Lititz Watch Technicum

Lititz, Pa.—Having risen from the ashes of the quartz watch boom, the mechanical watch industry is hotter than ever. Sales for the major companies are accelerating, seeing growth like never before.

There is one downside to this watch boom, however. Mechanical watches are complicated mechanisms and need periodic service. Due to the overwhelming popularity of quartz watches during the 70s and 80s, today there is a lack of qualified watchmakers to perform after-sales service, warranty work and repair.

Trying to relieve this shortage in a small way, Rolex Watch USA is funding the Lititz Watch Technicum, the newest watch school in the United States.

Designed by architect Michael Graves, the Technicum is housed in a beautiful building just outside the limits of Lititz, Pa., a traditional Lancaster County town known for its chocolate, its Amish and its pretzels. Rolex has had a repair and service facility in Lancaster County for many years, but when the company realized it was outgrowing its leased space in the Greenfield Industrial Park, it decided to build a separate facility and include accommodations for the new school.

The Need for Watchmakers

The watch industry is fast approaching a crisis point in the United States.

"Watchmaking is seen as a dying art in this country," said Rolex Watch USA Executive Vice President Jean-Claude Vollenweider. "We are working and lobbying in Washington, D.C., to change that perception. We have a booming industry—the mechanical watch industry is going through banner years. That growth means that all of these watches need to be serviced, and the average age of a watchmaker in this country is about 50. We need a couple of thousand watchmakers to replace the existing workforce."

New talent has to be attracted to watchmaking because, when the current watchmakers retire, there will be no one to take their place.

"Today there is a shortage of qualified watchmakers, and our goal is to help provide a new generation of craftsmen for the watch industry," said Charles Berthiaume, senior vice president of technical operations for Rolex Watch USA and head of the new watchmaking school. "We can attribute this shortage to the change in watch technology. When electronic watches came out in the 1970s, the thought was that mechanical watches were finished. Quartz watches are here to stay, obviously, but there has been a renewed interest in the mechanical timepiece as consumers are more willing to invest in a luxury product containing traditional Swiss craftsmanship. There has been almost a renaissance in interest in traditional watchmaking.

"There was a generation of young people who thought, 'Why go into a profession that's on