Detroit-based Shinola has been making mechanical dive watches since late 2017, starting with the limited edition Lake Erie Monster. Last year, I was very impressed with the regular production Monster I saw in Shinola’s San Francisco store, and a Shinola Monster has been on my wish list ever since.
For 2020, Shinola introduced the Harbor Monster with an eye-catching red dial and dark blue bezel, and I was lucky enough to receive one as an unexpectedly generous gift from someone special. This is my owner’s account. By comparison, I’ve been fortunate to own both current and vintage flagship models from brands known for their dive watches and marine exploration history: Rolex, Omega, Seiko, Tudor and others.
In my experience, the Harbor Monster and the rest of Shinola’s automatic dive watches are excellent dive watches. They are assembled in the USA from high quality components, including Swiss movements, and have a lifetime warranty that no other dive watch manufacturer offers.
The dial of all Monster watches (that I know of) is made of glossy lacquer, in this case in a very rich and warm shade of red. On the Shinola website, the dial is sometimes described as enamel, sometimes as lacquer. At this price, it is much more likely that it is lacquer. Lacquer is the material used to make the dials of the Rolex Submariner, and the dial plate looks just as beautiful on the Shinola Monster.
The hands are brushed along their entire length. The applied hour markers are filled with luminous material (industry-standard Super-LumiNova), as are the hour and minute hands. As this is an ISO-standardized diver’s watch, the second hand has a luminous raindrop near its tip so that the diver can see that the watch is running in the dark. Below the 12 o’clock marker is a polished Shinola Blitz logo.
The 43 mm diameter case is made from 316L stainless steel, the same material used by Omega and much of the watch industry. Almost all surfaces are brushed, especially the crown and everything you can see when looking directly at the dial. Small flat sections on the sides of the case are highly polished. Inside the case is an anti-magnetic soft iron cover. This is the most common method of protecting a mechanical movement from the magnetic fields that can emanate from phones, speakers, laptops and other devices.
The bracelet is very comfortable and tapers from 22 mm wide at the watch head to 18 mm at the clasp. The bracelet consists of three links and most of the surfaces are brushed. This conceals scratches and gives the watch the appearance of a very practical tool. The sides of the bracelet are polished. The surfaces of the individual links are rounded and curved, which gives the bracelet a very classic and timeless look without imitating the design of any particular brand (i.e. it is not one of the many Rolex Oyster copies).
The movement inside the case is the Sellita SW200-1, a Swiss mechanical movement with automatic self-winding. It is a close equivalent to the Swatch Group’s popular ETA 2824-2 movement. It has a power reserve of 38 hours (i.e. how long the watch will run if it is not wound by hand or not worn).
With a diameter of 43 mm and a weight of 180+ grams, it is a large watch that is very present on the wrist. In this respect, it is similar to many Seiko divers (there is a Seiko Monster!), the Omega Planet Ocean or the Rolex Seadweller / Deepsea. With a lighter watch, a looser fitting bracelet is more comfortable, whereas with a heavier watch, a tighter fit is better in my experience. With the excellent clasp from Shinola, this monster is very comfortable to wear.
Shinola’s Monster line of mechanical dive watches is very well made and consists of high quality components throughout. With an MSRP of $1450, I think the Harbor Monster is a fair price for what you get. The watch is made in the USA, has a precision Swiss movement and offers a lifetime warranty (compared to the market leaders Rolex and Omega at 5 years).
If you’re looking for a diver’s watch, check out The Lava Lake Monster Automatic 43mm – I highly recommend it.
