New 50th anniversary Ford Mustang watch is made in Detroit

The newest piece of the Ford Mustang 50th anniversary celebration was introduced today in the form of the limited edition Shinola premium wristwatch – sporting both the running pony Mustang logo and the special 50th anniversary logo that will adorn all of the uniquely designed items being offered to celebrate the mighty Mustang’s 50th birthday.

Ford Motor Company introduced the new 50th anniversary Mustang logo back at the New York International Auto Show, promising that there would be a host of unique items offered to celebrate the Mustang’s golden anniversary with just 50 companies being licensed to offer those items. Among the first is Shinola, a Detroit based luxury goods manufacturer who offers both watches and bicycles and this American watchmaker is the first to offer a higher end commemorative item for the Ford Mustang’s 50th birthday celebration.

“Mustang is one of the greatest icons in American manufacturing history,” said Jacques Panis, Shinola’s director of strategic partnerships. “We reached out to Ford because we thought it makes perfect sense, as we share the same passion for craftsmanship and domestic manufacturing.”

The 50th anniversary Ford Mustang Shinola 46 millimeter wristwatch features Swiss movements, a stainless steel body, a rotating top ring, a scratch resistant sapphire crystal face, a screw down crown and a premium black leather strap. The Ford Mustang 50 Years anniversary logo is located on the upper portion of the face while the adjustment dial on the side of the watch features the running pony logo. Both the face and back of the watch proudly announce that it was made in Detroit and the rear of the watch also shows the unique serial number of each watch. Every watch is hand built with over 4 dozen parts working together to provide the movement of a high end timepiece.

“Like the Mustang itself, we want our licensed products to convey an attitude of strength, passion and quality,” said John Nens, Ford lead for global brand licensing. “Shinola embodies all of these things and is a perfect fit to celebrate this special moment in automotive history.”

As I mentioned above, the new Shinola Ford Mustang 50 Year Anniversary watch is the first high end commemorative item and it comes with a high end price to match. According to the Mustang 50 Years Merchandise Collection website, the Mustang Shinola watch carries an MSRP of $700 with a shipping and handling charge of $25 brings the total price up to $725. This is a far cry from the 5 figure price tags of some European watches but the $725 price tag will probably make this a collectible for the Mustang aficionado who has more disposable income than the average Joe. Then again, with only 1,000 examples of this striking Mustang branded wristwatch being produced, this is an item that is likely to increase in value as time goes on so it is more of an investment than your average watch purchase…or at least that is what guys can tell their wives to help justify the purchase. This new Mustang celebration watch also comes in a uniquely decorated box with the 50 Years emblem as well.

The new Shinola Mustang 46mm watch joins a collection of what is currently mostly shirts and hats in the Mustang 50 Years Merchandise Collection. If a $725 watch isn’t in your budget, Ford has various items featuring the Mustang 50 Years logo ranging from a lapel pin that costs $4.95 to a branded backpack that retails for $99.95 – with a great many affordable cups, shirts, hats and more in the $10 to $30 range. Click here to check out the entire Mustang 50 Years Merchandise Collection.

While this Shinola Mustang 50 Years watch is the first higher end commemorative item – I wouldn’t expect it to be the last as Ford has promised unique items from 50 companies over the course of the yearlong celebration that will be punctuated by the debut of the 2015 Mustang next April.