My Métier d’Excellence
I’m a Watchmaker Analyst at Zenith, which means I examine any problems that might arise on our production line and propose solutions to resolve them. I also work on restoring heritage Zenith timepieces.
My background
I began my career at Zenith as an apprentice with the after-sales department. Then I deepened my knowledge of watchmaking by attending evening classes and working in different departments at the Maison, before taking up my current position. I feel very strong ties with Zenith because the Maison has taught me everything I know about watchmaking. I think my training with the after-sales team was decisive since it let me develop analysis skills. I’m applying the same principles today: we would receive watches that didn’t work anymore and we had to find and then resolve the problem. I’ve always found it very gratifying to fix a problem and then see the watch working again.
The most important things you need for this métier
Patience is essential. A watch might have 600 components, so you can’t rush to find what’s not working. And when you do find the problem, you can’t simply snap your fingers to fix it, repairing it might take months. Passion is extremely important too, as is a quest for perfection, to continually strive to improve. In fact, I’m so passionate about what I do that I sometimes continue to inspect watches even at home!
An anecdote
There was one moment in my career that moved me more than any other. During my apprenticeship I was working with a tutor who taught me the basics of watchmaking. We stayed in touch at Zenith for many years. When he retired, he said to me “The student has surpassed the master”. I’ll never forget that, and I’m still very moved by his words.