Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 49-9064

Watch and Clock Repairers

The published band from $34,240 to $109,990 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Watch and Clock Repairers: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers ($95K) , Industrial Machinery Mechanics ($65K) , Millwrights ($66K) , Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment ($85K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Watch and Clock Repairers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-9064 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Clean, rinse, and dry timepiece parts, using solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical watch-cleaning machines
  2. 2. Adjust timing regulators, using truing calipers, watch-rate recorders, and tweezers
  3. 3. Reassemble timepieces, replacing glass faces and batteries, before returning them to customers
  4. 4. Disassemble timepieces and inspect them for defective, worn, misaligned, or rusty parts, using loupes
  5. 5. Oil moving parts of timepieces
  6. 6. Estimate repair costs and timepiece values
  7. 7. Repair or replace broken, damaged, or worn parts on timepieces, using lathes, drill presses, and hand tools
  8. 8. Test timepiece accuracy and performance, using meters and other electronic instruments
  9. 9. Perform regular adjustment and maintenance on timepieces, watch cases, and watch bands
  10. 10. Order supplies, including replacement parts, for timing instruments
  11. 11. Gather information from customers about a timepiece's problems and its service history
  12. 12. Test and replace batteries and other electronic components

Watch and Clock Repairers: O*NET ranks Repairing first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-9064 - lead skill Repairing at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Repairing 3.9
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.1
  3. 3. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.0
  5. 5. Speaking 3.0
  6. 6. Equipment Maintenance 3.0
  7. 7. Troubleshooting 3.0
  8. 8. Quality Control Analysis 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.2
  2. 2. Administration and Management 3.7
  3. 3. Mechanical 3.6
  4. 4. Administrative 3.1
  5. 5. Engineering and Technology 3.0
  6. 6. Production and Processing 3.0
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$34,240 to $109,990
median $67,230 · ~3.2× spread
$67K
National median
↓ -1%
Growth 2024-2034
100
Annual openings
1,310
Estimated US jobs
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $95K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Watch and Clock Repairers

1. Virginia $80,410
2. Texas $59,950
3. Maryland $62,440
4. Pennsylvania $59,880
5. Florida $81,850
6. California $110,050
7. New York $95,060
8. Colorado $49,990

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Millwrights $65,700
  2. 2. Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment $84,890
  3. 3. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $95,320
  4. 4. Signal and Track Switch Repairers $92,460
  5. 5. Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other $68,990
  6. 6. Industrial Machinery Mechanics $64,520

The OEWS band for Watch and Clock Repairers runs from $34,240 (10th) to $109,990 (90th), about 3.2× wide, with median $67,230. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -1% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Virginia at $80,410. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers at $95,320. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Watch and Clock Repairers pay-rank #14 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Among 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with a published OEWS median, Watch and Clock Repairers is pay-rank #14, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Watch and Clock Repairers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Watch and Clock Repairers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-9064

Virginia · top state for Watch and Clock Repairers

$80K published median

Texas · #2 state pay

$60K · behind Virginia

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Watch and Clock Repairers · $95K

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Lower-pay peer beside Watch and Clock Repairers · $65K

Compare Watch and Clock Repairers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Watch and Clock Repairers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles sit near Watch and Clock Repairers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Watch and Clock Repairers is pay-rank #14 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Rail Car Repairers ($68K), Millwrights ($66K), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines ($66K), Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other ($69K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do watch and clock repairers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Watch and Clock Repairers. Leading ones include: 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; Reassemble timepieces, replacing glass faces and batteries, before returning them to customers; Disassemble timepieces and inspect them for defective, worn, misaligned, or rusty parts, using loupes. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for watch and clock repairers? ▼
For SOC 49-9064, O*NET importance scores lead with Repairing (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.1), Operations Monitoring (3.1), Active Listening (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Watch and Clock Repairers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $34,240 and the 90th at $109,990 for Watch and Clock Repairers (3.2× spread). The national median is $67,230. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Watch and Clock Repairers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Watch and Clock Repairers is -1%. Projected annual openings: about 100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Watch and Clock Repairers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Watch and Clock Repairers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Watch and Clock Repairers? ▼
Virginia ($80,410), Texas ($59,950), Maryland ($62,440) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Watch and Clock Repairers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-9064. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Watch and Clock Repairers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics