KlokWurXtm supplies Training in practical watch and clock repair for Retail Staff, but back at the beginning of the 20th Century there were many Mail-Order courses available for those wishing to enter the industry at the practical level. One of the better ones was the Wisconsin Institute of Horology in the USA. This small 'one man and his dog' 'Institute' not only supplied the basic training but also the physical tools required to set up as a practising watch repair person. This list below is their recommendations for a beginners toolkit.
1928 Watchmakers Toolkit from the Wisconsin Institute of Horology
This list was produced by, and distributed to the students of, the Wisconsin Institute of Horology during the 1920's
.It is interesting to compare prices with modern day costs. For those of us in the UK there were approximately 5.5 US Dollars to the UK Pound in the 1920's
You'll note that the price of the Webster Whitcomb lathe (otherwise known as a 'WW') included only a single No 32 collet (3.2mm).
All the tools could be supplied by the 'Institute'
The price of the Course of study, ... which incidentally it took Mr H.M.Baillie, (the original purchaser/student) over 3 years to complete, was a 'hefty' $55; and the cost of the basic recommended tools required just to complete the course of study was $169.88. A total investment by Mr.Baillie of $224.88 (£40.88*)
We are considering scanning the entire course and adding it to the Website along with our own training material, ... why not let us know if you would be interested in seeing this coursework.
*Note : In the 1920's a farmhand in the Uk earned £1.50 per week and a well-paid Railway Signalman on the Great Western Railway was paid £3 per week. Therefore at an average of £2.25 per week this £40.88 expenditure represented over 18 weeks of UK wages at the time, (... equivalent to more than £4000 in terms of a UK Price equivalent today - using the average retail wage as a comparison).
Possibly though of equal, or greater, interest is a comparison with the present day variance between the US and UK wage & price economies.
The official US figures for US retail weekly wages in June 2006 may be 'only' $388 (£208.60 at an exchange rate of $1.86:£1 compared with the UK's official equivalent wage of £220.90) but the growth in the US domestic spending power since 1928 means that the $224.88 cost then, is today equivalent to a retail price in the US of only $2620.97.(source:American Institute for Economic Research -June 2006) If we apply the same exchange rate for the UK rate the price would have been almost $7500. Instead the current cost represents only 6.75 weeks wages in the US instead of the UK-based calculation of 36 weeks using the same retail sector averages; ... and here in the UK we wonder why it is that the US standard of living seems so much greater than our own.
We will leave that question for you to explore with any prospective local MP the next time they are seeking election to office.
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Material Copyright © 2005 I.E.Broadbent & KlokWurXtm