by Tom Adelstein
Two years ago, I began looking at horology schools in Europe and the US. I wanted to gain proficiency in the repair and servicing of vintage watches. It was something I had wanted to do for several years.
After attending two full-time summer programs, I want to share my experience and findings with you. I wish someone had written this article when I began looking. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was getting into and wish I had.
Most of the traditional schools have closed or have begun the process of closing down. Why? Some schools suggest that the Swiss have invaded and have done as much as possible to discourage people from entering the profession. Who knows if that’s true? You will find (if you do enough research) that the cost of attending a watchmaking school is comparable to getting a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. That said, a couple of programs are inexpensive.
First, let’s talk about the state of watchmaking schools.
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| Horology Learning Center N. America |
I found this write-up on Wikipedia:
The Lititz Watch Technicum is a watchmaking school located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. The school, founded by Rolex in 2001, was created to help make up for the deficiency of skilled watchmakers in the US.
The Technicum offers a two-year, 3000+ hour SAWTA (Swiss American Watchmaker’s Training Alliance) curriculum. Tuition is free for the 14 students accepted each year. The students are expected to pay for their tools which, according to the school, currently cost around $6000. The program focuses on micromechanics and watch service with a strong emphasis on chronographs.
What’s the Swiss American Watchmaker’s Training Alliance? It’s owned by Rolex and if you don’t get their AWCI CW21 Certification, you can’t buy parts for Rolex watches. Some consider this restraint of trade and recall a similar strategy Rolex used in the 1960’s.
Another model in the US is known as the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program or WOSTEP. That’s essentially two competing organizations WOSTEP and SAWTA.
In my opinion, this is an issue for the folks that regulate Restraint of Trade aka the Justice Department. You can determine for yourself the advantages and disadvantages of the Swiss approach.
Let’s look at the industry from a service point of view. How many people are employed in the watchmaking world and what are their areas of expertise?
The last census figures I can find come from 2001 in JCK Magaine. At the time, 4,500 watchmakers were employed in the US (down from 30,000 in the 1950’s) with an estimated 2,500 expected to retire, they believed, by 2010.
We’ll take the JCK numbers at face value and interpolate.
The ten US Schools together graduate approximately 45 students a year. That’s an average of about 5 students per school. If 2,000 watchmakers remained employed in the US and 500 graduated from our schools that would leave us with 2,500 watchmakers. That’s not enough to service the industry.
You would expect the old supply vs. demand problem to run prices higher with the big name service centers garnering a premium for repairs. (By-the-way, watches will eventually need repairs and all of the mechanical ones require maintenance.)
I can’t buy parts for Rolex watches unless I go through their 3000 hour course and pay for $6000 worth of tools. I don’t even know if I could pass the interview. I don’t work on Rolex watches made in the past 25 years. I don’t have their equipment. This is a simple issue for me. I only work on my own vintage watches that I collect. In a way, I have to service my own, because watchmakers in today’s market usually turn down vintage watch business.
Here’s something that’s hard to digest: I hear that aside from keeping existing watchmakers from buying parts, hundreds of applicants have to go through pre-enrollment interviews and if the powers-that-be don’t say yes, the interviewee is discouraged from entering the trade – as in “you haven’t got what it takes” to be in this industry.
I can think of many expletives to use with regard to the “you don’t have what it takes” strategy. I just want to tell people who didn’t make it in the interview to suck it up and keep going. I know, absolutely, that Frank Poye over at the Texas Jewelry and Horology Institute can teach you to make it in the industry. He’s worked with the most physically challenged students you can imagine. If you got a “stuff-it” end of interview at Rolex or any other Swiss-American school, go visit Paris, Texas and get your dreams and aspirations back on-line. Frank has an advanced lab and a good budget. I highly recommend the school and the people.
Back to Schools
One of the better and oldest schools, the NAWCC School of Horology is essentially gone since they have stopped taking applications. This is a significant blow to the industry.
You should know as much about the industry as possible before choosing a watch or horology school.
I blame the Swiss for the NAWCC school closing. It’s a shameful attempt to keep increasing the cost of service to an already ridiculously priced product and it’s even more ridiculously price equipment. With the disappearance of Swiss manufacturers A Shild and Font, the Swiss swing their hips and laugh at us. Their biggest manufacturer was declared a monopoly by the Swiss courts and they still operate before, because the big Swiss companies needed the monopolistic company or their ebauches.
Take a look at this attempt by Otto Fried to alert you and me. Read their petition page: US Citizens Should Have the Right to Watch Parts and Compeitive Local Watch Service Market.
Why am I bringing this up in a story about watch schools? First know what you want to do as a potential watch school student and know the issues. This is part of understanding the industry.
Next, we also lost the school in Minnesota, a WOSTEP school. I found a forum post that gives an opinion as to why:
The Saint Paul College WOSTEP has closed. The instructors there were under pressure by ROLEX to change to SAWTA. The instructors decided to keep WOSTEP and ROLEX pulled their funding of the program. The loss of funding ($200,000 a year) lead the college to close the program. WOSTEP was at one time taught at Lititz and Seattle but Rolex was able to pressure both into switching.
Only ten schools are left in the US including the Swiss-dominated invasionary force.
Here’s the list:
Bishop State Community College
Southwest Campus
925 Dauphin Island Pkwy.
Mobile, AL 36605
Gem City College
School of Horology
7th and State Street
Quincy, IL 62301
Lititz Watch Technicum
1 Wynfield Drive
Lititz, PA 17543
N.G. Hayek Watchmaking School
5301 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 610
Miami, FL 33126
North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking
15100 Trinity Blvd. #300
Fort Worth, TX 76155
North Seattle Community College
Horology Department
9600 College Way North
Seattle, WA 98103
OSU Institute of Technology
Watchmaking & Microtechnology
1801 E. 4th Street DWRTC #235
Okmulgee, OK 74447
Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology
Horology Department
2400 Clarksville Street
Paris, TX 75460
Which ones are not 3000 hour Swiss-American schools?
Texas Institute of Jewelry and Horology
Gem City
Bishop State Community College
I attended the Texas Institute School, but didn’t go through the entire program. Basically, I’m a hobbyist and I wanted to get to a point where I could disassemble, clean, time and reassemble vintage Hamilton watches. I did not want to sit on a lathe for a semester or learn to repair chronographs, quartz and electric watches. That’s not my agenda, but the kids in the program wanted jobs as watchmakers.
Today, I regret that decision. Learning to use a lathe is a critical skill, especially since working on vintage watches requires traditional watchmaking skills.
With so much business out there, you would think that the rejects from the Swiss schools would jump at the chance to enter one of these three remaining and affordable schools. For example, the Texas Institute of Jewelry and Horology (Internationally ranked) is in an inexpensive place – Paris, Texas. A student can finish in 14 months. The cost? $1300 for tools and about $1500 for each of the four semesters. For a real apartment – not a dorm – and three meals a day – $450 a month on Campus.
That’s the best bargain in the industry for a school ranked second in the world and first in the US.
If you attend one of the three remaining US non-affiliated schools, you will probably not be able to work on the big dollar watches unless you take the appropriate examinations and become certified. However, you will see plenty of business and opportunities otherwise. Service prices are through the roof and people have no alternative but to use you.
Here’s the total costs of tuition and tools: (Out of district and out of state costs for Texas is higher).
Texas Institute: $ 6,400 + $1300 for tools – not including living expenses
Gem City $ 21,625 – not including living expenses
Bishop In State (Alabama) tuition $6400 – out of State $12,800; Tool Cost – (no info.)
Another article you might find helpful is on e-how.com
In summary, the industry is in disarray. Traditional schools are scarce, business is strong, people buy watches in large numbers, especially high quality vintage watches with great movements, awesome cases and ridiculously low prices.
Another consideration, the State of Texas subsidizes programs like the one in Paris and it lowers your cost.
The Paris schools web page is dated and not as informative as this article, but you want to check it out.
Respectfully submitted,
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