Hodinkee: Journalism, Sales, and Ethics Debate

Joepny · 2017-02-11T15:46:29Z

Debate Hodinkee's ethics: combining watch journalism with direct sales and brand collaborations. Is it biased or a new model for watch media?

Joepny

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

120 replies49481 views2 photos

Joepny sparks a heated debate about Hodinkee's business practices, specifically their exclusive Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques Chronograph collaboration. The author questions the ethics of a platform that combines journalism with direct watch sales, particularly regarding disclosure of commercial relationships. This discussion explores the evolving landscape of watch media and its impact on independent journalism.

So this post is a serious discussion about something that absolutely infuriates me and I'm hoping it hews to the PuristS code of conduct and won't be removed.

Hodinkee put up for sale exclusively through their website a tweaked model of the VC Les Historiques chrono in SS. Nice watch. I read their post on Thursday when it went up. I have also read their numerous articles about various VC references over the past few months. Early in this past week they had a watch comparison article that featured the new VC Overseas 3-hander vs. 2 other manufacturers' references. It was a very positive take on the VC 3-hander. So I re-read it and there was no disclosure that there was a business relationship between Hodinkee and VC. There were no disclosures at all in other previous articles that included VC content. This is just unbelievably unethical in my opinion. It's shilling uncovered after the fact if a disclosure is not made.

(pic credit to Hodinkee website)

Now I know other Purists read Hodinkee, and have bought their recent Zenith watch, will wonder what's the big deal? You can argue that Everyone has the internet at their disposal and can make their own decisions and Hodinkee is doing a great favor for all of us with their 2-prong business model - free journalism and selling watches. Well thank you but you're missing the point. The point is it smells of commercial favoritism and with the size of Hodinkee's reach & influence, they can shift the balance for manufacturers that do business with them. You work with us and we pump up your sales. The VC watch collaboration alone will drive over $1.5M USD gross sales. That is substantial. I don't know the split between Hodinkee & VC, let's say 30/70. Wouldn't another manufacturer love to record that turnover to survive business in a downturn? How about Habring who makes a very nice vintage-inspired chrono? How about Parmigiani Fleurier? How about Breitling who is up for sale?

Anyway I'm just very disappointed by the biggest watch blog that it did not do the right thing once again. It just reinforces the belief that if you want independent and ethical watch journalism, you must search far & wide for it.

(post edited to insert correct image - Ornatus-Mundi)

This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2017-02-13 07:16:48

Key Points from the Discussion

The core ethical concern is Hodinkee's lack of disclosure regarding business relationships with brands they feature editorially, suggesting commercial favoritism and potential bias in their 'journalism.'
Hodinkee's evolution from a blog to an online shop, advertising platform, and then a direct dealer, has led to a loss of face-value credibility when they opine on business partners without immediate disclosure.
Some argue that Hodinkee's bias is inherent and transparent, as Ben Clymer and his team openly state they only write about what they like, and consumers should interpret their content with this understanding.
The trend of watch blogs selling exclusive limited editions bypasses traditional Authorized Dealers (ADs) and retailers, potentially signaling a future shift towards direct-to-consumer sales by manufacturers.
Hodinkee's collaborations, such as the Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques Chronograph in steel, are seen by some as positive, creating a more democratic playing field for enthusiasts to acquire special pieces, unlike traditional brand-client hierarchies.
Hodinkee has demonstrated a deep understanding of the collector market, allowing them to offer valuable consultation and guidance to brands for future watch development, leading to highly desirable special editions.

The Discussion

keks

Feb 11, 2017

In due time it will be more apparent to a wider group of readers less versed in horology. I do think however they have an interesting role in sensing what users want more of and act as a bridge to the manufacturers who seem at times poor at sensing what consumers want. A stainless version of this is very cool I admit, however not sure why they could not have done this by themselves to begin with..?

christianch

Feb 11, 2017

I don't really understand what the big deal is about. I don't think for a second that hodinkee is biased in a VC, Zenith or Nomos article or -- at least -- no more than any other site, blog etc. that accept advertisers. There is a clear division between editorials and business. Readers can doubt it but then you cannot really read anything (including newspapers) ..I mean if you fear an advertisers/business relationship bias. Now to the watches: what is special about a Patek 1000+ limited edition

jrwong23 (aka watchthebin)

Feb 11, 2017

good thread. My summary is a watch journalist (including webzines) cannot be a watch trader/broker/dealer at the same time. There is a conflict of interest or at least a perceived one that makes it hard for readers to believe content from the watch journalist. I much prefer a clean cut approach and separation of these business functions. I have stopped reading Hodinkee since they went into some other business models which I personally doubt they can avoid having conflict situations in their edit

alphabeta81

Feb 11, 2017

I don\'t think they themselves would call them selves and independent source of journalism. They admit they are a business and they took a lot of money from investors to build the business. Again, why are we holding them to a standard to be independent when they are pretty open about not being truly independent and having business interests?

Bounce781

Feb 11, 2017

Ablogtowatch had done a few editorials on this before as well. This blurring of editorial and financial will continue to exist unless web consumers are prepared to pay for content. This would be the only way to ensure media organisations stay unbiased and independent. Until then; everything online will be tainted by commercial bias. Hodinkee are the most successful (and egregious) but hardly alone.

iamcalledryan

Feb 11, 2017

which article(s) are you specifically concerned about?

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