The Battle for Hodinkee Hill

The Hodinkee Clock launched, sold out and became the latest hill for people to die on as I was, you’d never guess, in the final edit of a video on why some of us get so upset with bad limited editions. It was a great video, full of unique insights and couldn’t be changed (ie I was lazy and never going to do a reshoot). In as few words as possible, the thesis of my argument was that we watch folk like to imagine we are more than just consumers. We like to think our hobby is more than just consumption. A ‘bad’ limited edition is so crass, such an obvious money grab that the veil of ignorance is ripped away, we can no longer suspend our disbelief in our situation and the watchseller reaches out through the screen and rubs our noses in the FOMO like a dog caught pissing on the carpet.

I wrote the Hodinkee Clock off as one of those, figured it would be all over red rover the next day and moved on.

And yet, here we are. Comments shut down, new articles defending the hill written, new charges up the hill from the angry mobs and its still going on. I feel this is more than just a “bad” limited edition. Reading through the comments on the most recent Hodinkee article defending their release of the Clock of Doom is clear there are four broad camps.

First, there’s the camp with two lost blokes and their dog that arent sure where they actually are but appear to be next to a sign saying “We love this clock, its the best thing ever.”

Then there’s a very large group of hard headed mercenaries watching the fight going on over of the hill slopes wondering “whats all that about?”. These are people who flipped their heart some years ago because after reconsidering their emotional box figured it wasn't really in the rotation and if its not being used may as well pass it on. Sometimes they wonder about that decision but YOLO, no regrets and my god have you seen what they charge for a heart on the secondary market? In any rate, the Hodinkee Clock worries them not a jot.

Next there’s an odd assortment of people with uncertain motives in all but one regard - they are Hodinkee loyalists taking to defend the walls even Hodinkee staff dont. This is an odd assortment of folks, some mercenaries, others, bleeding hearts. Many acknowledge that their Hodinkee isnt perfect while others can’t countenance the idea of change (or want Hodinkee to move even further in a new direction). However, all will not tolerate their Hodinkee being criticised, by anyone, even those that say they too love Hodinkee. They defend Hodinkee in a variety of ways from the passive cheering on via messages of support through to the active investigation and trolling of the critics.

Then there’s the rest, the bleeding hearted, namby pamby, whiners (yeah, people like me). Over emotional blow hards, over thinking, over analysing and writing comments to ourselves about the good old days when watches were tools, things had value, and we were all in this together. We’re the ones storming up the hill. But what are we fighting for?

Frankly I’m not sure. I suspect, like many an uprising there are lots of causes in the crowd and trying to pin down just one is nigh on impossible. But I’ll try, in short the bleeding hearts are fighting for the soul of Hodinkee (and perhaps this hobby). This fight boils down to this, what is Hodinkee and by extension, who are we?

Is Hodinkee Stevie and Cara or Jason and James?

Does Hodinkee talk about the industry or for it?

Does Hodinkee tell us about stuff or sell us stuff?

Does Hodinkee prize the value in a tool watch or laugh and say how can one value art?

Ultimately, is Hodinkee one of us, or one of them?

Frankly, we bleeding hearts know the answers to all those questions, we know they aren’t the answers we’d like. But we’ll have the fight anyway. Why, because life is a fight, for everyone, all the time and all you get to choose is your side. And secondly because you’ve only truly lost when you stop getting back in the ring.