I found this article published in Southwest Airline's monthly magazine interesting to read and a good way to kill some flight time. Not a bad reading for those considering getting into the watchmaking trade.

http://paceco.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vpco15/i3/p70

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Allow me to condense and paraphrase what I've heard about modern watchmaking from several watchmakers.....

The Swiss don't want a complete watchmaker who can work on an entire watch from case to dial to rotor to escapement. They want what essentially amounts to trained chimpanzees. Once a manufacturer finds out that an employee is good at a certain task, that's the task they'll do over and over and over and over again. Competent watchmakers earn $60+ per hour while assembly line chimps might only get $20+ an hour.

The Swiss also resent ANYONE telling them how to do business, which is why they find a loophole every time they lose a court battle over their parts accounts or business practices. They want total control of service & repair of their brand. That's not how the US sees it, but when the Swiss were forced to make parts available they made the qualifications so ludicrous that only a handful could meet the standards.

Moral of the story: Watchmaking is NOT the trade you want to get into anymore. Believe me when I say I almost got into it but after listening to a few watchmakers I trust decided not to because they all told me the same thing in different words - and they had no idea what the other guys were saying as they don't know one another.

 

is it possible for one individual to achieve complete expertise in all areas, specially with the skills required to refinish a case/dial (not just buffing) and a complete overhaul of different movements? the one analogy I'd think is an automotive mechanic trained in all aspects of electronic diagnostics versus an auto body repairman.

How do they exercise control if you are an independent and certified "XYZ Brand Name" watchmaker? Do they place specific training requirements before a watchmaker is allowed to buy specific components/parts? i.e. coaxial or chronograph parts? here's my another analogy, the medical establishment requires specific anesthesia training before a registered nurse is tasked to treat a patient with this drug - something I'd want if I find myself on the surgery table.

Curious to read what watchmakers like Al @Archer have to say about the article or Dennis' comments...