Shinola x J Dilla Watch Collab Sells Out on First Day

By Karen Dybis | June 06, 2025

The latest release in Shinola’s Great American Series was a landmark for the Detroit-based watch brand: The collection, which pays tribute to hip-hop producer J Dilla, featured Shinola’s first outside collaboration and its first skeleton-style timepiece.

The two J Dilla watches sold out the day they were released, May 15. The capsule collection also includes a black leather messenger bag with J Dilla’s name embossed on the front.

Shinola’s collaborator in developing the J Dilla watches was Detroit’s UndGrd Studios, which Shinola design director Greg Verras says was the driving force behind the aesthetic for the project—referred to as “Lightworks” by Shinola, after a track on J Dilla’s album Donuts.

The push and pull between veteran watch designers and UndGrd’s creative team, under the direction of Trumaine White, resulted in a unique perspective on J Dilla’s body of work, Verras says. The watchmaker also worked closely with J Dilla’s family and his estate to ensure the watches and accessories represented the man and his legacy.

Chrono Shinola Dilla — *The 40 mm J Dilla Runwell Chronograph is one of two watch models by Shinola paying homage to the influential music maker.*

J Dilla, who died in 2006, worked with such artists as Janet Jackson, Common, the Roots, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, and Busta Rhymes in addition to recording his own music. His beats, use of samples, intricate drum patterns, and sense of rhythm (coined “Dilla Time”) are considered highly influential in hip-hop and pop music.

“We felt like Dilla’s craftsmanship, his level of product, and his attention to detail mirrored what we try to do at Shinola. The goal was to honor him and create a piece of art,” Verras says.

Shinola’s J Dilla collection includes the Runwell Chronograph (priced at $1,095), with a face designed to resemble a cassette tape, and the skeleton-style Runwell Automatic ($2,250), with layers of organic shapes and color representing an analog signal.

“Each watch bookends his career,” Verras says, noting that the watches’ looks symbolize the progress Dilla made in his music over his career—his first beats were made, using cassettes, on what are known as pause tapes.

Dilla’s personal MPC is now in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The musician, who also used the stage name Jay Dee, died unexpectedly at age 32 due to complications from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare blood disorder, and lupus.

Shinola Dilla bag — *Shinola’s J Dilla messenger bag ($895), subtly trimmed with purple, has room for as many as 30 records.*

Verras, White, and Shinola senior designer Molly Wang spoke about their collaboration during a “Meet the Makers” event last month at Shinola’s store in Detroit. White said he considered J Dilla a “mad scientist,” and Shinola and UndGrd Studios used that as inspiration for the watch design.

As a new addition to Shinola’s watchmaking, the skeleton movement required a different kind of production for the company, Verras says. Founded in 2011, Shinola operates a factory on the fifth floor of Detroit’s iconic Argonaut Building where its luxury timepieces and premium leather goods are hand-assembled.

To commemorate the Dilla collection’s release, Shinola partnered with multiplatinum rapper Big Sean—like J Dilla, a Detroit native—on a video that features imagery of Detroit and J Dilla. The watches and messenger bag are a celebration of Detroit and of an enduring and inspiring artist from the city, Verras says.

Shinola’s Great American Series honors famous artists, innovators, and athletes who have shaped American culture, including Jackie Robinson, Maya Angelou, the Wright brothers, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Muhammad Ali.

Top: The J Dilla Runwell Automatic is the first skeleton watch Shinola has made. (Photos courtesy of Shinola)