Watchmaking required more than just technical skills but also a higher knowledge of time itself and lifelong watchmaker Guenter Best was doing his utmost to impart that knowledge onto the next generation.
As president of the master clock and watchmakers of WA association Mr Best recently celebrated the first graduates of the association’s three and a half year watchmaking course held at the Agonis centre in Gosnells.
The association was now on the hunt for new students to begin studying their certificate III in engineering – mechanical trade (watchmaking) in 2016.
Mr Best, also a City of Armadale councillor, started his watchmaking apprenticeship as a teenager and went on to get his masters and even work for Rolex in Switzerland.
He said there was a world shortage of watchmakers and he and the association would do what they could to train skilled watchmakers.
“Years ago people thought the watchmaking trade was dying because the battery operated quartz watch was on the market but now the mechanical watches are back,” he said.
“Anything that is mechanical needs service so in eight odd years all those watches have to be serviced.
“Then of course people have grandfather clocks, pocket watches, family heirlooms and they have to be serviced.”
Mr Best offers his teaching time free to students because he wanted to continue the craft in WA.
He said his certificate III students learnt a range of skills including what time actually is, what materials were used in watches, technical drawing and making parts.
“The first thing they learn is what is time itself, that’s very important to understand,” he said.
He said the course was open to everyone but watchmaking was a tricky trade so it needed people with patience.
“We take on any person who has an even temper, you need a good temper and steady hands,” he said.
“You don’t have to be Einstein to be a watchmaking engineer but you have to know a little bit of mathematics.
“We would like to give everybody who would like to be a watchmaker a chance.”
Mr Best said in their recent graduation ceremony they celebrated the graduation of two watchmakers who started the course as teenagers.
Watchmaker Hudson Gale started his certificate III as a 16-year-old in July 2011 and now has his own business called the time doctor.
Mr Best said he kept watchmaking for so long because it fascinated him.
“Anything that is mechanical I really admire,” he said.
“And we often take time for granted, for example a lot of people don’t know why everything on a clock face turns to the right.
“Early time was measured in the northern hemisphere and Egyptians measured the shadow of the sun and in the northern hemisphere the shadow turns right.
“All those things are interesting to me.”
To find out more about the certificate III in watchmaking visit www.wcawa.org.au.
