Credits: Article and images by Felix Scholz @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/jn-shapiro-is-putting-america-back-on-the-watchmaking-map/
With this sort of balance, restraint and straight-up skill, Joshua Shapiro is demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of design, along with a remarkably clear vision for his young American brand.
That vision extends from the dial to the caliber. To date, the mechanism is the last significant element that J.N. Shapiro does not manage internally. The Infinity Series has been powered by calibers from Uhren Werke Dresden, sister company to Lang & Heyne of Dresden. These movements are quite beautiful modern hand-winders with classical finishing and open architecture. It’s a solid choice for a young, high- end brand, but as J.N. Shapiro grows and evolves, they have plans to take matters into their own hands.
“We are working very hard to bring everything in- house. We are making some very beautiful dials and cases in California, so next up are movements. We’ve got a working prototype, and the goal is to make almost every single component of that in-house, minus the springs, and we are full bore ahead on that project, so hopefully, we’ll have some news on that towards fall 2022. It’s very exciting.” While for many brands, the investment required to develop something in-house would be hard to justify, Shapiro isn’t proceeding down this path blindly. And in some ways, their geographic distance from Switzerland makes the in-house route more viable. “The situation here is very different from Switzerland. The entire infrastructure is there. You can call up a company and get custom wheels or pinions, place an order and have them delivered.
“You can design a movement and have all the suppliers and subcontractors fulfill everything for you, and a lot of brands do just that — design a movement, outsource the parts and finish them in-house or have them finished. So little of that process is possible in the United States. Where I am, most companies are set up for [parts machining for] the aerospace industry. They’re not set up for watchmaking. They’re not set up for small runs. So, if I want to make watch parts, I either go to the Swiss or do it myself. It’s always been my goal to make my own movement, and now I have a great team of watchmakers, a huge investment in machinery, and the Infinity Series was to fund this adventure. We’re almost there.”
It has been a long time since the United States was considered among the world’s watchmaking powerhouses — and even when it was, its native industry was built upon the principles of mass production. But with the passion, commitment and investment from artisanal brands like J.N. Shapiro, it looks like the wheel may well be turning around again, into a new era of American watchmaking. Only this time around, the tools and the talent exist to make high-end pieces that can go toe-to-toe with the best the Swiss have to offer on every front. And if you don’t believe us, look at the quality of Shapiro’s engine turning, look at the dials and the new cases. They are worthy of the legacy of the likes of Breguet and Daniels, and based on that, Shapiro’s own mechanisms are going to be worth the wait.
Credits: Article and images by Felix Scholz @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/jn-shapiro-is-putting-america-back-on-the-watchmaking-map/
