Jon Weston is managing director of Rudell the Jewellers, with retail stores in Wolverhampton and Birmingham. In addition, he is a long-standing trustee of the British School of Watchmaking (BSOW) and active member of Houlden Group, a buying group for prestige jewellery and watches and another active supporter and sponsor of BSOW and its mission to create more qualified watchmakers in the UK.
Right now there is a global shortage of watchmakers, accompanied by an ever-rising demand for their services, so Houlden Group’s CEO Helen Haddow sat down with Mr Weston to find out how the Manchester-based school is developing to meet the needs of the market today and into the future.
HH: How did you become involved with the BSOW?
JW: I became involved in 2006 when the school became operational, and I used to go along to the annual supporters’ meetings to represent Houlden. Around eight years ago, I was contacted by the then MD, Mark Hearn from Patek Philippe.
He asked if I wanted to get involved as a director as he knew I shared his real passion for the preservation of the fine art of watchmaking. This was evident because of my involvement creating the after sales procedures for watches and jewellery at Rudells. I accepted, and the following year was asked to be MD.
In a normal month I usually dedicate two to three days to the school and feel my skillset as MD of Rudells has transferred well to the role of MD for BSOW. Running a charity, which the BSOW now is, has many similarities to running my business.
HH: Tell us a little about some of the key projects you have been involved with in recent years?
JW: One of the key things I have implemented was changing the criteria for assessment days to a higher standard.
The thinking behind this was to ultimately produce a higher standard of watchmaker at the end. If you do not set the bar high, you do not give the lecturers the right ingredients to work with.
On our assessment days, the top eight potential students are selected for both our 1800 hour and 3000 hour courses solely based on their performance and ability.
Also, we registered as a charity in 2019 (which took a year) and this came with advantages including savings with business rates and that any supporters’ financial donation can be claimed back as an allowable deduction against corporation tax each year.
Following this, we relocated to a purpose-built premises in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, which allowed us to double in size.
We did some groundwork with education body WOSTEP (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Programme) who are the gold standard of watchmaking training, on the plans for the two-floor building.
We teach WOSTEP’s courses and syllabuses and wanted the end result to be a first-class facility for the watchmakers of tomorrow. I think we definitely achieved this.
WOSTEP conducted a survey a decade ago and concluded that there was a shortage of around 60,000 watchmakers in the world
HH: Why did you get involved with the school?
JW: The main reason was for the preservation of the fine art of watchmaking at the highest level. If you are looking for a watchmaker now because there is such a shortage, sadly often your only option could be to poach someone from another business which does not solve the overall problem.
It is also important to note that if you do this, you are driving the costs of employing watchmakers higher and higher which is not good for overheads and eats into profits.
The best thing to do is to grow your own — produce your own watchmakers by putting them through our school.
To put things into perspective, around a decade ago WOSTEP conducted a survey and concluded that there was a shortage of around 60,000 watchmakers in the world.
We have produced 118 watchmakers since our first students graduated in 2008 and realise that this is just a small drop in the ocean, but it is a positive start.
HH: What is the most challenging part of your role with the BSOW?
JW: Probably getting the support for the school as we are a non-profit organisation and receive no government funding. Also trying to communicate within our industry on the importance and relevance of the future of watchmaking and the BSOW and its evolution, because if we do not act now, the effect will be colossal on both retail and manufacturing.
If the retail network and brands do not support the school, basically the school will struggle to exist.
It should be in retailers’ interests as their reputation and the brands they deal with could all be at risk if we do not protect the future of the watchmaking industry.
Another concerning point is that over half of the currently employed watchmakers are over 50 years of age. We need to attract new students now; I think our youngest student has been 19 up to 53 years of age with the latter changing career.
It takes about five years before watchmakers are proficient across most brands. Each movement has its own signature parts, and every brand has different calibres. The principles are the same, but the functions can vary so that is why it takes so long before a watchmaker can do anything you throw at them. Even then, specialist study of calibres is constantly needed.
Of all the mechanical watches sold in the past five years, the UK has one of the biggest markets across the globe. Who is going to service them in the next 10 to 15 years?
If a customer comes into your store and wants their watch serviced and they are told that will be five months, they are not going to be happy, which has a knock-on effect to the brands as well.
There is no point producing a top-notch product if there is no after sales support in place.
HH: What makes the BSOW different from other watch schools?
JW: The major difference between the BSOW and others in the UK is that we are the only facility to teach the CFC qualifications – the programme which the Swiss watch houses teach – at the highest level.
We’re also the only school in the UK and the first in Europe, to teach the industry recognised 1800 Course, service watchmaker.
Following completion of this 12-month course, a graduate can provide routine service of standard type products – both mechanical and electronic.
The BSOW trialled the course in Manchester in conjunction with WOSTEP – we work as an independent school in partnership with WOSTEP and it was a real compliment that the course was piloted here.
The 3000 hour Course, taught over two years, is more in-depth with micro-mechanics, where you make more components and it is centred upon preparing students for employment as watch repairers and prepares them, for example, to make parts for a watch which are no longer in production.
Our new state-of-the-art facility gives us more space to grow and evolve and is obviously hitting the right chord with our students as this year, a student scored the highest mark ever for the 1800 Course – 96.04% and similarly we had a highest ever score achieved with the 3000 Course – 93.92%. Incredible results.
HH: What are the school’s plans for the future?
JW: At our new premises, we are now lucky enough to have three classrooms. So, we have options for running another 1800 Course, short courses, or a brand accreditation course.
We have also just ordered £200,000-worth of equipment for our newly created polishing facility. To offer this polishing course outside of Switzerland is another first for us in conjunction with WOSTEP.
We are currently in the process of recruiting a new tutor for this. The training of our tutors will be required in Switzerland and our equipment needs to be all set up. So exciting times are ahead.
We also plan at some point in the future to buy a dwelling for students, so there is a place for them to stay and it could potentially be another income stream but will subsidise students’ costs to train.
And the school is going to have an extra special 20th anniversary celebration next year so watch this space.
HH: What would make the greatest difference to BSOW, and what impact would that have on the wider luxury watch market?
JW: We must invest in the future watchmaking workforce of tomorrow. I encourage those who are able to get involved. Any help is hugely appreciated, whether that be buying instruments and equipment or making a financial donation.
The BSOW have a very professional, world-class setup – at the absolute top of its game.
Being a watchmaker should be considered an attractive career path, so please share details of the BSOW with your retail network to raise awareness so we can tackle the shortage challenge together.
You are working in a clean environment; work is steady and secure, and the salary is good. People will always need watchmakers; it is perhaps a little isolating at times but offers a nice living.
Everyone in the industry will need the school, or at least the graduates which our programmes produce, at some point in the future.
To finish, I cannot emphasise enough how satisfying it is to see with my own eyes how brilliantly the students perform and how amazingly our tutors deliver our syllabuses.
At the end of the day, it is all about the students. They come in knowing the basics of horology and leave excellent, first-class watchmakers. I am immensely proud of that.
It is paramount that we all give back in some small way and it is immensely rewarding to put something back into an industry which has provided me with a living all my life. It is good for the soul.
I suspect you mean watch repairers, there is not a shortage of watchmakers, check out the Wrist Watch Anual 2023.
The real question is why is there a shortage of repairers, understand the history!
I wanted to become a watchmaker about 6 years ago. I contacted numerous brands and the British School of Watchmaking. Whilst I had responses back, the issue I found was just getting my foot into the door or someone who was willing to speak to me, either that or none of the brands were willing to invest at the time, take me on as an apprentice or sponsor me to attend the school or an internal watchmaking course with a brand. The only positive response I had was from a school in Switzerland, but I couldn’t speak French so I couldn’t attend. I was trying for about 2 years and was beginning to lose hope until Patek Philippe or Rhone Products put on a group interview for a single vacancy to train and become a watchmaker. Sadly, it was the most uncomfortable interview I have ever encountered and the questions that I got asked had no relevance to the job and were quite inappropriate I thought. After this experience, I lost interest and looked elsewhere despite doing very well in the practical exam. I was keen to learn more and push myself, but I just got the feeling the industry were putting up walls around themselves and not looking towards the future.