Detroit’s own Shinola continues to prove that American watchmaking isn’t just alive and well but evolving. The brand’s latest offering, the Duck 1040, updates its signature diver for 2025, making it a serious contender as the best sub-$600 option in the category.
EVOLUTION IN MOTION
While previous iterations of The Duck earned respect for their rugged charm, this downsized and streamlined version finally brings the model into its own with sharper aesthetics and technical improvements that retain the Americana homage the brand is known for and simultaneously transcend it. By drawing direct inspiration from the iconic skin divers of the 1970s, Shinola has created something that feels both vintage and contemporary.
The first Duck watches made waves when they arrived in 2020, bringing Shinola’s distinctly American design language to the dive watch category in a way we hadn’t really seen before. However, this 2025 evolution shows remarkable restraint and maturity, refining what worked while addressing what didn’t quite hit the mark.
Important Refinements
First and foremost, the matte stainless steel case has been slimmed down to a more versatile 40mm (from 42mm) with a flatter, more angular profile that should wear significantly better on smaller wrists. But visually, the transformation is comprehensive.
Available in yellow, blue, and black (with matching straps), the dial layout has been completely rethought. There’s also a playful in-store-exclusive version with a blue strap and pink handset outline against a black sunray dial. Moreover, the original Duck’s Arabic numerals have been replaced with applied indices featuring alabaster outlines with multi-layered C3 Super-LumiNova lume, delivering a cleaner, more sophisticated look. Most tellingly, the cartoon duck has migrated from the dial to an etched illustration on the caseback. This is a small change but a microcosm of the watch’s more sophisticated direction.
The curved bezel and domed crystal that gave the first-gen Duck its bubblier appearance have been flattened out for a more purposeful, toolish profile that better aligns with ‘70s skin diver aesthetics. Likewise, the unidirectional bezel has been refined for better grip and operation.
Even the strap has been completely reimagined. Where the original featured a thick, smooth rubber strap that felt a bit boilerplate, the 1040 comes on a vintage-accurate perforated tropic-style strap that’s more breathable and visually appealing.
While Shinola specifically described previous Duck Divers as a “surfer watch,” that terminology hasn’t been carried over for the 2025 version. Perhaps the brand has more confidently embraced the model as a dive watch that can go toe-to-toe with others in the space without having to distinguish itself in a certain way.
DETROIT MUSCLE
What separates the Duck 1040 from countless other skin-diver homages is Shinola’s commitment to Detroit-based assembly. While the Argonite 715 quartz movement inside starts life as a Swiss Ronda caliber, the final assembly happens right in the Motor City, giving this dive watch a distinctly American heart.
The movement offers reliable timekeeping with hours, minutes, seconds, and a date window at 3 o’clock. Sure, mechanical purists might scoff at quartz, but the reliability and affordability it enables makes perfect sense for a watch designed to be used and abused. With 100m of water resistance, this isn’t trying to compete with professional dive watches boasting 200m or 300m ratings. Instead, it’s a realistic tool for the actual activities most owners will engage in, from swimming and snorkeling to surviving the occasional unexpected rainstorm. At the very least, this is a pretty darn attractive “desk diver.”
SPEC SHEET
Model: Shinola Duck 1040 (2025)
Case Size: 40mm
Case Thickness: 12mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Movement: Argonite 715 quartz (Swiss Ronda-based, Detroit assembled)
Water Resistance: 100m
Bezel: Unidirectional rotating
Dial: Fine sandblasted sunray finish
Lume: C3 Super-LumiNova
Strap: Tropic-style rubber strap
PRICING & AVAILABILITY
Not limited to edition size, the Duck Diver 1040 is available now for $550 — about $100 cheaper than the previous iteration. Head over to Shinola’s website to see it now.
Recap
Shinola Duck Diver 1040
Updating a model that debuted in 2020, Shinola’s revised Duck Diver has a flatter, more mature look and more wearable dimensions.
