Shinola has used the slogan "Where American Is Made" to promote its Detroit watches even though parts come from outside of the U.S. It also has said while its watches are built in Detroit, its components of its highly precise watch movements come from Switzerland.
Well, it turns out that some of its watch parts come from Thailand.
JC Reindl of the Detroit Free Press writes:
Shinola, the luxury-goods company that identifies itself in marketing with Detroit and American manufacturing, recently altered claims about the origins of its watch parts as federal regulators take aim at the resurgent U.S. watchmaking industry over "Made in USA" marketing.
At issue is the tagline "Built in Detroit" on Shinola watches and also previous company statements that components of its highly precise watch movements are all made in Switzerland. Last week, after Free Press inquiries, the company revised its consumer disclosure section on its Web site to add that the components are also from Thailand. The company said that about one-third of the watch movement components come from the Asian country.
The company was emphatic that it's sticking by "Built in Detroit" as accurate and appropriate.