Interview with a Watchmaking Instructor

Watchmaker Interview

Crown & Caliber interviewed David McConnon, Watch Technology Instructor at the Watch Technology Institute at North Seattle College. McConnon tells us about his background and how he became interested in watches. He also gives us insight into what it takes to become a watchmaker and the type of training aspiring watchmakers will receive from the Watch Technology Institute at North Seattle College.

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What made you want to become a watch maker?

I fell into it, initially. My first job was with a small watch company in Olympia, Washington. I didn’t really know anything about watches at the time. It was just a job until I realized that I just love watches. They fascinate me.

For the next four years, I learned everything that I could about watches – cheap, high-end, vintage, new.  It was all interesting to me. It became an obsession, which led me to enroll in school (North Seattle College). For the next two years, while in school, I worked with watches during the day and studied to become a watch maker at night. I’ve been hooked ever since.

 

You attended the Institute as a student, and just a few years later, you are teaching the class.  What is that like?

I am new to the institute as an instructor. Another part-time instructor and I both started teaching here in January 2015. Under a senior instructor, we are both learning the ropes of being teachers. However, we both share a passion for watches. That makes it easier and a lot more fun.

 

Can you give us a brief overview of the training that a student at North Seattle College must go through to become a certified watchmaker?

Our program here is a two-year program, which consists of 3000 hours over eight quarters. It is a very intense program. Students are on campus about 45 hours a week, which makes it difficult to work on top of it. But if you can manage to find the right position, you can go to school and have a job. There are some local shops here that support us and hire our students.

The training begins with Micromechanics and Manufacturing, which teaches our students how to make tools and parts and teaches general mechanical principles. This includes learning how different metals interact and how oil performs on parts. This training also teaches how things need to work with correct friction in order to function.

From there, we move into Basic Watch. This course includes basic theory on how watches work, as well as the intricacies of the quartz watch and casing unit. The students are currently getting ready for our second intermediate exam. This exam tests the students on quartz watch service and theory.  After this exam they will begin a unit on the watch escapement, followed by the student watch project in which the students learn to machine and decorate bridges. From there they go into their second year where they will study hairspring theory and manipulation, automatic watches and chronograph watches.

Our program is part of the SAWTA program, Swiss American Watchmakers Training Alliance, which is based out of Lititz, Pennsylvania. SAWTA is piloted and funded by Rolex. However, we are able to operate fairly independently. We use their curriculum, but we run the program and classes ourselves.

We have four exams that students go through to get certified, all accompanied by a written theory. The first one is Micromechanics and Manufacturing. There are different projects for each class, but it is generally a test to measure their ability to measure, cut, file, drill, etc.  The three remaining exams all involve a complete service of a watch and a written theory exam. The watch service includes identifying and repairing all introduced errors, complete disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, and lubrication of a watch. All the exams require our aspiring watchmakers to perform more in-depth repairs and adjustments on a variety of watches. These exams tests every aspect of the watchmaker’s ability to access, diagnose and repair problems found in modern mechanical watches and in vintage watches.

Many of our students will then go on to take the CW21 exam, Certified Watchmaker for the 21^st Century administered on-site by the American Watchmakers Clockmakers institute (AWCI). One cannot earn this certificate without being very skilled, so it looks impressive on a resume, and while it is not required, I recommend it for up and coming watchmakers.

 

What type of skills does a watchmaker need to possess to be successful at his/her trade?

First and foremost, it is imperative that a watchmaker have a passion for watches. Some students start the program knowing next to nothing about watches and end up learning about and appreciating watches. However, the ones that truly excel are the ones who are passionate and genuinely interested in the subject. That’s not to say that you can’t be a good watchmaker if you don’t have a strong interest in the subject, but it definitely helps to have a passion.

Patience and determination are two other important skills to possess. Often you have to do the same thing over and over, and if you don’t have the ability to sit down and commit to it, it can be very challenging to be successful in the field.

Passion and patience are very important, but there are also more physical and mental skills that come into play. One of those skills is spatial relations – the understanding of how objects are located relative to each other. On a micro scale, it can be very challenging to remember the order that parts go in a watch, how they interact with each other, and where to properly oil things. So, an understanding of basic physics and how to apply it is imperative.

Having steady hands and hand-eye coordination are both very important as well. I know plenty of people who have an interest in watchmaking and would love to go through the training, but do not have the manual dexterity necessary for the work. When it comes to vision, it doesn’t have to be perfect.  There are plenty of people that have diminished or failing vision but can still do the job with magnification. (We all work with loupes and microscopes.)

We look for a combination of all of those skills in applicants when they apply to the school. Generally, full enrollment is 12, but there are times that we have more qualified applicants, which is when we will accept upwards of 14.

Being in a college setting helps because people are eligible for financial aid, scholarships and student loans. We just had a student receive a generous scholarship from the AWCI. Rolex provides a scholarship every year to the student who gets the highest score on the first intermediate exam. There are some local businesses who provide scholarships for students, and there are other grants and associate groups that help out students in need.

 

What are your favorite types of watches to work on?

Most watchmakers will tell you that their favorite thing to work on is whatever is the most interesting at the time. I have an affinity for chiming watches – anything that makes sound. Complicated stuff is what really drives a watchmaker. Anything that’s well-made is a pleasure to work on. Watches made with long term serviceability and the watchmaker in mind will always keep you in good spirits.

 

How will the Apple Watch and other smartwatches affect the Swiss Watch industry?

The Apple Watch occupies the same real estate as a mechanical watch, but not for the same reasons by any stretch. I have heard some people say that it will actually help the Swiss watch industry as it will attract attention to the wrist and will get people interested in wearing watches. But it is an electronic device. People do not wear mechanical wrist watches for the same reason that they are going to buy an Apple Watch. I think that a lot of the people that own a smartwatch may also own a Rolex or a TAG Heuer, or something that is a little bit more interesting. As a technical device, the smartwatch will be on your wrist for two years and will then become obsolete, and the owner will move on to something else.

I am sure the Apple Watch is a fine product, but I am not really into electronics. It is for such different purposes that it won’t really apply to watchmaking. And we are constantly reading that young people are no longer wearing watches and that watches aren’t really a “thing” anymore, but Swiss watch exports are up every year. I think it’s because people aren’t wearing watches just to tell time. They are wearing them for fashion. Watches are getting more expensive because they are getting more elaborate, and people are more willing to invest in a nice watch than they used to be because they see the watch as something that they appreciate and will stay with them for a long time. We don’t really see that trend changing based on the Apple Watch. That is great for new and future watchmakers in our program and around the world.