During my time in the watch world, I have met some genuine friends, people who I will know long after I have left the industry for a quieter life.
Among them are dealers, auctioneers and vintage collectors who, whenever I have asked for their top tips for a would-be watch buyer, have all said the same thing: ‘Always buy the very best example of your chosen reference’.
As record-breaking sales prices show, this is indeed sage advice.
But, according to a horological friend that I interviewed last week, ‘best examples’ are now becoming extremely rare beasts.
The friend and I were discussing the gargantuan differences between the skills needed to be a modern watch servicing technician as opposed to an antique restorer i.e. the ability to make parts from scratch.
With no judgement over which is better, more interesting or more worthwhile, the plain fact is that it is now extremely difficult to find someone to restore a vintage watch and, even if or when you do, there is usually a waiting list of many months for their services.
The biggest problem with this shortage is the cyclical effect of watches being bought at auction by less reputable dealers.
Often the timepieces are opened, looked at and tinkered with, before the decision is made that it is too complicated, time consuming and expensive to repair or restore them properly.
More often than not, the watches then end up back in auction and the whole process repeats.
The conclusion of the restorer I spoke to was that vintage watches today are, by and large, in the worst condition they have been in for a decade.
Around the world, there are very few working restorers compared to the past and this is reflected in the amount of apprenticeships that can be offered.
This is further compounded by the fact that most of the artisans that we do have, are so backed-up with work that they simply don’t have the time to train anyone.
With many eyes now focused on British watchmaking, thanks to recent events like the £48.4 million investment in Bremont and its Henley-on-Thames manufacturing facility, not to mention the collective might of the ever-growing Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, is the time not right for the UK to offer more specialised watchmaking courses and training opportunities?
As the friends I have been talking to know only too well, if we don’t start training now for the future then some of our greatest horological assets could well be lost forever.
The shortage of Watchmakers has also a lot to do with the restrictive measures put in place by manufacturers.
I have stopped my Son from entering the trade, he would have made a great Watchmaker, but he decided that having seen the struggle I have endured with regard to spares, he would be appreciated more in another trade. I advised him not to even consider picking up a tweezers!
There is an ever increasing number of manufacturers now refusing the supply if genuine replacement parts for their watch, watches which they no longer own having sold them to unsuspecting purchasers. They have no choice of where they have their watches serviced or repaired.
The number if people tinkering with their watches had increased due to the monopoly enforced by those brands.
Independent Watch repairers have been and are still being squeezed out of the trade. Why would anybody in their right mind want to spend years training only to find if they can’t get a job with one if monopolising brands, they would have no work and have to work in another trade?
After over 45 years in the trade, I can honestly say I feel that I am not valued as an experienced Watch Repairer, I have almost 30 years experience as an accredited repairer to one of the most famous luxury brands, but all that experience counts for nothing. Nor do the tools and equipment I have mean a thing.
Frankly, I can’t wait to retire, I will not miss the struggle to obtain parts. Also, anybody who asks about becoming a Watchmaker will be advised against it, simply due to the monopoly brands have enforced.
55 year watch enthusiast and collector… I agree completely! My highly skilled, local watchmaker, who used to care for ultra high net worth clients’ watches and clocks constantly complained about parts availability and support for years. I live in the US, but have spent considerable time in Geneva, and likewise know the industry very well. I have friends who work in many of the top houses.
One day, a gentleman client showed up and he was more than frustrated, The minute repeater that he had purchased from one of the top manufacturers simply stopped after only two weeks in service. He was additionally frustrated in the he had waited for months for the watch to be delivered new, and since it cost him about USD 130,000 he was more than upset. After contacting the maker, who will not be named, I think we know who that is, told him the watch would have to be sent to Geneva, and the expected repair time would be about six months! This was years before Covid by the way. The local watchmaker determined that a single part had broken in the movement, and he could machine another if needed. The elderly gentleman asked him to go ahead. He said, at my age I don’t know if I would be able to have the watch working while I am still alive! That level of extremely poor customer relations and service philosophy that can crush a reputation that required over 100 years to achieve!
The man went on to say that we would never buy another timepiece from that famous and notable manufacturer. He would recommend anyone he knows to look elsewhere.
Unlike the automobile industry, and due to federal law, which mandates that spare parts be made readily available to independent service shops, the watchmaking public enjoys no such protection. After consolidation of many manufacturers into what I call Mega Groups, displacing the founding families of legacy firms, the watch-buying public is at the mercy of the giants who want everything for themselves.
As a business owner since college, I would be very concerned about reliance on a single supplier for essential parts. The snobbery and arrogance must end eventually, as the number of highly trained, professional watchmakers will no doubt shrink, those who seek to own and operate their own shops. Sad.