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Watchmaking as a Career
Introduction

There is a shortage of qualified watchmakers to service the growing number of fine and complicated watches owned by Americans. That shortage will be aggravated by the approaching retirement of up to one-half of existing watchmakers. An important part of the solution is improved curriculums in North American watchmaking schools and a uniform certification process. The other part of the solution is a campaign to inform potential students of career opportunities and wage benefits.

The Growth in Watch Consumption

Americans are buying more and more watches that require qualified watchmakers
to maintain them. U.S. Department of Commerce data show that imports of mechanical watches (excluding inexpensive pin-lever watches) jumped 145 percent from 3.9 million units in the 1980s to 9.6 million in the 1990s. Similarly, high-end quartz analog watches jumped 127 percent from 4.4 million pieces to 9.9 million during the same period.

Swiss data show the same growth trend. Exports to the United States of Swiss mechanical watches increased from 249,423 units in 1994 to 349,858 in 2000, a 40 percent jump in the last seven years.

The Commerce Department data for 1999 indicate that the average unit import price of these watches was $546.67 for auto-wind mechanicals, $249.30 manual-wind mechanicals and $382.07 for high-end quartz analogs.

With average retail prices of $1,000 and more, the aforementioned reflect a growing body of watches that will demand export service and repair in the years ahead.

The Need for Qualified Watchmakers

This need is being driven by two factors:

Need for standardized certification. Watchmakers learn their profession from a wide spectrum of experiences. A recent survey conducted by the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWI) shows that only 35 percent of the watchmakers responding obtained their training from a formal watchmaking school:
Where did you and your employees learn watchmaking/watch repair?:

Type of Training Percent
Formal watchmaking school 35.0
On-job training 22.9
Apprenticeship 15.9
Self-taught 9.7
Watch repair training course 8.5
Family & other 2.9
Home study 2.7
WOSTEP 2.5

Of these 1356 respondents, only 311 indicated that they were certified. Not surprisingly, 70 percent of the 311 held AWI certificates, but only 36 percent were certified master watchmakers.

The AWA and its member watch companies are dedicated to improving the availability of high-quality watchmaking curricula -- such as that based on the Swiss WOSTEP program -- at the major US watchmaking schools. In addition, AWA and its members favor the establishment of uniform standards for certification of watchmakers to guarantee quality service for consumers who bring their watches to professionals for service and repair.

An aging workforce. In the next 10-20 years, almost one-half of the watchmaker workforce can be expected to retire or die. The AWI survey finds that 49 percent of respondents were 46 years or older. More troubling is the disparity between young and old watchmakers: while 25 percent are over 55 years old, only 7 percent are under 25 years:
Age Cohort Percent
Under 25 years 6.6
25-35 years 12.6
36-45 years 32.1
46-55 years 23.9
Over 55 years 24.8

A parallel study conducted by the American Watch Association of 445 watchmakers employed by major watch companies shows similar results:

Age Cohort Percent
Under 25 years 2.0
25-35 years 18.7
36-45 years 33.0
46-55 years 21.6
Over 55 years 24.7

Watchmaking Offers Attractive Earnings

Clearly, with ownership of complicated watches increasing dramatically, with no letdown in sight, and with an older generation of watchmakers approaching retirement, the need for qualified watchmakers has never been greater than it is today.

Moreover, watchmakers earn attractive wages. The AWI survey of 586 watchmakers responding shows median annual earnings of approximately $42,500:

Earnings Percent
$30,000-$39,999 36.7
$40,000-$49,999 32.8
$50,00-59,999 15.9
$60,000-79,999 8.7
$80,000-$99,999 8.4
$100,000 or more 2.6

The AWA survey of 247 watchmakers employed by watch companies shows an even higher median wage of nearly $50,000:

Earnings Percent
$30,000-$39,999 10.5
$40,000-$49,999 42.5
$50,00-59,999 24.7
$60,000-79,999 15.4
$80,000-$99,999 5.3
$100,000 or more 1.6

Need for More Watch School Graduates.

In 1975, there were 44 watchmaking schools in North America. Now AWA is aware of only 11 full-time schools in the United States and one in Canada. Even with this 75 percent decline, the remaining schools' enrollment is only 58 percent of capacity.

A survey conducted by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (US) found 140 students currently enrolled in contrast to total capacity of 242 students. The total number of graduates in 1999 was 77, compared to 80 in 1998. By gender, 80 percent of students are male, 20 percent female. Their average age ranges from 27-32 years.

The watch industry estimates that it will take four to six times that many graduates each year for the foreseeable future to replace watchmakers who retire and to meet the demand for service of a rapidly increasing volume of fine watches.

Conclusion

It has been estimated that there are 30 million-35 million high-end mechanical and quartz analog watches currently in circulation in the United States, in addition to approximately one billion inexpensive electronic digital and quartz analog watches.

While nearly one-half of the established approximately 5000-6000 watchmakers are approaching retirement, watch making schools in North America are graduating fewer than 100 students each year. Through improved curricula, standardized certification, strong recruitment and favorable publicity highlighting watchmaking as a career, the watch industry is determined to avoid a disastrous shortfall.

Some have said that watchmakers are a declining vestige of the past. Clearly, just the opposite is true. The need for qualified watchmakers is growing and will continue to grow for years to come.

Watchmaker tools - Uhrmacherwerkzeug - outil d’horloger -

attrezzo dell'orologiaio - ferramenta do watchmaker -

herramienta del relojero - ادوات الساعاتي

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