Watch and clock repairers clean, repair and adjust mechanical and electronic
timepieces.
The watch servicing industry uses both mechanical and electronic technologies.
There is more demand for electronic watch servicing, although an increase in
the popularity of mechanical watches has resulted in an increased demand for
their servicing.
Watch and clock repairers spend extended periods at workbenches concentrating
on detailed work.
How much can I expect to earn?
Full-time employed Watch and Clock Repairer earn an average of $1026 per week.
The [average annual salary for this job is $53352 excluding super.]
Personal requirements
enjoy technical work
good eyesight (may be corrected)
above-average sensitivity of touch
patience for fine, continuous work
high level of cleanliness and tidiness
good hand-eye coordination
high level of organisational skills.
This job also involves:
Full use of hands/fingers
Use of precision or semi-precision tools or instruments or deft hand movements
are required for these occupations. Included are jobs where poor co-ordination
or incomplete use of hands or fingers may make tasks dangerous or difficult to
undertake.
Good vision for detail
These jobs require you to be able to see clearly to examine items close-up. It
covers jobs where poor vision e.g. tunnel vision, could make the work place
unsafe or the job difficult to undertake, e.g. draftsperson working with
detailed drawings; checkout operator reading dockets; work requiring good
hand-eye co-ordination for working with precision or semi-precision tools.
Mainly indoor work
Workers performing these jobs would usually be expected to spend more than
three-quarters of their day indoors, in an office, factory or other enclosed
area protected from the weather.
Reading or writing
These jobs require moderate or better reading and writing skills. Workers may
be expected to prepare, understand or act on written materials, such as
letters or reports. People may wish to avoid these jobs if their reading or
writing English skills are limited to a small range of words or phrases and
symbols. Jobs remaining may still require very basic reading or writing
skills.
Sitting for long periods
The main duties and tasks involved in these jobs are usually performed sitting
down at a desk, counter, workbench or other location for periods of at least
two hours at a stretch.
This occupation offers jobs at the following skill levels:
Skilled Trade Jobs
These jobs do not usually require completion of secondary education, however
further part-time study usually at Certificate III level, and on-the-job
training offered as an apprenticeship, is required.
Study requirements
At school, you can study these subject(s) to get a good foundation for this
occupation:
Industrial Arts
School subjects that include some aspect of INDUSTRIAL ARTS provide a useful
background to these jobs. In some cases an industrial arts-related subject is
a pre-requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
Duties and tasks of a Watch and Clock Repairer
Watch and clock repairers may perform the following tasks:
replace watch power sources such as batteries and capacitors
perform minor repairs to watch parts including bands, glass, crown and winder
test watches for water resistance to agreed depths and Australian standards
remove watch and clock mechanisms from cases and examine them for signs of wear or damage
repair or replace faulty parts such as cracked crystals, broken hands and bent teeth or wheels
clean, test and lubricate watch and clock components
test and analyse electronic circuits in quartz watches and clocks
reassemble, fit and adjust timepieces to make sure they work correctly
provide customers with description and estimated cost of repairs
sell new and used watches and clocks to the public.
Specialisations
Clock servicing focuses more on mechanical timepieces. The age and variety of
clocks places more demands on repairer skill, as parts are not easily
available and movements need to be restored rather than simply repaired.