The sad downfall of Hodinkee

It is no exaggeration that Hodinkee has likely been the most influential voice in the watch collecting community. Though, is not what it used to be as it is simply not just about luxury watches. Here are my thoughts on what contributed to Hodinkee losing its status amount the most passionate watch enthusiasts.

Note: Some rumor and speculation is included in this video. This video is not intended to attack Hodinkee as in this video I also speak about how I used to enjoy the website. Instead, I hope to see Hodinkee return to being the site that hardcore watch enthusiasts can enjoy.

[robdominic]

What John says is 100% true. About a year, year and a half ago, Hodinkee published an article about climate change. In the comments section, I wrote respectfully that folks go to Hodinkee for watch content, NOT to get lectured about "saving the planet." MY comments were removed, and I got blocked by Hodinkee. Good riddance.

[remus]

I think the departure of Jack Forster cannot be underestimated, both as a symptom of Hodinkee’s decline and a catalyst for its further decline.

[nickj]

People are really sick of having social issues infiltrate every part of their lives, whether they like it or not. It's puzzling as to why when an organisation grows, they stray from the path that gave them success. I used to read Hodinkee to learn about the crazy little details that differentiated to different watches that to the casual consumer looked exactly the same, or the collector that for years searched for a particular reference, and travelled half way around the world in it's pursuit, Or the paratrooper that was issued a Tudor sub and the stories associated with it. Not some crap about climate change, or some freak show wearing a Chopard Alpine dressed in his mothers clothing.

[h]

The heart of Hodinkee for many of us was Jack Forster who was an amazing journalist of all things horological possessed of great intellect and wit. When he departed, I lost interest in all things Hodinkee including their quarterly magazine to which I subscribed.

[cdm]

What happened is they lost Jon, Jack, Stephen, and Cara in the span of 1 year and Ben decided he didn’t want to contribute anymore. James was the only good remaining content producer, and it’s clear his strong preference is for Grey NATO type content vs. Hodinkee. Brooklyn groupthink killed this brand - shame.

[mohnnadmercedes]

Hodinkee is super pretentious from day 1

[curtbrown]

Thank you for your balanced, well-reasoned commentary. I point to the talent that left Hodinkee, Forster and others, as the most unfortunate aspect of their shift in emphasis. Those folks are not going to return. Again, thank you.

[The_RealStarkIndustries]

Couldn’t agree more, JP…Jory The Time Teller has been sounding this alarm for the past few years. Imagine if Subaru decided to slow production of Foresters and WRXs to try their hand at the “luxury” market segment. That’d be a recipe for disaster. They know who keeps the lights on…and don’t kowtow to investor pressure.

[fredo]

So Hodinkee has morphed into Cosmopolitan.

[hyperchord]

I'll never understand why every company feels the need to expand endlessly. I mean, I guess this makes me a communist, but how much money is enough money? Why dilute what you do best?

[GigaDad]

I’ll say something positive just to mix things up.

I like the Hodinkee Watch insurance. I’ve had it for a couple of years. Reasonable pricing and easy to sign up for in minutes with no hassles.

[MeestroDavid]

"Sad" downfall? Nah...they've been so awful, so snotty, and so comically elitist for such a long time that their demise can't be anything but sweet schadenfreude. They've made it embarrassing to be an enthusiast and I think the hobby is far better off without their voice in the mix.

[brysoga]

They used to be good, but then they thought themselves too important

[albertomariavilla]

The founder married a writer (only a decent article under her belt), the only one/two who knew about watches went solo, hired a bunch of useless ‘content creators’. What can go wrong?

[davidelliott]

You are seeing more of Ben Clymer (founder of Hodinkee) in their video content. I don’t think that is an accident.

[generath]

I followed Hodinkee until they started selling the limited edition cash grab watches.

[andricopoulos]

Reminds me of Rolex initially only watch collectors would buy at least one Rolex from an AD now watch collectors avoid the ADs at all costs. But to be fair it worked for Rolex to alienate their customers.

[f.c.]

Guessing before watching the video - they bought into their own hype?

Edit: Yup, they did. I guess the "celebrity" rubbed off from John Mayer over to Ben and others.
Well, its obvious isn't it? These guys at Hodinkee always wanted to belong to the upper echelons of the watch world. Hodinkee became the way to gain popularity, money and connections. They got lucky and it happened! Now, they reached their goal. No matter who says what, they are set. Hondinkee can go down the drain, which it has, but doesn't matter - they are in the safe zone. Got valuable contacts on speedial.

Viewers were the real idiots who thought they were out to build a community, like buyers of OnePlus phones are idiots to think OnePlus wanted to create a great affordable phone. No, OnePlus wanted to be Apple, and guess what?
A quick look at the average Hodinkee reader and guests on Hodinkee will tell you all you need to know about the company's aspirations. Like the average viewer or Lex Friedman podcast and the guests on that podcast. Lex wants to be close to the guests, not the average guy. The average folks will provide him with fame, money and contacts.

[rickb]

Wow, this clarifies a lot for me. At 59 I'm a new watch enthusiast on a serious budget and have to be very particular with how I spend my money on a watch, so I try to do a lot of research before making a purchase. I don't buy a watch as an investment or with the intention to flip it. I hope to keep a watch in my modest collection and enjoy it for a long time. I became an email subscriber and a potential paid subscriber to Hodinkee because the name kept coming up as a good resource to learn about watches. Unfortunately, I quickly found out through the email content that was being sent to me that I could not relate to many of the articles. I didn't connect the dots at the time, I just knew something about it didn't appeal to me. The articles seemed more like advertisements to me as opposed to a resource to gain knowledge about watches. I have since unsubscribed from the emails and look to other content for information now. Thanks for your video!

[SuperWhofan]

Ben Clymer sold most of his shares so he is all set