Will AI replace Watch and Clock Repairers?
Estimated risk score: 21 out of 100
Very low replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (2 to 40).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 15 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 49-9064.00 · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 3 of its 15 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Record quantities and types of timepieces repaired, serial and model numbers of items, work performed, and charges for repairs.
- Order supplies, including replacement parts, for timing instruments.
- Gather information from customers about a timepiece's problems and its service history.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 11 of its 15 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Adjust timing regulators, using truing calipers, watch-rate recorders, and tweezers.
- Clean, rinse, and dry timepiece parts, using solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical watch-cleaning machines.
- Demagnetize mechanisms, using demagnetizing machines.
- Disassemble timepieces and inspect them for defective, worn, misaligned, or rusty parts, using loupes.
- Fabricate parts for watches and clocks, using small lathes and other machines.
- Oil moving parts of timepieces.
What the job is
Repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. Includes watchmakers, watch technicians, and mechanical timepiece repairers.
Also called: Clock Repairer, Watch Estimator, Watch Technician (Watch Tech), Clocksmith, Watch Tech, Watch Caser, Dial Printer, Clock Mechanic.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate