HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical pathway starts in secondary school with English, math, and shop or practical arts courses, along with careful, hands-on work experience if available. After graduation, many people learn the trade through a combination of on-the-job training, informal mentoring, or employer-led training in a jewellery or watch repair setting. Some may also take related college or short vocational training, depending on the employer or province. Early experience helping with customer service, fine tools, cleaning, and basic repair tasks can be useful. Requirements can vary by workplace and specialty.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Fabricate or fit parts to make watches and clocks
- Examine clocks and watches, disassemble and check for defective and misaligned parts or rust
- Replace or repair worn or broken parts
- Test, adjust and regulate timepiece movements
- Clean all parts using special cleaning and rinsing solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical cleaning machines to remove dirt and dried lubricants
- May supervise other watch repairers.
SKILLS TO BUILD