With 157 years of experience in the selling, making, servicing and repairing of luxury watches, we are passionate about timepieces. As interest in owning these beautiful pieces of machinery grows, the need for UK professionals who can maintain them increases. We are therefore proud to have become sponsors of the British School of Watchmaking.
Delving into the depths
Even the simplest of watches has more than 100 components. The precise mechanical movement within luxury watches results in at least three times as many pieces. Indeed some may have more than 1000 components, any one of which may need fine-tuning or perhaps replacing as time ticks on.
Outer elements of a watch
- Bezel - the functional or decorative component which secures the crystal to the case
- Case - this holds the inner workings of a watch
- Crown - the mechanism used to change the time
- Crystal
- Dial - featuring Roman numerals, Arabic numbers, batons, diamonds or other gemstones
- Hands - hours, minutes and seconds
- Lugs - where the watch case connects to the strap or metal bracelet
Moving up the profession
Dealing with these components takes a certain type of craftsperson. First and foremost, a watchmaker needs impressive hand-eye coordination to control the delicate muscle movements required in horology.
Skills which are particularly prized are persistence, attention to detail, problem solving and analytical thinking. Being naturally patient is also a huge advantage, as is being a true perfectionist.
An international shortage
As The New York Times explains in their Can’t Buy the Watch You Want? article, a lack of watchmakers is impacting the luxury watch market around the world. Every year, 400 or so watchmakers graduate in Switzerland, but this simply isn’t enough to keep up with demand. The problem is particularly acute for luxury brands, which demand a high level of craftsmanship gained through years of experience.
Focus on the UK
In the 21st century, the craft of horology in Britain runs a very high risk of being lost. The Heritage Crafts Association - accredited by UNESCO - focuses on Britain’s traditional crafts. In its latest Red List of Endangered Crafts, both watch face enamelling and watch making are classed as critically endangered.
The reasons cited include: “a shrinking base of craftspeople, crafts with limited training opportunities, crafts with low financial viability, or crafts where there is no mechanism to pass on the skills and knowledge.”
We hope our support will help secure the future of watchmaking in the UK.
Time well spent
Only 16 students a year are selected for the School’s two full-time internationally recognised courses. A one day assessment at their purpose-built premises near Manchester includes an interview, and tests in dexterity, numeracy and problem solving.
The 1,800 hour course teaches encasing, movement exchange, servicing and quality control in one year of full-time study.
For the 3,000 hour course, students learn about advanced adjustment and regulation techniques, as well as micromechanics, over two years. They are trained to create components with tolerances of just one thousandth of a millimetre. These graduates have the skills to work on both contemporary and vintage watches.
In step with the Swiss
The British School of Watchmaking is the only one in the UK to offer courses accredited by the independent Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program (WOSTEP). All the school’s full-time courses are recognised as being equivalent to the Swiss Certificat Fédéral de Capacité (CFC) three and four year watch repair programmes.
Standards are high at the British School of Watchmaking. So much so that the Swiss organisation chose to pilot its 1,800-hour course here, rather than in Switzerland. Their faith has been amply rewarded with two UK students achieved the highest marks ever for both courses in 2023.
A flourishing future
Here at Hamilton & Inches, we appreciate the value of education and practical experience. Our Craft Academy internship programme is designed to help future jewellers and silversmiths.
Over the past few years, our own watchmaking department has doubled in size. This is so we can continue to deliver exemplary customer service, which includes extensively checking every pre-owned timepiece so that it may be confidently presented with a two year guarantee.
Each of our watchmakers is at a different point in their career. As independent repairers, they undertake rigorous testing to be accredited by some of the most renowned luxury watch brands in the world.
A helping hand
Many of the British School of Watchmaking’s students are sponsored by their employers, but some make the investment themselves. With the recommended toolkit alone priced at nearly £3000, it would be unfortunate if cost were to deter the future watchmakers of tomorrow. We hope our contribution will help make the professional more accessible.
If you are a fellow enthusiast of beautifully crafted watches and would like to make a donation to the British School of Watchmaking, or become a long-term financial supporter, please visit their Supporters section.
A note from our CEO
“As an established British brand, Hamilton & Inches are honoured to champion home-grown talent of the British School of Watchmaking. The ability to offer luxury watch repair within the UK allows our industry to continue to deliver exemplary service to our customers.”
- Victoria Houghton, CEO, Hamilton & Inches