Independent creative studio GentleForces has unveiled the first-ever overarching brand campaign for Shinola, marking both a notable creative reset for the American watchmaker and the directorial debut of Succession star Nicholas Braun.
Titled Set the Pace, the campaign repositions Shinola around a broader cultural conversation about time itself rather than the products it makes. While the brand’s Runwell watch remains at the centre of the work, the film offers a departure from traditional luxury advertising to explore the more philosophical proposition of what it means to own your own time.
Created by GentleForces and co-directed by Braun alongside the agency’s creative practice lead Quba Tuakli, the cinematic short film cleverly subverts audience expectations. Set in a bustling restaurant, Braun appears to be ending a difficult relationship, telling an unseen companion, “No more of your rules. I’m in charge.”
As the restaurant around him accelerates in fast-forward and the ticking of a watch intensifies, the camera pulls back to reveal the object of his frustration is not another person but time itself. Resetting his watch, Braun smiles and says, “That wasn’t a breakup. It was an important conversation.”
Photography by Brian Karlsson; © Shinola / GentleForces
The campaign signals a significant shift for Shinola, the Detroit-based company that helped revive American watchmaking after opening the country’s first industrial-scale watch factory in nearly 50 years. It is also the first major campaign under creative director Jonathan Bailey and reflects a move away from product-led storytelling.
For London-based GentleForces, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, the project represents a milestone in its growing US portfolio. Having been appointed Shinola’s lead strategic and creative partner, the agency is tasked with evolving the brand from one centred on craftsmanship to one engaging in a wider cultural conversation around the value of time.
“This campaign wasn’t about making a beautiful watch look beautiful,” says GentleForces founder Danni Mohammed. “It was about capturing what it feels like to actually notice time passing, and choosing to spend it well.”
_Credits:_
_Creative Agency: GentleForces_
_Production company: ProdCo_
_Directors: Nicholas Braun, Quba Tuakli_
_DoP: Patrick Golan_
_Editor: Rob Daglish (Marsheen)_
_Post-production: Marsheen_
_Sound Design: Tim Burns (750mph)_