As the Detroit-based company opens up its first London store, David Hellqvist talks to Shinola’s President Jacques Panis about city clocks as an emblem of the American city
Whilst timepieces in general are defined by utility, design and intricate technology, city clocks, it seems, often fulfill an unusual social function – as meeting places. “There was one outside a Detroit store that became a focal point for people to meet and converse,” explains Jacques Panis, President of Shinola. “Everyone used to say ‘let’s meet by the Kern’s clock’, and it seemed a good idea to revive this distinctive rendezvous spot as part of Detroit’s positive future.”
Today, the Detroit-based bike, bag and watch maker is dedicated to returning clocks to the metropolis, recently installing six of them in Detroit, two in Dallas and one in Minneapolis. Introduced in the 1860s, city clocks became popular fixtures on American sidewalks. Arguably the most famous in Detroit first appeared in 1933 at the entrance to the Ernst Kern Company Department Store. “City clocks entered urban American life in the late 19th century and as an emblem of this artifact, our clocks are intended to be located at key landmarks in the city to create new meeting places for all to enjoy,” says Panis. Be it three-gear bikes, leather rucksacks or city clocks, form and function is the Shinola blueprint.
Shinola, 13 Newburgh Street, W1F 7RS
