Reference: OCC0395
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 5224/03 Horologists, watch makers and repairers
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Watchfinder & Co Bremont Watch Company Ltd F. Hinds Limited, Peter Roberts Watches (Horological Consultants) Ltd., Swiss Time Services Ltd, Watches of Switzerland Group Plc In-Time Watch Services Ltd Rotary Watches Ltd Breitling UK Ltd E.P. Mallory & Sons Ltd
Summary
This occupation is found in an independent company servicing of a range of watch brands or a workshop maintained by a particular brand of watch. The independent company may be:
- a small business such as a jeweller. In this setting, the watchmaker would service watches for their customers,
- alternatively, the watchmaker may be employed by a large company focusing on servicing watches directly for the public and for other businesses.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to service quartz and mechanical watches (manual winding and automatic winding watches). The watchmaker will also complete part jobs whereby they replace components which are worn or damaged.
The work is skilled, precise, and delicate in nature and requires the use of:
- test equipment to assess the functioning of the watch and determine faults,
- hand tools to dismantle, reassemble and adjust the watch,
- machine tools for cleaning watch components and case refurbishment.
An understanding of the principles involved in the functioning of both quartz and mechanical watch movements is important together with a background knowledge of timekeeping, history, and the watch industry.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with their employer, managers, other watchmakers, and team members. The watchmaker may also interact with clients or customers and suppliers.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the maintenance of their hand tools and the use of test equipment and machinery in accordance with relevant Health and Safety legislation. They are responsible for working ethically and disposing of waste materials and cleaning fluids in a sustainable manner.
The watchmaker may progress to servicing more complex watches such as chronographs, and to restore watches for private individuals and the heritage sector. They may also manufacture watches.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Watchfinder & Co Bremont Watch Company Ltd F. Hinds Limited, Peter Roberts Watches (Horological Consultants) Ltd., Swiss Time Services Ltd, Watches of Switzerland Group Plc In-Time Watch Services Ltd Rotary Watches Ltd Breitling UK Ltd E.P. Mallory & Sons Ltd
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Liaise with customers and/or colleagues to determine their requirements and provide clear feedback on work undertaken.
Duty D2
Maintain tools in an appropriate condition to undertake servicing procedures for watchmaking.
Duty D3
Assess the condition of quartz and mechanical watches and their components using test equipment, visual assessment and observation.
Duty D4
Open watch cases and remove watch movements.
Duty D5
Identify faults in watch cases and bracelets and decide appropriate levels of intervention.
Duty D6
Specify replacement components for watch cases / bracelets.
Duty D7
Refinish polished and grained surfaces of the watch case and bracelet; prepare and reassemble components (e.g., gaskets, glasses, pushers).
Duty D8
Refit watch movements to watch cases, reseal and close watch cases and test watches for water resistance.
Duty D9
Identify faults in quartz and mechanical watch movements and decide appropriate levels of intervention.
Duty D10
Specify replacement components for quartz and mechanical watch movements.
Duty D11
Service lubricate and adjust quartz and mechanical watch movements, to ensure the serviced movement meets the manufacturer’s specification and industry practice.
Duty D12
Complete documentation, detailing initial condition of watches, work undertaken, test results, components and estimated cost of components required.
Duty D13
Practise continuous self-learning to achieve an awareness of opportunities and developments in the watch industry.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
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