Am i alone in thinking that watch repair should be a growing, rather than dying business? There seems to be so many kids, particularly in the City, buying up expensive timepieces, surely they get bashed about a bit and need either repairing, or just plain old servicing every few years. I'd guess that the amount of BHI / BSW qualified watch repairers net reduces with each passing year, currently. Shouldn't this be an area of resurgence? And (perhaps more relevance to me!) could it be an area one might find interesting to switch in to, if they wanted a change of career in to something dearer to their heart...?
I suspect it would need at least a year or two (or more) of costly/non-income generating training and only then starting out working for someone for a few years before looking to make their own way, but all the watch repairers i have spoken to over the years say it's a dying trade, and that they've never had any sort of 'competition' in the whole of their careers. I don't really follow why.
Would anyone have any comments on whether it is, or indeed should be, a dying industry? Is there a career to be made from someone in their middle of their working life who feels they're okay with their hands, have an eye for detail and fancies a change of lifestyle? Or is it more likely to be a decade long hard slog before getting anywhere, and only then being able to do frustratingly minor repairs on smaller brand pieces? I hear Rolex (for example) are increasingly picky about who they supplying parts to and require work to be done from approved premises, rather than home etc. So maybe it is a 'cut throat' industry, but in a different way. Nevertheless, I still end up thinking they surely need technicians to service all these wristwatches being sold.
Thoughts?
I was talking to the guy who owns a clock and watch shop in Ashbourne a couple of years ago. Don't know if he's still in business. He was telling me that no young people want to go into watch repairing because there simply isn't enough pay in it compared to other professions.
I've often had the same thought, especially here in Ireland where options for independent servicing are very limited. I do think that the likes of Rolex, omega etc limiting parts availability is an issue though, the auto manufacturers use the same techniques to push independent repairers out of the market.Originally Posted by john_coburg
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I'm just getting into it. I've been tinkering for about 10 years but with my semi-retirement in 18 months time I can hopefully get enough work to have a reasonable second income on top of my pension. Have already booked a few courses at the BHI and start the first one in June.
Though I agree with the OP in that it should be a growing trade, times are changing/have changed. Long gone are the days of a few 'proper' watch repairers in every town. The stranglehold on access to parts from the major manufacturers is a serious issue (for us, not them). More and more repairs and servicing can only be done by the manufacturer - it's a major additional income stream for them. Can't see the 'problem' getting any better for independents, sadly.
I do watchmaking but only as a hobby, I have a Elma cleaning machine I brought from a old watchmaker friend in Edinbourgh and a work area at home with all my equipment, I enjoy it and it’s completely different from my day job in the building industry but I don’t think it would be possible for me to earn as much as I can in one day in my day job as my job is quite specialist and is charged accordingly but tbh I more than likely wouldn’t enjoy it if I had to do back to back repairs as it would feel like a job
What I like best is picking up old watches not working and just working on them when I get a moment
Its a highly skilled business & AFAIK does not pay accordingly so unless one has alternative means and just loves fixing timepieces, its not going to be a career choice for many.
Speaking from my own experience also, 20-40 year olds generally look for careers to give them a reasonable chance at an easier life, i.e. steady job that pays well or go all in with entrepreneurship & social media hoping to work hard for a while and win big. Watchmaking/repair fits into neither of those categories.
Its why there is a drastic shortage in apprenticeships nowdays, leading to a huge shortage in critical roles in society that require specialist skills that can only really be handed on through apprenticeship programmes.
I agree with Geralt, its the parts supply thats worrying!
My collection is mainly vintage and I dont plan on changing that any time soon , but when I buy a watch from an auction/ ebay ect I always get it serviced and normally find they need parts . This then becomes a problem.
I will always need the services of a watchmaker for my collection, I maybe in a minority ,as the amount of vintage watches I see for sale ,have never had or need a service.
Also like any self employment there are gaps to the work load or too much work at other times .
I can only ever see this being hobby income for a late comer.
The big brands are locking down the parts supply as they see the service revenue as theirs.
This leaves only the crumbs from the table for the independent.
Restricted parts supply is the biggest single problem facing anyone who fancies watch repairing as a second career. The manufacturers are killing the repair trade by promoting this policy.
Unless you can get accreditation by a big manufacturer such as Rolex or Omega, which is v. costly, Its always going to be a struggle that will continue to get harder. As a profitable hobby in later life its OK provided you don’t rely on the income stream, but I really wouldn’t want to be making a living at it and I’d go as far as saying that the traditional model of one guy working on his own is no longer viable.
There’s another downside too; ask yourself if you genuinely want to routinely spend 7-8 hrs/ day crouched over a workbench in total isolation, giving yourself eye-strain? Add to that the stress of knowing you can’t get replacement parts if you make a mistake or (perish the thought) lose/ damage something........does it really seem such an appealing career option?
Be prepared to spend a few £k on training/ equipment/ work area, treat it as a hobby, and it’s fine. When the suns shining you really don’t want to be stuck indoors fixing a watch, but its OK in winter when there’s little else to do. I still enjoy it and I do find it satisfying, but as a career option I’d give it a firm thumbs- down.
I think perhaps the scale of this is what i had missed. The uber rich will just walk back into Rolex for a service if something breaks (i doubt they even consider regularly servicing them) - but the City kids might spend 30 seconds googling an independent, if they can save a few hundred quid. But then if Rolex/whoever else don't play ball and see the service revenue as theirs, then the whole thing falls apart.
As an aside, my watch repairer said when rare pieces come in (by definition, rarely) he can literally charge what he wants. He just never got his act together on the marketing front, nor i guess not many do, to make it a money-spinner.
I still think there is a place for independent watchmakers.
I think it is for us hobbyists to give them their due and not just use them as 'cheap fixers' when we don't want to shell out the big bucks charged by the brands.
It's out there as an option, with training available here in the UK at Birmingham university. A BA (Hons) in Horology no less at https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/horology-ba-hons-2019-20
I went down an altogether easier route though, starting as most people who like nice watches do, with tinkering. Adjusting bracelets, changing straps, getting the timing accurate, swapping hands, refurbishing knackered cases, repairing things that have broken (always the front crystal) etc and then onto buying old watches and taking them apart (top tip here is to buy old clocks first as they're bigger and easier to play with), getting really quite hooked into the whole horology thing and having a go at figuring out what's good, what's bad, what's being done for no other reason than to say it's different. Old watches from pawn shops are great as they're generally good makes but in pretty poor condition and remarkably cheap. Same thing if you buy from auction houses as you can often find the likes of Raymond Weil (a superb make) with just a drop damage to it like a broken crystal. Online auction bidding is also brilliant fun - but of course very easy to get carried away with.
A few years of the tinkering, figuring things out and repairing bits and bobs and you're good and confident enough to repair just about anything. The likes of Cousins in the UK or Otto Frei in the US have just about any part for any watch you might want. Tools are required, but again I found that auction houses can occasionally turn up the most magnificent box of old watch repair tools. It's brilliant and you know that the former owner would want someone just like you to be overwhelmed with his collection of useful stuff and actually put it to use.
Making money though is a different matter. I've never managed it as I went down the hobby route. Even with the Marine Chronometer Co, where I design, engineer and build completely unique watches (based on the valjoux 7750 modified to my own Cal 775M2), I've yet to make back the initial investment. Quality and perfection are there, but it's not called Omega, Rolex or IWC, doesn't have a Bremont boutique and isn't with independent jewellers (can't afford to make watches 'on spec'), so is price capped. Time I suspect is key. Stay around longer than the kickstarter bunch, do things properly and better, slowly build a good reputation and then one day just step up to the next level.
Afternoon all.
Can anyone help me please. I purchased a second hand gen 2 but after six months it's started slowing down and one of the chronograph hand moves two increments at a time. I would like to get it serviced. Does anyone know of anywhere reputable ??.
Thanks
(That's not really germane to this thread, which is about careers in watch repair, so you'd be better off asking the question in a specific separate one.)
Are you considering a career change?
Smart watches are taking over, you've got the bulk of kids under 20 now who will have and will never own a mechanical watch.
Just look at the age demopgraphic of this site I guess average age is 40+.
^^^ what’s that got to do with the price of fish?
Now I’m heading to retirement from my current job and of an age where I can take up my hobbies more full time horology is definitely one option. My eyes are not fantastic due to years of screen work, but by no means failing just yet. So are those magnifiers that attach to glasses any good? I am prepared to dedicate time and effort and plan to have an area in the house as a little workshop. Does such an area need to be dust free - any thoughts most welcome.
Not planning to make money but you never know!
Martyn.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 24th April 2019 at 18:47.
I came from a similar background, and my eyes aren’t great. Decent magnifiers are the key, and I’ve had a pair of varifocal glasses made for work at the bench that are quite an unusual prescription.
A clean dust- free environment helps, but it’s not easy to achieve. A bench at the right height, plus good lighting, is v. important.
If you seriously decide to go for it I’m happy to advise. I’m always prepared to help if I can, but judging from a couple of recent comments from the Bear Pit morons you’d think I’d grown horns!
I use two decent independent watchmakers and have asked them the same question - both have said that watch repair is pretty much a dead-end unless you can get in early (from college, I suppose) and get your feet under the table working cards-in with a good brand.
One is ex-Rolex (yes, the ubiquitous "my ex Rolex guy") and still does well with servicing high end Swiss watches, but Omega and Rolex are getting harder and harder since parts are not easy to get (mentioned by Paul). Rolex insisted on him buying £40,000 worth of equipment a couple of years ago and he refused, so he's lost his full account with them - bear in mind these are pieces he already has, but Rolex want him to have new. Insane!
The other chap is ex Seiko and is a whiz with the early Quartz that some people won't touch. He keeps a ton of spare parts watches to strip for coils and circuits but it's a pain in the 'arris stripping one watch to (hopefully) use the parts to fix another.
He also has a solid workshop with milling machines to manufacture parts for mechanicals. So he doesn't have quite the same issues with parts restrictions, but it's very long messy work when you have to manufacture parts to repair a watch. He has much higher costs and longer turnaround times, and (importantly) doesn't enjoy the job as much as he used to.
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