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Watch and Clock Repairers

In the Watch and Clock Repairers occupation, workers repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. You may also need to clean, rinse, and dry timepiece parts, using solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical watch-cleaning machines. With a code of RCI, this is mostly a job for people drawn to hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Conventional interests also help, rated 4.4 out of 7. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in repairing, operations monitoring, and critical thinking helps most here. People who want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world usually fit better here than those who need leading, persuading and making business decisions.

What they do

Repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. Includes watchmakers, watch technicians, and mechanical timepiece repairers.

Main tasks

  • Clean, rinse, and dry timepiece parts, using solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical watch-cleaning machines.
  • Adjust timing regulators, using truing calipers, watch-rate recorders, and tweezers.
  • Reassemble timepieces, replacing glass faces and batteries, before returning them to customers.
  • Disassemble timepieces and inspect them for defective, worn, misaligned, or rusty parts, using loupes.
  • Oil moving parts of timepieces.
  • Estimate repair costs and timepiece values.

Skills

  • Repairing
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Troubleshooting
  • Speaking
  • Quality Control Analysis

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on repairing and operations monitoring.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.1 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCI takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Antique Clock Repairer
  • Clock Repair Technician
  • Clock Repairer
  • Watch and Clock Repairer
  • Watch Estimator

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.