This is an edition of the newsletter Box + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. In July, Yoni Ben-Yehuda, the head of watches at the New York boutique Material Good, sent a description of a new $82,000 Biver timepiece to a dedicated fan group chat called “Leave It to Biver.” Before even seeing an actual image of the watch, members began wiring Material Good deposits to ensure they didn’t miss out on the opportunity to own one. Ben-Yehuda generated enough interest through that one text message, in fact, that the watch is now sold out until 2029.
What’s craziest is that this behavior isn’t really that unusual. This reflects the new reality of buying watches at the extremely high end in 2026, where timepieces only a select few even know exist are racking up years-long waitlists. The independent brand Simon Brette regularly reports in press releases announcing its newest watches that the entire production runs are already spoken for.
At Watches and Wonders this year, F.P. Journe, which now routinely sees its pieces sell for over a million at auction, wouldn’t even let me share images of its newest models to avoid the wrath of its devoted fans, many of whom wouldn’t be able to get their hands on the pieces. Today’s hottest watch brands inspire the type of loyalty in customers normally reserved for religions or K-pop bands.
In addition to their own dedicated group chat, some fans of the brand H. Moser & Cie. have started getting the Swiss maker’s logo tattooed on their bodies. Collectors now embrace the Bivers of the world not just to acquire cool watches, but also as a means to develop actual friendships.
Scroll through the brand’s dedicated group chat and you’ll find pictures from a member’s daughter’s wedding, recommendations on where to get bagels in New York, and photos of recent pickups from other makers. The result is something arguably even more irresistible than the watches themselves: an exclusive club. Of course, all this community building will likely only make these clients feel even more connected to—and eager to buy more from—the brand that brought them together in the first place.
Acquiring these types of pricey, limited-production watches in 2026 basically requires customers to identify and commit to their favorite brands the way I once sought out pop-punk bands in the aughts: It’s only really worth it if you knew about them before they became popular. But I think you just have to do it for the right reasons.” When Roizin and I spoke on Thursday afternoon, he still hadn’t seen the watch he’d made a substantial financial commitment to in person. On Wednesday, Ben-Yehuda took me into the back office at Material Good and drew the blinds.
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