Shinola’s Elijah McCoy pocket watch pays homage to the pioneering locomotive engineer

Shinola continues its Great American series with the Elijah McCoy Mechanic 45mm pocket watch

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Shinola Elijah McCoy Mechanic 45mm pocket watch attached to pair of jeans
(Image credit: Neil Godwin at Future Studios for Wallpaper*. Stylist: Kris Bergfeldt)

In 2012, Shinola brought the focus back to American watchmaking, marking the first year of its founding by opening a watchmaking factory in Detroit, the first in the US in almost 50 years. Over the ensuing years, the Detroit-based brand has drawn on this heritage with the Great Americans series of watches, with each limited-edition model paying tribute to an individual who has shaped American history – such as Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (the first Native American to win gold, in 1912), artist Georgia O’Keeffe, and baseball player Jackie Robinson.

Now it’s the turn of Black American inventor Elijah McCoy to take a place in horological history – a timely move for an individual whose name is synonymous with perfection (the phrase ‘the real McCoy’ is said to derive from one of his much-copied inventions that meant steam-powered trains didn’t need to stop during a journey).

Shinola’s Elijah McCoy Mechanic 45mm pocket watch

The watch design takes inspiration from McCoy’s engineering expertise; he had registered 57 patents across the locomotive industry by the time of his death, with inventions for naval vessels and steam engines, as well as locomotives.

With its clean dial and contrasting numerals, the Elijah McCoy Mechanic 45mm pocket watch recalls a classic railway clock, its matte black finish and gold and red accents a nod to its legible requirements. Available on a matte black chain, the watch also comes with a custom wooden stand.

Elijah McCoy Mechanic 45mm pocket watch, limited to 350 pieces, $1,750, by Shinola

This article appears in the August 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available to download free when you sign up to our daily newsletter, in print on newsstands from 4 July, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

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Hannah Silver
Hannah Silver

Hannah Silver is a writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.