The watch company Shinola unveiled two swanky new timepieces today, both in honor of the late legendary producer J Dilla. The news arrives with an accompanying teaser clip narrated by his fellow Detroiter Big Sean. It is quite literally Dilla Time.
Here's Shinola's description regarding the watch drop:
Limited to 500 pieces, the J Dilla Great American Series Runwell Chronograph features a cassette tape-inspired window that exposes the transparent chronograph eye discs and movement inside. The multi-layer dial, colored accents and gold indexes and custom caseback have each been customized with a Dilla Time graphic treatment, reflecting his groundbreaking rhythmic sensibility. The timepiece is completed with an “8 Bar” embossed navy leather strap with a purple lining.
These watches are just the latest in many, many tangible tributes to J Dilla, who died of TTP and lupus just three days after his 32nd birthday -- which was also the day he released his magnum opus Donuts. A donut shop in Detroit was named after him, and in 2022 Dan Charnas published the book Dilla Time: The Life And Afterlife Of J Dilla, The Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm. Charnas also did a video for Shinola talking about Dilla's legacy, and what "Dilla time" actually means. See that and the watches below, and watch the Big Sean-narrated video here.
