They look to have some nice pieces... the heuer carrera is my favorite, but prices seem high, hodinkee themselves a hodinkee bump... would you guys buy from them?

 

Never.

Some of the watch coverage is decent, but the site is hysterically superficial, the main body of commenters (that's those whose comments actually get through the censorship) are all kissing the collective ass of the "editorial staff", and the whole thing just reeks of hipster selfimportance. They are smelling their own farts and, amazingly, a whole lot of people find that madly interesting.

There are too many financial relations with other companies not spoken of (Tudor fanboys much?!?) and, please, the tone in the watch sales section (just had a look) is insulting to my intelligence.

 

Say what you will about the Hodinkee crowd - but they know their vintage watches, and they're connected to lots of moneyed collectors who either have amazing collections that they may be thinking about thinning, or expanding. So, I think the watches they sell will probably warrant a premium on both sides of the sale.

I think they do have great coverage of newer watches, and some of the writers are really insightful and smart. No site will be perfect, of course, and Hodinkee is on the better side IMO.

That said, I'm never going to another Hodinkee meetup - what a snooze.

 

I look at these blogs with a big caveat. (Especially "A Blog To Watch"). They are all offering give away watches and trips. Hodinkee even had a private sale of an MB&F model. This leads to some toxic behavior (ABTW and RGM for example) and some credibility issues. There is good stuff at Hodinkee but you need to filter through the fact that all these higher end blogs are basically PR for the manufacturers.

 

Better deals to be found, but no doubt they'll do well.

Rather harsh first review above. Ben is to be congratulated for following his passion, and taking it broad (not to mention monetizing) it in a big way. That said, I don't visit the site as often as I did in early days.

While it's not for everyone, it is hard to argue Hodinkee's impact and success in the watch world.

 

i like what they do but i agree with the hodinkee bump at times

 

IMO, ABTW is one of the most transparent watch blogs, sponsorship-wise. Take a look at some of their industry-specific "meta" articles. With Hodinkee, I'm never really sure whose interests are at stake.
Full disclosure; I've won a competition on ABTW, and have therefore had to sign a contract in my own blood swearing them eternal allegiance.

Yep, congratulations on the succes. However, it has turned the site into a different animal, which, IMO, is the complete opposite of this place, where free speech is applauded, wealth isn't a factor that divides people and members aren't kissing the boots of the moderators/staff. Look at my first post in this thread - it wouldn't have been approved on Hodinkee.com, yet here I could have written a similar rant about this place, and all that would have happened was that the Mods would have prevented me from deleting it after I had been exposed as a fraud...

Not on Omegaforums, thank you.

 

These forums are a big improvement on any of the blogs in "watchville"

 

@abrod520 hit the nail on the head in that the Hodonkey crowd, has, at the top, an impressive group of moneyed collectors, and therefore the access to amazing pieces. The watches that they will sell will command a premium, and will be bought by those with the funds to do so.

Good luck to them, as yes there is a premium attached, but it is not gross, and seems to be in line with what dealers would ask. For me, the thrill is in the hunt, where you use your knowledge of the watches and the market to make savvy purchases and stretch the ROI on every budget dollar. Buying from a dealer is like shooting a pen raised quail, not much sport in it. But hey, people shoot pen raised birds all the time and brag about what greats shots they are...until they meet a covey of wild birds and don't hit shit.

 

My exact point!

Also agreed, with the exception that there's nothing wrong with going with a dealer if the hunt hasn't turned anything up in a while!

 

I think anyone that slams this is being a little harsh. IMO, the wholesale changes to the Hodinkee Shop are really cool, and on the merchandise side with the one-off random accessories and straps/pouches/etc, I fully support the scale-up. As they mentioned in the post, selling these accessories is what allowed the site to grow in the first place, and it's a tangible source of captive income since there will always be new collectors (and old) that love JPM straps and the ability to "see" them on the Shop.

The only reservation I have pertains to them selling watches, since they have a significant market-making ability that's already been discussed ad nauseam. If they were to start using their influence to pump up specific pieces, there would be an irreparable conflict of interest that would damage the brand. It only creates this conflict, however, if they're acting as a full-scale dealer who is purchasing pieces from individuals, taking inventory, and then selling them on. If it's like eBay where they just charge a listing fee / don't have % ownership in the final sale price, then you alleviate the issue with them jacking up prices on brands or references that they can influence.

Somewhat stream of consciousness ramblings above, but I think that got my point across.

 

Agree entirely, R.

 

I dig the watch related accessories, but thats about it. Anyone asking about a vintage watch bubble should say if hodinkee is even selling them now, we must be in one lmfao.

 

This is very similar to the Christie's Watch Shop, IMO, and I agree with @ChicagoFrog's assessment.

The way I look at it, I hope they sell the hell out of the models that I have, and never sell the models that I want!

 

On the contrary, I figured they would've gotten into dealing vintage watches a long time ago. Mr. Clymer has knowledge and exposure to some of the best pieces(and dealers) on the market. At a glance, the way they have identified the original aspects and demerits of the watch with beautiful photography and bullet points goes leagues beyond what any vintage dealer has done. I applaud them.

If they can do it better, why not?

 

I can certainly see both sides of this, and in general I'm happy for Ben and crew: starting, growing, and monetizing the site to what it is today is an awesome accomplishment, and I'm sure many are jealous that he has such an enviable job because of it. I have also learned to take what they say with a larger grain of salt these days and see what motivation might like behind some of their coverage, however I cannot deny that I have learned a lot from their site and appreciate the insight and perspective of most of their contributors.

It will certainly be interesting moving forward to see how this pans out. As mentioned above, they have such a huge reach and influence these days that they could certainly exploit and take advantage of that, especially as seeing that because of their broad reach they will arguably have an even greater ability to source more pieces and sell for higher prices. However, I do think they realize this responsibility, and so far it looks like they are respecting it (though it is only the first day). I say that because the prices, though dealer level, are surprisingly not absurdly-high, like I was anticipating.

I do, however, find it interesting that the purveyor of Bring A Loupe and (now literal) pusher of vintage watches, is not providing movement pictures with their sales.

 

you can definitely see the commercial influence that watchville (KR) has had on Hodinkee. i like the mobile app updates, live blogging, and store improvements (selling of more straps, tools & accessories). selling of watches seems to take away their "neutrality" and their core competency imho. i like their site and admit that they have (and will) play a role in my passion for this hobby. however, i'd prefer if they would stick to selling stories, ads & straps instead of timepieces. that said, if they are selling something I want, I would considering buying from them. looks like they are selling out of pieces fast.

 

Personally I think the whole thing raises the question of what makes someone a dealer and what makes someone a collector.

Personally, I see Hodinkee as a business. I don't like the Hodinkee bump on pieces I covet anymore than anyone else, but they have developed market share and they have the ability to do that. As a business that makes sense.

And when we look at collectors, many of us also sell pieces. I think it's an interesting line that may be discussed in another thread perhaps, but is a collector someone that enjoys and covets pieces but has a different line of work, versus a dealer who sustains their livelihood through purveying watches?

And at what point do these lines meet up? I think it's also interesting as we see Instagram grow and develop that many collectors who are showing their collections are also becoming "part time" sellers anyways, as everyone needs to fund new purchases.

Just some interesting thoughts, that could be debated forever I'm sure.

 

One thing that would be great to see come out of this would be more honest and transparent listings. It doesn't really apply here, but with many FS listings on dealer sites and elsewhere, it's up to the buyer to find all of the flaws/detractors/imperfections, which can be especially hard given the array of picture quality. So, it would be great if Hodinkee's (attempt) at more transparent and honest condition reports elevates the standard for other sellers.

 

@ConElPueblo I'm 100% with you, esp the part about abtw. I've met Ariel a few times now, and while they do tend to bend a positive note on all reviews, and have a sneaking suspicion a comment I made was moderated out when I commented about the new Mountblanc 1858 Chrono and pricing/place in market. I think ABTW is fair and unbiased.