Watchmaking has been around for more than six hundred years. From the inception of the concept of miniaturized clocks in Nuremberg by Peter Henlein to its rich subsequent development in Switzerland, watchmaking grew from being an esoteric craft practiced by goldsmiths to being a business that revolved around creativity, aesthetics, and practical use. Swiss Goldsmiths and watchmakers such as Daniel Jeanrichard, who advocated for the use of a division of labor, allowed the watchmaking industry in Sweden to grow by leaps and bounds.
Business Versus Art
The advent of technology and the influence of simulacrum in a digitalized modern society has relegated the ancient art of watchmaking to be more about business and profits than creativity and tradition. This can also be attributed to the influence of a capitalized society in a global marketplace where demand for analog watches has far exceeded the amount produced by watchmakers traditionally. Despite the practical use of handmade watches diminishing over time, the popularity of these watches hasn’t declined relatively.
There is a huge difference though, between the popularity of handmade watches in the 20th century and the 21st century. While the market for handmade watches was much more diverse and heterogeneous earlier, it was also due to their universality and practical use. Nowadays, the market for handmade watches is more homogenous and this seemingly necessary everyday product has become a luxury item due to the value of tradition and originality it carries.
Watchmakers in the Modern World
The popularity of these handmade watches doesn’t equate to the profession of watchmakers being as popular as it once was. This is due to the growth and convenience of industrial manufacturing of small tools and parts of the watch. The role of watchmakers, therefore, has transformed from that of manufacturers and designers to repairers and assemblers since such tasks still require the expertise and proficiency of a master watchmaker.
While repairers work independently at times, the ‘assemblers’, or the watchmakers employed by famous luxury watchmaking brands still retain the artisanship and respect of the traditional watchmakers. They work together with the industry and use their mastery for both quality-checking and assembling purposes, thereby improving the quality of the luxury watches produced by giving them a standard precision.
The profession has, therefore, become an esoteric one once again but for very different reasons. In some ways, this can be seen as the ancient profession adjusting itself to the trend of modern times and capitalizing on the value of originality. The price of originality is also the reason why the ‘art’ of watchmaking remains to be a lucrative trade.
