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What IS a Watchmaker?
What is a Watchmaker? What is the difference between a Watch Repairer and a Watchmaker? I will attempt to answer each of these questions below.
Although Watch Repairer and Watchmaker are sometimes used interchangeably this is not exactly correct. A Watchmaker is a person that not only cleans watches but can also fabricate needed parts from scratch. As an example I have went to school to learn how to make a balance staff or winding stem for a watch from a piece of raw steel rod. Training for this included the correct steel to use, how to heat treat the steel, making gravers (turning tools used on jewelers and watchmakers lathes) from scratch out of tool steel and carbide, correct way to use a watchmakers lathe, turning, and polishing. When I went to school to learn hairspring vibrating I was taught how to select the proper raw spring to use with a balance, how to measure the spring, different bends to make, how to collet the spring to fit the balance staff, how to use a hairspring vibrator, how to finish and stud the spring, and how to time the watch when the spring is finished (I am also one of the few people in the US still offering a hairspring vibrating service, seems to be a dying art). I also make jewel settings and other parts on my lathe. To pass a Certified Master Watchmaker test at AWI the watchmaker is required to make a staff and stem (these must both actually work in the watch). To pass a Certified Watchmaker test only turning of a stem is required (stem must work in the watch).
A Watch Repairer would be someone that does most general work on a watch such as cleaning, perhaps jewel replacement and hairspring truing, etc., but they may not even own a lathe or be able to use one (a good lathe and collets and the training to use them do cost a lot of time and money). In the case a part were needed that could not be ordered, the watch, or part of it, would be sent out so the part could be made and fitted by a Watchmaker. A Watch Repairer may also not be able to fix more complex movements such as chronographs. A Watch Repairer may be a hobbyist that does general watch cleaning and adjustment for extra cash to supplement their income.
In the end I suppose it is all up to individual interpretation. I advertise my business as Watch Repair because that is what most people search for on the internet when they need their watch cleaned or repaired.
The "Hobbyist" And The Professional Watchmaker
For the most part professional watchmakers such as myself do not care for "hobbyists" in the field. Why you may ask? Because for one we make all or part of our living servicing watches, the hobbyist does not. Consequently his pricing, if he charges at all, will be much lower than a professional can do the same job for, there is just no way a professional can do the work that cheaply and stay in business. I am not going to tell you that no "hobbyist" can do a good job, some can. The truth for the most part is they do not have the kind of equipment needed to run a professional watch repair shop. The tools, testing, and lathe equipment that most professionals have costs thousands and thousands of dollars. We set up our shop to service all makes and kinds of watches, and go to school to learn how to do so (which also is not cheap). Many hobbyists only service old pocket watches, but the quality of their repairs varies widely. I have seen so many hacked and cobbled pocket watches come into my shop I cannot begin to tell you how many there have been. Conversely, there have been many professionals that have done a bad job on watches; they keep the rest of us in business I think. I think the question here is do you want to trust a family heirloom to someone that will do a good job for you, or someone that might be able to do a good job for you? The important thing to ask is questions. Does the person have a lathe to do work properly and if so how good is it? Does the person have water resistance testing equipment to test your wristwatch after working on it or changing the battery? Does the person have good tools, or just some cheap ones bought to get by? Does the person replace the case gasket each time they open the back of your wristwatch? Is the person set up with a network of material houses so that they may obtain parts to repair your watch? Does the person have a timing machine and amplitude meter to be able to accurately time and maintain your mechanical watch? These are all questions you SHOULD be asking when you have a watch repaired. Price alone should NOT be the guide to who does the work on your watch. Something else to consider is if hobbyists are allowed to flood our field, eventually the professionals may go out of business, and with them the material houses they support. After that, no one will be able to obtain parts to repair watches.
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