US accessories brand, Shinola, is undergoing a shift, moving from being known primarily in a practical sense – a maker of watches and leather goods – to having an emotional and cultural connection with its audience – as a luxury American design brand. The campaign to do that is UK creative practice, GentleForces. The campaign is GentleForces’ first US campaign, the first campaign under Shinola’s new creative leadership, and the directorial debut of actor, Nicholas Braun, famed now for his role in HBO’s hit, Succession. It doesn’t ignore product, craft or Detroit, but moves toward a richer articulation of what those things mean in people’s lives today.

The campaign kicks off with a hero film, The Restaurant, to reintroduce the Runwell, that presents itself as a psychological thriller than a traditional watch spot. Time itself becomes the narrative tension, with sound design, pacing, and visual rhythm all built around the presence of a ticking second hand that accelerates, slows, and eventually fades as the story unfolds. The film was shot on long lenses with production design that transforms a date night into a study in modern anxiety. More than simply selling watches, it interrogates the way people experience time, and the quiet power of reclaiming it.

That idea sits at the heart of what Shinola is trying to achieve – elevating the conversation from product utility to emotional value. Already known for its timeless American design, premium materials, and products built for everyday wear, the work pushes Shinola further into culture by framing timepieces not just as objects, but as companions to how people live, connect, and choose to spend their time.

The film is also actor, Nicholas Braun’s, official directing debut. Braun approached the project as a character study rather than a commercial, working in tandem with GentleForces creative practice lead Quba Tuakli, who co-directed, to ensure the brand strategy remained embedded in every frame. Photography for the campaign was captured by Brian Karlsson, whose still work mirrors the film’s texture – quiet, layered, and deeply human.

Danni Mohammed, founder at GentleForces, stated, “Shinola is a brand with real substance, built on craft, patience, and an idea of time that feels almost countercultural today. That’s exactly the kind of story we want to tell. This campaign wasn’t about making a beautiful watch look beautiful. It was about capturing what it feels like to actually notice time passing, and choosing to spend it well. Bringing that to the US market with a brand as iconic as Shinola, on our five-year anniversary, is exactly the kind of work we set out to do when we started GentleForces.”

The engagement began with an invitation to pitch a campaign. GentleForces delivered something more – a complete brand vision spanning strategy, design, and creative under a single unifying idea. That approach helped to demonstrate how Shinola could move beyond category codes and into a more emotionally resonant brand space, ultimately leading to the full campaign commission.