Installation, maintenance and repair
Watch and clock repairers
Repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. Includes watchmakers, watch technicians, and mechanical timepiece repairers.
Median pay
$67,230
Growth to 2035
0%
little or no change
Openings a year
100
Time to qualify*
12 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Watch and clock repairers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Watch and clock repairers: 47% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core 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.
- Repair or replace broken, damaged, or worn parts on timepieces, using lathes, drill presses, and hand tools.
- Test timepiece accuracy and performance, using meters and other electronic instruments.
Also called: Antique Clock Repairer · Clock Repair Technician · Clock Repairer · Watch and Clock Repairer · Watch Estimator · Watch Repair Person · Watch Repair Technician · Watch Repairer
Outlook and AI
Watch and clock repairers held 1,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 1,400 by 2035 (0%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
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