I think the idea that any of these sites can be called "journalism" is a big stretch. In my view all of these sites and platforms are nothing more than part of the marketing machine that the watch industry uses to peddle their wares. I'm not saying that everyone involved is corrupt or something, but the system is set-up in a way that benefits the companies and reviewers, and not really the readers.

 

They are simply following a similar model set up by the stereo industry 40 years ago. I can’t read Absolute Sound or Stereophile without trying to hold back bile sometimes.

 

I regard them as being like in flight magazines on airlines - mostly a thinly disguised advertising publication.

 

I listen to the Grey Nato podcast from time to time and noted that only a short time into the COVID-19 quarantine they were quick to establish that the Hodinkee shop was in need of some extra traffic. It wouldn't surprise me that the release of this… clock and the pricing of it has something to do with the state of their business and a need of some increased cash flow.

I am not above feeling more than a tiny bit of glee from the shit storm. I've been fed up with Hodinkee for years and I find their business model to be the polar opposite of what I want to see in this hobby. The amount of bull shit and hyperbole coming from them and the sucking up in the comments section is vomit inducing.

EDIT: I just looked at an old thread I posted re. issues I had with the above mentioned site and found that this comment by @Modest_Proposal had aged extremely well:

 

Some further foreshadowing:



Rave review of various Timex watches:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/timex-marlin-hands-on
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/q-timex
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/timex-marlin-automatic-introducing

Hodinkee is now a Timex Retailer:
https://shop.hodinkee.com/blogs/journal/timex-marlin-q-navi

 

Is Ben going to sell his clothes on Hodinkee soon? Can't imagine an episode, where Jack Foster is justifying price of this watch and talking about "great idea" of having one made.

 

You can be accused of many things, but self-censoring is not among them.

Oh, and I agree completely with your sentiments.

 

W T F...I wonder how many have sold and who would actually buy this? I’ll stick to an iPhone for an alarm and bringing my watch roll for the wrist game. Bizarre timing on their end and I would wonder if they take a loss on these...

 

I imagine if they sell one they will be ahead of the game.

 

It went "sold out" pretty quick, assuming they just pulled the plug on it. Who in the right mind would drop $6k on this??????

 

I'm sure there are 96 hipsters out there that would love to display it proudly and announce their love for Hoodwinkee to all who visit their homes. Maybe in a setting like this:

 

I am not in the market for the new 321, but I couldn't disagree more on this. Sure, it's expensive. Sure you can get a vintage for less than the new one. But ALL goods from these watch manufacturers are overpriced compared to actual cost of production. You think the new 321 is overpriced, but a Rolex GMT isn't? There's a hell of a lot more work that goes into the new 321 than what Rolex is doing.

 

For those hoping this would be addressed in any way on the Hodinkee podcast, the answer is a resounding no. It looks as though their strategy is to not talk about the controversy, perhaps hoping that those who bought the clock are blissfully unaware of everything that is being said.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/hodinkee-radio-episode-98-long-return

 

They are too busy preparing for the next Fashion Week with their next breakout look for today's modern man:

 

That's right, Ben was very upfront about this as well during his "Open Letter To The Watch Community":

"Our shop, which is indeed our main source of revenue, has seen a dramatic slowdown over the last few weeks. But we want to encourage you all to check it out, knowing that in many ways it is the lifeblood of this company and, we hope, a key vehicle in helping other folks in this industry stay alive. Now, more than ever, I would encourage you, if you are looking to buy a watch, to buy it new and authorized, as those sales help retailers, distributors, and manufacturers stay afloat. Here are some things you will see from our shop starting immediately...Finally, we'd been saving this one for our store opening, but we'd like to offer one example of every single HODINKEE Limited Edition for sale at its original retail price."

Their sale of one example of every LE clearly revealed a need for some cash flow. The $566,000 they would have received if this travel clock did indeed sell out ($5,900 x 96) would have certainly helped, and maybe the need for cash spurred them to be very aggressive in the mark-up.

 

Is there a mold on the wall? You are probably right. To each their own.
P.S. I like the scenery though.

 

This is where the saying, money ruins everything, comes from.

 

This is spot on. To me it didn't become obvious until the last few years. As of writing this HODINKEE are authorized to sell watches for 27 different brands. No conflict of interest, right?

 

Patina.

 

Damn! You beat to it!