Benjamin "Ben" Clymer (born 1982) is an American businessman known as the executive chairman and founder of Hodinkee, a luxury watch and lifestyle website.[1] He is an authority and influencer in the world of watches.[2][3]
Benjamin "Ben" Clymer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982 (age 41–42) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Executive chairman of Hodinkee |
| Known for | Founder of Hodinkee, watch expert and entrepreneur |
Education and early life
editClymer was born in 1982, and grew up in Brighton, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York.[4] As a youth, he was an avid collector, and first became interested in mechanical watches when his grandfather gave him an Omega Speedmaster MK40.[5][3]
Clymer graduated from Brighton High School in 2001. He earned his bachelor's degree at Syracuse University and his master's degree at Columbia University School of Journalism.[4]
Career
editAfter graduating college, Clymer worked as a project manager at Swiss investment bank UBS.[3] When the financial crisis hit in 2008, Clymer took a severance package from UBS and enrolled in Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to earn a master's degree.[6] While at Columbia, also in 2008, he founded Hodinkee as a fan site and blog for watch aficionados. In 2012, Clymer launched Hodinkee's e-commerce platform based on Shopify, and in 2013, Time named Hodinkee one of the 50 best websites in the world.[7][4]
In December 2013, The New York Times dubbed Clymer "The High Priest of Horology", noting his watch and style consulting work with brands including Club Monaco and Gilt Groupe.[3]
By 2015, Hodinkee was known as the most respected influential online resource in the traditional watch industry.[6]
In 2018, at age 35, Clymer was named to Crain's New York Business's 40 Under 40 list.[8] In December 2018, Clymer led the collaboration efforts on the Slim d’Hermès Limited Editions with French luxury goods company Hermes' creative director Pierre-Alexis Dumas.[9]
In September 2020, Clymer was named to Fortune's 40 under 40 list, in the category of Media and Entertainment.[10]
Personal life
editClymer is an avid collector of watches and cars, and his collection has been featured in GQ and The Wall Street Journal.[2][11][12] Through their shared passion for watches, Clymer has struck up friendships with other well known watch collectors such as musician John Mayer and actor and comedian Aziz Ansari.[3][13] Clymer's vintage Porsche 356 Zagato Coupe was featured in The Wall Street Journal[1] He is also the proud owner of an un-pristine 1967 Porsche 911S.[14] Clymer is engaged to Cara Barret who also used to work at Hodinkee and lives in Manhattan.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "It's a Brand-New Porsche From 1959". The Wall Street Journal. 2020-02-04. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ a b "Pocket Guide: Hodinkee's Benjamin Clymer". The Rake. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ a b c d e "The High Priest of Horology". The New York Times. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ a b c d "Brighton graduate's love of high-end watches pays off in popular website Hodinkee". Democrat and Chronicle. 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ "Confessions of a Watch Geek". The New Yorker. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ a b "Mr Ben Clymer". Mr. Porter. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ "Hodinkee's Ben Clymer: Flipping from advertising to commerce revenue is difficult". Digiday. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ "Benjamin Clymer, 35 Founder, CEO, Hodinkee". Crains New York. 2018. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ "Hermès Teams Up With Hodinkee For Slim d'Hermès Limited Editions". Barrons. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ "40 Under 40 - Benjamin Clymer". The New York Times. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ "8 Stylish Guys on Their Biggest Bargains and Stupidest Splurges". Wall Street Journal. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ "The 7 Most Insane Watches We Spotted at This Morning's Patek Philippe Event". GQ. 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ "Aziz Ansari Talks Watches With Hodinkee". Hypebeast. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ "DRIVERS: Ben Clymer and his 1967 Porsche 911S". HYPEBEAST. 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2022-05-26.