Will AI replace Watch and Clock Repairers?
AI reaches little of this job’s work.
16/100
Low exposure
More exposed to AI than 29% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 26% of the work
What the job involves
Repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. Includes watchmakers, watch technicians, and mechanical timepiece repairers.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(4)
- Estimate repair costs and timepiece values.
- Order supplies, including replacement parts, for timing instruments.
- Gather information from customers about a timepiece's problems and its service history.
- Record quantities and types of timepieces repaired, serial and model numbers of items, work performed, and charges for repairs.
Out of reach(11)
- Reassemble timepieces, replacing glass faces and batteries, before returning them to customers.
- Clean, rinse, and dry timepiece parts, using solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical watch-cleaning machines.
- Adjust timing regulators, using truing calipers, watch-rate recorders, and tweezers.
- Repair or replace broken, damaged, or worn parts on timepieces, using lathes, drill presses, and hand tools.
- Oil moving parts of timepieces.
and 6 more
Also called
Horologist · Watchmaker · Auto Clocks Repairer · Antique Clock Repairer · Clock Repair Technician · Watch Repairer · Watch Technician (Watch Tech) · Antique Clocks Repairer
Related jobs
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand6/100
- Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers17/100
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters0/100
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers2/100
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6/100
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics