Shinola on Monday revealed its new Duck Automatic watch.
With a reimagined 38 mm case, the four-piece collection is powered by Japanese automatic movements, available in PVD Gold, stainless steel and alabaster, stainless steel and black. The new three styles feature the Miyota 9015 with about 42 hours of power reserve and an exclusive fourth iteration gift set with about 80 hours of power reserve — making Shinola one of the first American brands to use the new movement.
“The Duck has become one of our most recognizable and best-selling watch platforms, so bringing it into automatic felt like a natural next step,” Dana Mosa-Basha, director of marketing at Shinola, told WWD. “We wanted to preserve what people already love about the Duck — its versatility, color and slightly irreverent personality — while evolving it into a more elevated mechanical timepiece. It gives us a watch that feels substantial from a watchmaking perspective while still being distinctly Shinola.”
The accompanying campaign and short film for fall 2026 were created by Jonathan Bailey, creative director of Shinola, alongside brand partner GentleForces.
The four personalities spanning the entertainment, comedy, music and internet culture space tapped for the new campaign are Kareem Rahma, creator and host of “Subway Takes” and “Keep the Meter Going;” Tefi Pessoa, who recently was on “Love Island USA;” rapper Nems, whose song “Bing Bong” went viral during the Knicks win, and internet creator Benton McClintock. They have been tapped as faces for Shinola’s new watch.
Rapper Nems in the Shinola ad campaign. Courtesy photo
“We weren’t looking for four people who felt like traditional watch ambassadors,” explained Mosa-Basha. “We were looking for people with incredibly distinct voices who have built audiences because they are unmistakably themselves. Kareem, Tefi and Nems each occupy very different corners of culture, but they share that quality. Their audiences aren’t just following what they wear or what they recommend — they’re following their perspective, humor and personality.”
Celebrating going off script, the idea of the campaign stems from the idea of stepping away from endless demands that require time and attention.
Danni Mohammed, founder and chief executive officer of GentleForces, said that with each Shinola campaign created, the talent tapped bring a “new perspective and flavor.”
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Tefi Pessoa in the Shinola ad campaign. Courtesy photo.
Mosa-Basha also noted that the launch sees an “evolution” of Shinola alongside expanding its showcasing of the brand to a new audience.
“We’ve built tremendous loyalty with guests who know Shinola for craftsmanship, Detroit manufacturing and timeless design,” said Mosa-Basha. “The opportunity now is to introduce those same values to a younger audience in a way that feels relevant to how they discover brands today. We wanted the watch itself to feel like an approachable entry into mechanical watchmaking. That balance — broadening who feels invited into the brand without diluting the product — is really important to where Shinola is headed.”
She also said that the company continues to occupy a “unique position” in the marketplace given its heritage as a Detroit design brand with American production but also extends itself into other categories such as leather goods and jewelry.
The launch of the watch will continue throughout October, with activations occurring in Detroit with a duck-watching pop-up and a New York Watch Week celebration co-hosted by campaign face Nems.
Looking ahead, Shinola has seen growth. with business trending upwards more than 30 percent year over year and new customer growth increasing by 47 percent.
“The next chapter is about building on that momentum — strengthening our authority in watches, continuing to introduce meaningful product innovation and bringing Shinola to a broader audience. We’re also continuing to invest in Detroit and in our watchmaking capabilities there. As the business grows, the ambition isn’t to become something entirely different. It’s to make the world of Shinola bigger and bring more people into it, while staying deeply rooted in design, craft and Detroit,” concluded Mosa-Basha.
The Shinola Duck Automatic collection retails for $895 to $1,095 and is available on Tuesday for purchase in-store and on Shinola.com.
