watch Company has a similar ethos. Today, we’re going to look at the company in some detail and whether it makes quality watches.

My Detroit Watch Company Review

Detroit Watch Company is a relatively young brand. It arrived in 2013 thanks to a pair of married designers named Amy and Patrick Ayoub. Patrick already had some experience in watchmaking. He’d designed watches for brands in the US and Europe before. 

As you can imagine from its name, this watch brand celebrates the history of its birth city. The collections take inspiration from everything, from Detroit’s architecture to the growth of the city itself.

Some even take inspiration from vintage aircraft manufactured in Detroit during WWII.

Detroit Watch Company reviews are generally good. The brand isn’t like many other watch companies in America.

It may not manufacture its own movements, but it does create and build its designs in Detroit. Once the design and assembly are finished, Patrick Ayoub tests them himself.  

The company doesn’t manufacture watches on a mass scale, either. It only produces around 400-500 watches each year. This small-scale approach keeps prices pretty reasonable and appeals to a passionate audience.  

Although the timepieces manufactured by Detroit Watch Co. take inspiration from Detroit’s history, they don’t just appeal to Michigan-based collectors. 

In fact, 70% of its watches are sold outside of Michigan. The company also supplies 10% of its watches overseas. 

Timepieces from the brand sit in the region of $845 – $1850, making them very reasonably priced. 

The brand’s collections have established an identity of their own, making them easy to tell apart. 

Let’s take a closer look at these different models. 

Popular Watches From Detroit Watch Company

Like with any watch company, there are a few standout designs that deserve a mention when discussing Detroit Watch Company.  

Pride of Detroit Aviator

The Pride of Detroit Aviator is among one of the brand’s most popular designs. Inspired by Edward F Schlee, a Detroit native, and his aircraft, the watch boasts strong aviation watch aesthetics. Schlee and his pilot friend, Bill Brick, attempted (unsuccessfully) to circumnavigate the world in an aircraft during the 1920s.  

The Pride of Detroit Aviator watch has a legible dial with luminous Arabic numerals and a red tip on the central second hand. If you like aviation tool watches, this design is certainly worth checking out.  

Detroit 1701 Ponchartrain

Although we normally associate Ponchartrain with New Orleans, Fort du Ponchartrain Detroit is where this watch takes its inspiration. The fort is a historical landmark of the city, built to protect the French fur trade from the British. 

Within the collection is the 1701 Ponchartrain GMT Dual Time Zone. Priced affordably, it packs in a load of cool features. The model launched in 2017 and features a polished 43mm case that elevates the watch for dressier occasions.

Thanks to a reliable Swiss movement secured inside the watch, it has a date window at 3. It also features crisp hour markers and a second time zone indicator. 

The 24-hour track features around the outer periphery of the dial. It works in conjunction with a legible red-tipped GMT hand for tracking another time zone.  

Detroit M1-Woodward 

The first edition of the M1-Woodward sold out in less than a month. Watch enthusiasts liked its technical, sporty look with a trio of chronograph dials displayed in the 6-9-12 layout. Now, the M1-Woodward is a mainstay in the brand’s portfolio.

stainless steel case frames red accents in the chronograph features along with a day-function at 3H. A Moonphase followed this popular model in 2018, diversifying the collection further.  

City Collection 313 

The City Collection is a quirky range of models from the Detroit Watch Company. They take inspiration from old rotary phones with recessed hour markers that give the watches an incredibly suave, retro edge.  

Even cooler, the City Collection 313 named its pieces after Detroit’s area code!

Detroit Watch Company vs. Shinola 

Detroit Watch Company shares its territory with another company named Shinola. Shinola became known for its “Built in Detroit” lettering stamped to the back of its watches. Let’s just say it caused a little bit of controversy among watch enthusiasts.  

But how does each company bear up when we look at Detroit Watch Company vs. Shinola? Let’s figure this one out together.

About Shinola  

Here’s where things are going to get a little opinionated. Shinola sells stacks of watches daily. It has bricks and mortar stores popping up all over the place. 

However, is the brand truly a 100% pure local Detroit Watch manufacturer as it claims? Well, it’s debatable.

Shinola only produces quartz watches and sources its parts from China. It assembles its parts, however, in Detroit. But does it make the watch Detroit-made? Not really. 

Detroit Watch Company also sources parts from third parties, but it does put these parts through stringent quality tests. It also produces mechanical timepieces – a step up from Shinola, without a doubt.

Shinola runs a huge marketing campaign based on being a watch company with a soul. As you can imagine, many challenge its claims about making 100% authentic Detroit watches. 

Watch experts have taken a swipe at Shinola’s movements and quality, questioning its ethics. All said and done, Shinola watches certainly don’t lack style, and the brand does have a loyal fan base.  

About Detroit Watch Co. 

Detroit Watch Company seems to offer more in the way of “soul”. Its website is pretty transparent, detailing how it assembles its watches and where it sources its parts from. 

Because these watches begin as pencil sketches before the assembly and testing phase, they carry out production in limited quantities. 

The company lists its mechanical movements, too. There is mention of reliable names like Miyota and ETA – some of the industry’s most trusted.

Conclusion: Better Than Shinola  

If you’re looking for an American watch company that makes affordable, automatic wristwatches, Detroit Watch Company is a good choice.  

Superior to Shinola watches, which are Chinese, the company controls the quality of all its Swiss and Japanese components.  

Detroit Watch Company parts undergo stringent quality tests, including their reliable Swiss-made movements. What’s more, its prices are reasonable, and its designs capture the spirit of the city from which they take inspiration.  

Do you own a watch from this brand? Let me know your favorite model in the comments below!