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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $60,690 in the US and is showing modest growth of -1% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows low AI exposure (0.37 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include electric clocks, mechanical clocks, components of clocks, apply company policies, inspect clocks.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £40,062 a year for Precision instrument makers and repairers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5224). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Watch and clock repairers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 7. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Administrative
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Watch and clock repairers do?
Repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. Includes watchmakers, watch technicians, and mechanical timepiece repairers.
How much does Watch and clock repairers earn?
The median annual salary for Watch and clock repairers in the US is $60,690.
What is the job outlook for Watch and clock repairers?
The role is showing modest growth of -1% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 1,400 workers.
How do I become watch and clock repairers?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Watch and clock repairers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include electric clocks, mechanical clocks, components of clocks, apply company policies, inspect clocks, repair clocks. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Watch and clock repairers?
Our AI-durability model gives Watch and clock repairers a score of 0.37 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Watch and clock repairers has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.