Benjamin Clymer

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]

This article is about the entrepreneur. For the former professional hockey player, see Ben Clymer.
Benjamin "Ben" Clymer
Born1982 (age 40–41)
Alma mater
OccupationExecutive chairman of Hodinkee
Known forFounder of Hodinkee, watch expert and entrepreneur

Education and early life

Clymer 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.[5][3]

Clymer graduated from Brighton High School in 2001, and attended Syracuse University.[4]

Career

After 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

Clymer 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 married his former HODINKEE editor, Cara Barrett, with whom he has one child. Clymer lives in Manhattan.[4]

References
  1. "It's a Brand-New Porsche From 1959". The Wall Street Journal. 2020-02-04. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  2. "Pocket Guide: Hodinkee's Benjamin Clymer". The Rake. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  3. "The High Priest of Horology". The New York Times. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  4. "Brighton graduate's love of high-end watches pays off in popular website Hodinkee". Democrat and Chronicle. 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  5. "Confessions of a Watch Geek". The New Yorker. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  6. "Mr Ben Clymer". Mr. Porter. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  7. "Hodinkee's Ben Clymer: Flipping from advertising to commerce revenue is difficult". Digiday. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  8. "Benjamin Clymer, 35 Founder, CEO, Hodinkee". Crains New York. 2018. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  9. "Hermès Teams Up With Hodinkee For Slim d'Hermès Limited Editions". Barrons. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  10. "40 Under 40 - Benjamin Clymer". The New York Times. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  11. "8 Stylish Guys on Their Biggest Bargains and Stupidest Splurges". Wall Street Journal. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  12. "The 7 Most Insane Watches We Spotted at This Morning's Patek Philippe Event". GQ. 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  13. "Aziz Ansari Talks Watches With Hodinkee". Hypebeast. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  14. "DRIVERS: Ben Clymer and his 1967 Porsche 911S". HYPEBEAST. 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
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