The Cartier Santos-Dumont Yoni Ben-Yehuda custom designed.
Photo: Jordon Zimmerly
The Collectors: Yoni Ben-Yehuda
The head of watches at Material Good favors colorful timepieces and those with rare stone dials
Yoni Ben-Yehuda at Material Good in New York's SoHo neighborhood. Photo: Courtesy of Yoni Ben-Yehuda
As head of watches at Material Good, a jewelry salon with residential-style outposts in New York, Miami Beach, and Dallas, Yoni Ben-Yehuda has made collecting timepieces part of his job. “Every day, I’m subjected to some of the greatest watches on earth,” says Ben-Yehuda, who was a fervent client long before joining the company and favors colorful and rare stone dials.
His latest achievement—and acquisition—is a Cartier Santos-Drumont he custom designed. Featuring a dial with numbers in multiple languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, and Mandarin, the timepiece, limited to 25 editions, was snapped up by collectors such as John Mayer, Jimmy Fallon, and the NBA’s Julius Randle. “Cartier asking me to design a watch with them is one of the great honors of my career.”
Personal philosophy: “Watches are these forever objects in a disposable world. They’re historical artifacts that will outlive us. They’re romantic and beautiful—and this is what set me on the path of collecting.”
Collecting history: “My mom gave me my first real watch, a Hamilton, when I was 16. In the early 2000s, I got a Rolex Datejust with my first big paycheck and then an Omega, and then I found my way to Patek Philippe. Eventually, I got an Audemars Piguet.”
Audemars Piguet white gold John Schaeffer Perpetual. Photo: Hiroko Masuike
Holy grails: A Richard Mille Smiley, a vintage Tuscany dial 39-millimeter Royal Oak, an Audemars Piguet John Schaeffer Perpetual. The John Mayer Royal Oak is probably the most exciting watch to come out this year.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Late Fall Issue under the headline “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: The Cartier Santos-Dumont Yoni Ben-Yehuda custom designed.
Photo: Jordon Zimmerly
