“The school was conceived with the deepest respect to the Cambodian people,” explains school advisor Jessica Thakur. “When setting up the school, the Prince group was determined to offer the highest quality in all respects to the students – with no exceptions – who will be completely immersed and indoctrinated in the Swiss watchmaking culture.”

The school’s two-year programme has been designed according to the certificate fédéral de capacité (CFC), standards for vocational training defined by the Swiss government that are widely considered the industry norm for basic watchmaking education. The well-known and highly-regarded 3,000-hour programme at WOSTEP is based on the same CFC benchmarks.

Around four-fifths of the 3,400-hour curriculum is dedicated to a broad range of practical work, amongst other things milling, turning, burnishing, gear cutting, heat treatment for hardening and tempering steel, decoration and hand finishing, as well as regulation. Case and bracelet refinishing, done at the school’s fully-equipped polishing workshop, form another key part of the practical coursework.

At the same time, the course is also sensitive to the needs of its students, and aims to impart skills that will enable graduates to make a living as watchmakers. To that end, the course covers the servicing and repair of mechanical as well as quartz watches, up to the complexity of an automatic chronograph with calendar (an ETA Valjoux 7750 movement, in other words). Such work includes the obvious, like inspection, disassembly, and lubrication, but also higher-level skills like adjusting and fabricating components.

All that culminates in a final-year project, where each student will be expected to produce, adjust, and hand-finish a school watch.

truffledog wrote: ↑Sat Nov 12, 2022 5:41 pm Many of the expensive swiss watches share a swiss ETA movement which is a near monopoly when it comes to movements. So if the Swiss are the ones to educate the locals and the necessary equipment is in place there is a good chance that the project will become a successful one. Cambodia need to have highly skilled workers to further develop and this project seems to be a step in that direction.

Duncan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 08, 2019 7:04 pm Hands up those that have had their watch cleaned or overhauled in the last ten years.

Watchmaking is a obsolete trade, along with many others.

Tootsfriend wrote: ↑Sat Nov 12, 2022 7:55 pm
If anyone thinks those trades are going to come back you should start teaching students the art of making stone axes, throwing spears and how to make a fire by rubbing two sticks together.

Clutch Cargo wrote: ↑Sun Nov 13, 2022 6:19 am In my view anyone with a very expensive Swiss watch or similar has it more as a piece of jewelry.. or a statement if you like. I hardly ever put on a watch anymore as I have my phone on me always. I still have a nice Boss watch that sits in a drawer mostly unless I'm going to a special occasion or something.