You probably haven’t thought about who will repair your watch in five years. However, you should. The horology profession in Australia faces a demographic collapse that threatens the entire mechanical watch industry. Indeed, the numbers tell a stark story. Australia now has just 630 watchmakers, down from 750 five years ago. That’s a 16% decline in skilled practitioners. Moreover, this isn’t just about luxury timepieces. Rather, this is about the disappearance of specialised knowledge that took centuries to develop.
The Scale of the Problem
Think about that number for a moment. In a country with a watch market valued at $1.58 billion in 2024, only 630 people possess the skills to maintain millions of mechanical watches. Furthermore, the situation mirrors a global crisis. For instance, Switzerland, the heartland of watchmaking, projects that 4,000 new watchmakers will be needed by 2026.
This number is just to replace retiring employees and meet current demand. Additionally, the average age of highly skilled watchmakers hovers near 55 in key Swiss regions. Training cycles span three to four years for apprenticeships. Achieving true mastery takes even longer. Consequently, Australia’s industry faces a critical timeline. When existing watchmakers retire, who will service the growing demand?
Why This Matters Beyond Watches
Horology represents something larger than watch repair. In fact, in 2019, watchmaking joined the critically endangered category in the Red List of Endangered Crafts. Fewer than 30 watchmakers in the United Kingdom can commercially create watches. As a result, the craft now sits alongside arrow-smithing and traditional straw hat-making. Essentially, you’re watching the real-time extinction of specialised expertise.
This pattern repeats across traditional trades. The knowledge holders age out. Training programs shrink. Young people choose different careers. Interestingly, the profession offers unusual job security. Automation won’t replace watchmakers. Self-driving cars navigate roads. Digital kiosks take fast-food orders. Yet no robot can repair the intricate mechanisms of a mechanical watch with the precision and judgment a human brings. Nevertheless, despite this robot-proof status, young people aren’t entering the field.
The Root Causes
The current crisis stems from decisions made decades ago. Specifically, during the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, electronic movements nearly destroyed traditional watchmaking globally. Apprenticeship programs were slashed or eliminated.
As a result, Australia’s industry is now paying the demographic debt from that period. A generation of potential watchmakers was never trained. Consequently, the knowledge transfer broke. Today, training pathways exist. For example, the Watch and Clock School of Western Australia offers education and training. Programs span two to four years. However, the skills require hands-on mentorship, repetition, and time. Therefore, when the pipeline of mentors shrinks, the entire system falters.
What This Means for You
If you own a mechanical watch, you need to understand the implications. First, service will become more expensive as skilled labour becomes scarcer. Second, wait times will extend. Finally, some repairs may become impossible as specific expertise disappears. Meanwhile, educational institutions and vocational training providers face a broader question. How do we preserve specialised knowledge in an era when traditional trades struggle to attract new practitioners?
The horology shortage illustrates a fundamental challenge. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts that over half of the new jobs by 2028 will require vocational qualifications. Yet apprenticeship commencements remain below pre-pandemic levels. When crafts require years of training and lack visibility among young people, how do we maintain them? Clearly, you can’t solve this problem with market forces alone. The time lag between recognising the shortage and training qualified replacements spans years. Ultimately, by the time the market signals the need, the knowledge holders have already retired.
Looking Forward
Some watch brands now run their own training programs. They’re investing hundreds of millions in apprenticeship initiatives. This represents a pragmatic response. If external training systems fail to produce enough watchmakers, brands must build their own pipelines.
However, this approach has limits. Brand-specific training creates watchmakers loyal to individual companies rather than the broader craft. Furthermore, the independent watchmaker faces additional challenges. For instance, in 2011, when large Swiss brands restricted access to spare parts, independent watch repair in Australia was essentially ended. Consequently, independent watchmakers who can service any brand or movement become even rarer.
Importantly, the horology crisis offers lessons for other specialised trades facing similar demographic challenges. Approximately 29% of assessed occupations in Australia face national shortages. Preservation of expertise requires intentional investment long before the shortage becomes acute. Once the knowledge holders retire, rebuilding takes decades. In essence, you’re witnessing the slow disappearance of a craft that has existed for centuries. The question isn’t whether this matters. Rather, the question is what Australian educational institutions, vocational training providers, and industry will do about preserving specialised knowledge before it vanishes entirely.
