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Skilled Trades

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$67,230

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$34k – $110k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Watch and Clock Repairers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Watch and Clock Repairers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Watch and Clock Repairers

    Entry / Junior

    $34,240

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Watch and Clock Repairers

    Established

    $67,230

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Watch and Clock Repairers

    Senior

    $88,610

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.