Watchmaker in 1601: Geneva founds the first watchmakers' guild

How long does it take to become a watchmaker? Two to four years of full-time training is the norm. Switzerland's federal apprenticeship (CFC) runs three to four years; the industry-standard WOSTEP course in Neuchâtel takes 3,000 hours over roughly two years, and brand-funded schools such as the Lititz Watch Technicum in the US follow a similar two-year model. Most graduates then spend several more years in a service center before working unsupervised on complicated watches.

The opposite problem: the industry is short of watchmakers. Mechanical watches came back as luxury goods after the quartz crisis, Swiss exports hit a record CHF 26.7 billion in 2023, and the booming pre-owned market needs servicing too. Brands including Rolex and the Richemont group fund watchmaking schools in several countries precisely because retirements outpace the supply of trained graduates.

Why does a watch service cost so much? A full service means completely disassembling the movement — often more than a hundred parts — cleaning everything, replacing worn components, re-oiling with several different lubricants in doses smaller than a pinhead, then reassembling, regulating in multiple positions and testing for days. That is several hours of skilled bench time even for a simple watch, and far more for chronographs or vintage pieces with no spare parts available.