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Watch technician: pay, job outlook and how to become one

Updated October 29, 2026. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET data. Published by Humblebee.

$67,230median pay per year, or $32.32 an hour, May 2025[1]
  1. $34,240lowest 10% earn less
  2. $47,65025th percentile
  3. $67,230median
  4. $91,49075th percentile
  5. $109,990top 10% earn more
Middle half of workers in the inner band[3]Median for all US jobs, $50,980[4]

A watch technician, which BLS counts as a watch and clock repairer, had a median pay of $67,230 a year in May 2025[1]. Jobs are projected to shrink slightly, by 0.3% from 2025 to 2035[2].

Job growth, 2025–35
-0.3%[2]
Openings per year
100[5]
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent[6]

How much do watch technicians make?

The median wage for Watch and Clock Repairers was $67,230 a year, or $32.32 an hour[1]. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. That is above the $50,980 median for all occupations[4]. The average (mean) wage was $70,840 a year, or $34.06 an hour[7].

Pay varies a lot in this job. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34,240 a year, and the 25th percentile was $47,650[3]. The 75th percentile was $91,490 and the 90th percentile was $109,990[3]. In hourly terms, the 10th percentile was $16.46 and the 90th was $52.88[8].

A percentile is a boundary, not a typical or starting wage. BLS publishes percentile wages and no starting salary[9].

Measure Annual wage Hourly wage
10th percentile[3][8] $34,240 $16.46
25th percentile[3][8] $47,650 $22.91
Median[1] $67,230 $32.32
75th percentile[3][8] $91,490 $43.99
90th percentile[3][8] $109,990 $52.88

These figures cover workers paid a wage or salary. They leave out the self-employed, bonuses that are not tied to production, and the cost of benefits[10]. About 8.8% of watch and clock repairers were self-employed in 2025[11].

Pay by state and city

BLS published median wages for only 8 states[12]. California came first at $110,050 a year, followed by New York at $95,060 and Florida at $81,850[12]. Colorado was last in that list at $49,990[12].

This is a very small occupation. About 1,310 people held these jobs across the US in May 2025[13]. Colorado had the most jobs of any state listed, with 60[14]. The Denver-Aurora-Centennial area had 40 jobs and a median of $49,990[15].

Show median pay in 8 states
StateMedian per yearJobs
California[12]$110,050n/a
New York$95,060n/a
Florida$81,850n/a
Virginia$80,410n/a
Maryland$62,440n/a
Texas$59,950n/a
Pennsylvania$59,880n/a
Colorado$49,99060

How to become a watch technician

BLS describes the typical path like this[6]:

O*NET places the job in Job Zone Three, which it calls medium preparation. Workers in these jobs need previous work-related skill, knowledge or experience[16].

The facts here do not say how many years the training takes, what it costs, or whether a certificate is required.

What watch technicians do

O*NET describes the work as repairing, cleaning and adjusting the working parts of timepieces such as watches and clocks[17]. Common tasks include:

Workers report job titles such as watch repairer, watch repair technician and clock repair technician[19].

Job outlook

BLS projects that employment of watch and clock repairers will decline 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, staying at about 1,400 jobs[2]. For comparison, employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% over the same years[20]. These projection counts include self-employed workers, so they differ from the OEWS count of wage and salary jobs[13][2].

BLS still expects about 100 openings a year on average[5]. Openings come from workers who retire or move to other occupations as well as from new jobs[5]. Each year, 5% of workers leave the labor force and 4.6% move to a different occupation[21].

Is it a good fit?

The pay is above the all-occupations median, and the range is wide, from $34,240 at the 10th percentile to $109,990 at the 90th[1][4][3]. The entry requirement is a high school diploma, with long-term on-the-job training[6]. The trade is small, with about 1,310 wage and salary jobs and a slight projected decline[13][2]. About 100 openings a year are projected[5]. State pay data is thin, so check local pay before planning around any single figure[12].

Related occupations from O*NET, with BLS median pay and projected growth[22].

Frequently asked questions

How much does a watch technician make an hour?
The median hourly wage for watch and clock repairers was $32.32 in May 2025[1]. The 10th percentile was $16.46 and the 90th was $52.88[8].
What education do you need to be a watch technician?
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent, no related work experience, and long-term on-the-job training[6].
Is watch repair in demand?
BLS projects a 0.3% decline from 2025 to 2035, while all occupations are projected to grow 3.5%[2][20]. About 100 openings a year are expected[5].
What is the highest paying state for watch and clock repairers?
California, with a median of $110,050 a year, comes first among the 8 states with published data[12].

Facts and sources

  1. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for Watch and Clock Repairers in the US was $67,230 per year and $32.32 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  2. BLS Employment Projections: employment of Watch and Clock Repairers is projected to decline 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, from about 1,400 to 1,400 jobs (a change of +0). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
  3. BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for Watch and Clock Repairers: 10th percentile $34,240, 25th percentile $47,650, 75th percentile $91,490, 90th percentile $109,990. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  4. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  5. BLS Employment Projections: about 100 openings for Watch and Clock Repairers are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
  6. BLS Employment Projections, typical path into Watch and Clock Repairers: education needed for entry: High school diploma or equivalent; work experience in a related occupation: None; typical on-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training. BLS Employment Projections
  7. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for Watch and Clock Repairers was $70,840 per year and $34.06 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  8. BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wage percentiles for Watch and Clock Repairers: 10th percentile $16.46, 25th percentile $22.91, 75th percentile $43.99, 90th percentile $52.88. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  9. BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  10. BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  11. BLS Employment Projections: 8.8% of Watch and Clock Repairers were self-employed in 2025. BLS Employment Projections
  12. Median annual wage for Watch and Clock Repairers in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  13. BLS OEWS, May 2025: about 1,310 people were employed as Watch and Clock Repairers in the US (wage and salary jobs, not counting self-employed workers). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  14. BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most Watch and Clock Repairers jobs: Colorado 60. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  15. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most Watch and Clock Repairers jobs: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 40 (median $49,990). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  16. O*NET 49-9064.00: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. O*NET OnLine
  17. O*NET description of Watch and Clock Repairers. O*NET OnLine
  18. O*NET task list for Watch and Clock Repairers. O*NET OnLine
  19. O*NET 49-9064.00 sample job titles reported by workers: Antique Clock Repairer, Clock Repair Technician, Clock Repairer, Watch and Clock Repairer, Watch Estimator, Watch Repair Person, Watch Repair Technician, Watch Repairer. O*NET OnLine
  20. BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
  21. BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for Watch and Clock Repairers: 5% of workers leave the labor force each year and 4.6% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
  22. Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine

Notes are for reading the data only. They are not facts and cannot be cited: use the wage_scope and percentile_meaning facts instead. OEWS employment (jobs in May 2025) and Employment Projections employment (2025, includes self-employed) are different measures and can differ. O*NET education shares come from a small survey of workers in the occupation, not from all workers.

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.