Has Hodinkee Jumped the Shark?

[dbfagan]

Back in the mid aughts I was a huge fan of Hodinkee. I would hit their site several times a day and even more during Basel and SIHH. Lately, it just seems like a lot of fluff and not a lot of substance.

Anyone else feels this way?

[Jmas]

I’m sure there is only so much watch news to report on, I agree that in the slow months the articles aren’t as interesting as during Basel for example.

[~JJ]

I stopped reading that rag over a year ago when it became clear it’s only a vehicle to sell watches in their marketplace and paid advertorials.

[Stew7]

It's changed for sure but I still enjoy the Talking Watches and Reference Point articles.

[Blansky]

It's a commercial enterprise with lots of mouths to feed.

It will continue to become more commercial until someone buys them out and it becomes something else.

[dbfagan]

Originally Posted by ~JJ

I stopped reading that rag over a year ago when it became clear it’s only a vehicle to sell watches in their marketplace and paid advertorials.

I hate to say it but I tend to agree with you.

[dbfagan]

Originally Posted by Stew7

It's changed for sure but I still enjoy the Talking Watches and Reference Point articles.

I agree on the older stuff. The newer stuff seems weak IMHO

[Fredrik]

On fridays I read Bring a Loupe, other than that it's mostly ads for the stuff in their shop it seems.

[Star Ferry]

It's been at least 6 months, if not longer, since I've visited. Not to my taste and kind of pretentious

[dbfagan]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

It's been at least 6 months, if not longer, since I've visited. Not to my taste and kind of pretentious

You hit the nail on the head-pretentious

[Cru Jones]

It clearly went from a celebration of watches to a very self-aware effort to shape tastes and style.... and then sell products that fit their “ideal”. It just feels fake.

[jaisonline]

Yes. from my post in another topic.

Their partnerships with Omega (now an AD) and Tudor are turning them into a typical automotive mag that supports itself with paid automaker advertisements (and hocking stuff).
They probably needed to change into the mostly biased model to survive. Just my opinion.

The Talking Watches segment is still very cool though.

[Lol-x]

Originally Posted by Blansky

It's a commercial enterprise with lots of mouths to feed.

It will continue to become more commercial until someone buys them out and it becomes something else.

When that happens it will likely be more commercialised so the purchaser can recoupe his purchase outlay.

[bdex75]

Yes. Just there to pimp whoever they are now a dealer for. Now it’s ridiculously priced cameras.


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[locutus49]

I hear Watchbox is looking at them. Watchbox is ambitious. Be interesting to see Ben Clymer taking orders from Tim Mosso.vv

Originally Posted by Blansky

It's a commercial enterprise with lots of mouths to feed.

It will continue to become more commercial until someone buys them out and it becomes something else.

[Greg Tennis]

Talking Watches with Clymer are the best. It’s becoming very commercial but, at the end of the day, Clymer’s built an amazing resource to scratch the watch addict’s itch—not to mention, a very successful business. I say “ thank you” and “well done”.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Blansky

It's a commercial enterprise with lots of mouths to feed.

It will continue to become more commercial until someone buys them out and it becomes something else.

I applaud the ability to grow a basic blog on watches into a successful enterprise.

The topics may begin to narrow but I expect there will still be good exposition that benefits the reader.



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[daOnlyBG]

Well, I have a Leica camera, a vintage Tudor, a criminally overpriced loupe, and a Porsche 911, so I have no reason to visit Hodinkee anymore.

[pdnb]

Originally Posted by daOnlyBG

Well, I have a Leica camera, a vintage Tudor, a criminally overpriced loupe, and a Porsche 911, so I have no reason to visit Hodinkee anymore.

LOL... you ahead of the game!


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[dbfagan]

Originally Posted by Greg Tennis

Talking Watches with Clymer are the best. It’s becoming very commercial but, at the end of the day, Clymer’s built an amazing resource to scratch the watch addict’s itch—not to mention, a very successful business. I say “ thank you” and “well done”.

I agree about Clymer, you can tell he is a serious “watch guy”. I enjoy most of his stuff (sans the Nas Talking Watches). Some of the newer additions to the staff such as Pulvirent strike me as used car salesmen. Pitching whatever needs to get sold

[wantonebad]

when was it "under" the shark or whatever the euphemism is for pre-shark jumping?

[superdog]

appears to me they continue to crush it.

[Justinmg]

It’s kinda like TRF lately, gotta skim through lots of crap to find the good stuff

[scarlet knight]

Two of my anachronistic hobbies: cameras and watches.

I once called my wife. I told her I had to stop at the post office and bank. She said that I am the last person going to those places.

[DoraTheExplorerII]

Yeah I'm looking forward to the Hodinkee LE great white shark wallet too

[joli160]

What I don't like is that they never criticise anything.
One endless commercial

[daOnlyBG]

Originally Posted by pdnb

LOL... you ahead of the game!

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by 77T

I applaud the ability to grow a basic blog on watches into a successful enterprise.

The topics may begin to narrow but I expect there will still be good exposition that benefits the reader.

Yeah, I have no problem with their growth, and they are probably a pretty enviable example of a blogger that made good.

But I do feel the pain of people who loved a particular blog, then watch it monetize or perhaps over monetize into a blatantly commercial enterprise.

Once they hired some of their top guns you knew it was going to happen. This is New York and these people need to make some serious money to be there.