Todd Spangler

Detroit Free Press

WASHINGTON — Meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London on Friday, President Barack Obama brought along a gift with a distinctly Detroit edge: a Shinola watch.

According to the press pool report provided by the White House Friday afternoon, Obama gave Cameron "a custom Shinola men's watch featuring the Seal of the President of the United States engraved on the back, presented in a wooden Shinola box customized with the presidential seal."

The pool report was filed by Michael Shear of the New York Times, who is covering the president's overseas trip. The White House was unable to immediately provide any additional information about the watch.

Should Shinola keep 'Built in Detroit' slogan?

Shinola, which is based in Detroit, is an upscale maker of lifestyle goods including watches, bicycles, journals and leather goods. During his last visit to Detroit in January, Obama met with Shinola founder Tom Kartsotis and visited the Shinola store, where he bought a journal.

A quick run-through of Shinola's online catalog didn't produce any watches with a presidential seal, so the White House probably ordered them specifically, though neither the administration nor Shinola said so Friday. Calls and emails to the company also were not immediately returned to the Free Press.

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.