I was fortunate enough (through the help of the amazing team at Collective) to pick up a J.N. Shapiro Infinity Tantalum. This series of 26 watches were offered in 3 variants – Blue, Black and Silver dial – though I understand some made some minor tweaks. The only request I had was slightly darkening up the numerals.

After I had placed an order for the J. N. Shapiro Infinity Tantalum in late 2021, a work trip took me to Los Angeles, where Shapiro is based. Josh took time out of his day to give me a tour of the tools he had at his disposal, how things were made, as well as highlighting many of the challenges of working with tantalum. It was the first time I’d gotten to see some of these engine turning machines, and it gave me an appreciation of how delicate their dial work is. I had also brought some other watches along with me, and it was cool to see the team deconstruct how they were made.

But back to the J. N. Shapiro Infinity Tantalum. The movement is a UWD Calibre 33.1, which is opened up enough to give an appreciation of the movement, and there is a hand engraved plate with the number in the series. While a pretty movement, and more than functional, it’s clear the star of the show is the dial.

The blue dial of the J. N. Shapiro Infinity Tantalum is quite dynamic changing in light from being quite dark / almost black to a vibrant hue. For me, it pairs quite well with the tantalum chapter ring. The detail of the guilloche is stunning, especially on the subdial with the infinity weave. In fact, it’s so fine that I have a little trouble making out the smaller patterns with the naked eye. The polished bezel contrasts nicely with the brushed midcase further adding to the plethora of textures across the watch. While I find it to be in the sweet spot of sizing at 40mm, the use of tantalum gives the watch heft you would expect from a precious metal piece.

Josh partnered with Delugs for the straps and they are stamped on the back with both Delugs and Shapiro; he includes 3 with the watch which is nice for changing it up. When worn on the included curved straps, I could see that the lugs are longer than expected as the strap will pivot before the ends of the lugs. I assume that lug length is not just aesthetic but also to accommodate that there is a second set of lug holes for straight straps (not sure why more people don’t do this).

I’m glad to see Josh, along with a few others, really reviving watchmaking in the US.