Also called: Horologist
Takes apart, repairs, and restores luxury mechanical watches with hundreds of tiny parts.
You sit at a bench with a loupe in your eye, disassemble a Swiss watch into 200 parts, clean and oil each one, and rebuild it until it keeps time within seconds a day.
Luxury brand service centers pay best; general watch repairers earn about $50k.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 3 years after high school. 2-year watchmaking school (such as WOSTEP-partner programs, often tuition-free and brand-sponsored) plus years of experience; AWCI certification.
Ways in: Trade school, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Watchmaking (trade school).
Growing about average. Few US schools, many retirements: a real shortage.
Low risk for 10 years. Servicing luxury mechanical watches is microscopic hand craft; brands can't find enough watchmakers.
Classes: Physics, Art, Machine shop or jewelry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-9064.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.