Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

2ndfloorbalcony OP t1_j9yrjhw wrote

Reply to comment by MrWieners in BIFL warning: Shinola has been a disappointment. by 2ndfloorbalcony

It’s not the mechanism but the casing itself. The shinola casings can only be opened with a specific machine that shinola and their affiliate watch repairmen have access to. It’s not a case that anyone could open, like my Seiko 5.

Regardless of the movements reliability with other makers, what I experienced was far below the standard lifespan of any other battery power watch I’ve owned before.

1

MrWieners t1_j9yrva6 wrote

I still don’t believe that. Who told you this?

Edit: that’s also not true for the seiko 5, which is a common mod watch for amateurs

0

2ndfloorbalcony OP t1_j9ytv7m wrote

I don’t know what to tell you dude. I have a model that my uncle bought early on in the brand’s life so maybe they’ve changed the casing since then. I’ve taken it to multiple watch repairmen in the large city I live in and they’ve all told me the same thing that shinola told me. Re: Seiko 5, the case back can be opened by anyone with a small screwdriver, so I’m not sure what you meant by that. Regardless, I’m just trying to give a warning to other folks who had high hopes for a nice looking watch like Shinola makes. They co opted Detroit’s reputation for American made goods to hock their shit watches for high prices, and that bums me out.

2

MrWieners t1_j9yuj9u wrote

I misunderstood what you meant in the seiko 5 comment. My bad.

Also, didn’t realize we were talking about a battery powered watch. That’s even more silly.

Here’s a video of the battery replacement for a shinola runwell. Takes the dude like 30 seconds to open the case.

https://youtu.be/1AWD8IYAf0k

1

2ndfloorbalcony OP t1_j9yw1z1 wrote

Amazing! In that case, shinola is full of shit. Glad to potentially get this baby working again tho!

1

MrWieners t1_j9ywsxu wrote

Well, most watch manufacturers will strongly recommend you send it to them for repairs, but for them to tell you it’s required just for a fucking battery replacement is pretty bonkers. Not clear why 3rd party watchmakers agreed with them too.

I like the runwell style, but shinola is about as as shady as they come with their marketing practices.

1