Proposed as a combination of training in the workplace completed by studies at a vocational college, or as full-time study. The first-year watchmaker apprentice/student practices filing, tracing, piercing and turning on a lathe before working on a watch movement.

He or she learns the functions of a mechanical watch and a quartz watch. They develop skills in assembly, fine-adjusting the balance spring, casing, fitting the external parts and repairs.

The third and fourth years focus on laboratory work, production techniques and quality control, clockmaking and after-sales service.

Training at the workbench is completed by classroom studies covering watchmaking theory, mathematics, physics, materials science, electronics applied to watchmaking and technical drawing.

Students at the Lycée Technique in Biel (Bienne) or the Zeitzentrum in Grenchen (Granges) can, under certain conditions, prepare their maturité technique professionnelle at the same time (contact the schools for information).

Source: ETVJ Le Sentier ; Convention patronale de l’Industrie horlogère suisse, Training Plan, December 11th 2014