Expert: Michael Radi - 12/19/2008

Question
Hi

I was hoping you could offer me some information. I would like to become a clockmaker/watchmaker. I find timepieces very interesting, and think I would be good at it. I'm looking for some training right now, but I want to ask if you think that you can make a living in the business of horology? Is it something that is dying out and is best left as a hobby than a career? Any help you could offer would be fantastic.

Many thanks

John

Answer
John, thank you for your question. I have found that making a living in clock repair depends on your geographical location. I don't do watch repair but I know some people who do.
I ran a clock shop in the Southern California area and always had plenty of repairs coming in. We also did repairs for other shops in town. I did much of the repair myself and had an in house repair person. When things got overwhelming we had a third repair person take up the slack. Most shops in Southern California had more work than they could handle.
The watch repair people did really well too. They go around to jewelry stores, pick up the repairs and deliver they back after completing the repairs.
My other side of my business is clock parts distribution so I talk on the phone to clock repair people all over the country. I find that repair people in small towns generally have a tough time getting enough work.
I moved my clock parts company, www.norkro.com , to Portland, Oregon 5 years ago. I don't have the clock shop now so my visability is gone. I ran ads in the yellow pages and found it to be a waste of money. I don't run those ads anymore. Most of the clock shops in Portland have closed since I have been here, even before the economic downturn, mostly because the owners were getting too old or died.
I concentrated on my Internet parts business and that has been how I make my living. I thought there would be more repair business for me here but I don't aggressively seek it. I know one family who ran a very busy shop here until 4 years ago. Perhaps the fact that I am not operating out of a storefront has affected that.
I hope this information is helpful to you.