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Become a watchmaker: try the job before your career change
From battery changes to full services: understand a movement, work at the bench, regulate a watch, welcome customers and build your project.
- 13 five-minute lessons
- 3 levels
- 13-page PDF guide
- English & French
- Certificate of completion
Why a watchmaker stays essential in the age of AI
- Every watch has its own history, knocks and wear: you have to open it and look under the loupe.
- Removing a balance staff or oiling a pivot is done by hand, to a tenth of a millimetre.
- Customers hand over a family watch and want honest advice from someone they trust.
Is it for you? Five signs
- You like knowing how things work.
- You have steady, patient hands.
- You enjoy meticulous work.
- You can concentrate for a long time.
- You like helping customers at the counter.
Not sure yet? That's what the €6.90 guide is for. Refund within 14 days if it isn't you.
Thinking about a career change? Read our complete career change guide →
A typical day
- 9:00 am: open the shop and check yesterday's regulated watches on the timing machine.
- 9:30 am: three battery changes at the counter, each with a new gasket and a dry water-resistance test.
- 10:30 am: diagnose an automatic that stops overnight and hand the customer a service estimate.
- 11:00 am: strip a calibre bridge by bridge, screws in the parts tray, parts into the cleaning machine.
- 2:00 pm: rebuild the gear train and escapement, oiling at the points set in the documentation.
- 4:00 pm: regulate the rate in four positions and record the readings on the job sheet.
- 6:00 pm: call the customers whose watches are ready and lock the watches left in your care in the safe.
How to become a watchmaker
In France, the reference qualification is the CAP in watchmaking, a nationally registered vocational diploma (RNCP37896). It normally takes 2 years after year 10, with 12 weeks of work placement, but it is also open to adults through continuing training, apprenticeships, professionalisation contracts and recognition of prior experience (VAE). Onisep lists 7 providers, including a GRETA-CFA in Morteau that runs it in 1 year as an apprenticeship. The 2-year BMA in watchmaking can follow, for making parts and restoration. In English-speaking countries, watchmaking is usually learned through specialist schools, brand programmes or apprenticeships with an experienced watchmaker. The G-Learn trial is a first step to see if the job suits you: its certificate is not a diploma.
Pay
In French watch and jewellery retail, the collectively agreed minimum pay from 1 January 2026 runs from €1,910 gross a month at level C to €1,983 at level D for workers and employees, and up to €2,210 for supervisors (level F), based on a 35-hour week (IDCC 1487, amendment no. 33). The national minimum wage applies to lower levels. A self-employed watchmaker's income depends mostly on their customer base and brand agreements.
The hard parts
- The work is meticulous and sedentary: hours bent over a loupe tire your eyes, neck and back, so breaks and a well-set bench are essential.
- Some brands restrict their parts to approved workshops, which limits what an independent watchmaker can repair.
- Mistakes are expensive: a lost screw or a damaged hairspring on a valuable watch, and the workshop pays.
Sources: Onisep — CAP horlogerie · Onisep — CAP horlogerie en apprentissage, GRETA-CFA du Haut-Doubs (Morteau) · Intercariforef — CAP horlogerie (RNCP37896) · Fiche-paie.fr — minima IDCC 1487 au 1er janvier 2026 (avenant n° 33 du 21 novembre 2025) · FH — L'horlogerie mondiale en 2024
What you'll be able to do
- Read a mechanical movement
- Change a battery, keep it sealed
- Diagnose at the counter
- Service a movement in order
- Regulate on a timing machine
- Quote and run a workshop
The programme
Level 1 – Beginner
- D1Where and how you work
- D2Mechanical and quartz
- D3The basic tools
- D4Risks and good habits
Level 2 – Intermediate
- I1Batteries and water resistance
- I2Diagnose and quote
- I3Strip, clean, reassemble
- I4Timing machine and regulation
Level 3 – Expert
- E1Tests and standards
- E2Finding or making a part
- E3Clocks and antique watches
- E4Starting or buying a workshop
- E5Progressing in the trade
The full guide: 6 chapters
- The basics of the job
- Servicing in 5 steps
- Facts & figures
- The toolkit
- Case study: the quartz crisis
- Watchmaker's glossary
Prices
The whole job in 13 pages, PDF, English or French.
13 five-minute lessons, quizzes and 3 certificates, English or French.
Path + full guide, English and French editions included.
14-day money-back guarantee · Instant download · Secure payment
Frequently asked questions
Can I become a watchmaker at 40?
Yes. In France the CAP in watchmaking is open to adults through continuing training, apprenticeships and VAE, and some centres run it in a year. What matters most is good eyesight, steady hands and a taste for meticulous work.
Do you need a qualification to be a watchmaker?
The job is not regulated, but workshops and brands mostly hire people with a recognised watchmaking qualification. It shows you can service and regulate a movement properly. Many employers also value a portfolio of watches you have serviced.
How much does a beginner watchmaker earn?
In French watch and jewellery retail, agreed minimum pay for workers and employees ranges from €1,910 to €1,983 gross a month from 1 January 2026. Actual pay depends on the employer, the region and experience.
What is included in the watchmaker & repairer course?
A 13-page PDF guide that covers the whole job, and a 3-level path of 13 five-minute lessons (beginner, intermediate, expert), each with a quick quiz, plus a certificate of completion per level.
Is the course available in English and French?
Yes. You choose English or French at checkout; the Complete Pack includes both languages.
How do I receive the course?
Immediately after payment you receive a download link by email, with your invoice. The files are A4 PDFs you can read on any device or print.
Is the certificate an official qualification?
No. G-Learn certificates confirm you completed the course. They are not a state diploma or a licence to practise.
Can I get a refund?
Yes: if the course is not what you expected, ask within 14 days of purchase for a full refund. Prices start at €6.90.