The Real McCoy
Shinola honors the shared history of timekeeping and locomotives with a new addition to the great American series of watches.
As one of the world’s first Black American inventors, Elijah McCoy’s journey of triumph lives on in our language as synonymous with perfection: ‘The Real McCoy,’ a colloquialism popularized by demand for his superior locomotive oiler, has become the phrase most often used to indicate when something is the real deal. The son of slaves who found their way to freedom on the Underground Railroad, McCoy is best known for his invention of an automatic oil lubricating cup for steam engines. He worked as a mechanical consultant to many engineering firms before establishing his own company, the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company, in 1920.
To read the rest of the feature head to our summer issue of Ac Magazine HERE.