Before this week, if you tried to take a Shinola watch into a pool, lake, or ocean, you’d basically be throwing away $600 bucks. Although beautiful, none of the brand’s timepieces have been waterproof — but not so, anymore! This week, leather goods and timepiece manufacturer Shinola Detroit released its first-ever, self-winding dive watch: The Lake Erie Monster.
Named for the cryptid first spotted in Lake Erie in 1783, the watch “celebrates the Great Lakes, as well as the explorers, sailors, pioneers, and divers who have spent centuries discovering the wonders of the nation’s largest fresh water lakes,” according to a recent release. This special watch is limited to only 500 timepieces, making it a true collector’s item.
The 43mm case is machined from stainless steel, featuring a simple and clean design and a waterproof rating up to 1,000 feet. The face features double-dome sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, meaning you’ll be able to see the time, no matter how sunny. Under the hood, the Lake Erie Monster watch sports an Argomatic R-150 movement which holds a 40-hour power reserve. The movement is made in Switzerland, but the watch (as with almost all Shinola goods) is assembled in the Erie-adjacent city of Detroit, Michigan.
What makes the watch truly special is the fantastic and fantastical caseback relief of The Lake Erie Monster itself, complete with genuine blue sapphire eye. Taking this watch off at the end of the day will always result in another new “sighting” of the monster.
At $2,250 a pop, The Lake Erie timepiece isn’t cheap, but with its limited-edition status, stainless steel three-link bracelet, black rubber dive strap, black fabric strap, and a Princeton Tech diver’s flaslight and diver map of the Great Lakes, the watch is worth so much more than the sum of its parts.
To snag yours before all 500 are snapped up, check out Shinola’s official website here.
