Watch-making is one of those rare synergies of art and science that brings together precise mechanical engineering with beautiful and elegant design to create an object that is both fundamentally useful and also – at least these days – almost wholly ornamental.

On a recent afternoon in Phnom Penh, rows of students clad in white uniforms sat hunched over on benches with jewellers loupes worn around their heads or necks as they focused on the painstaking tasks of cleaning the miniature gears of their watch assemblies, lubricating them sparingly and then reassembling the puzzle of gears and wheels perfectly so that when these watches are wound once again they will resume their utilitarian purposes of marking the passage of time.

The teaching and training in these skills are a brand new opportunity here in Cambodia, brought to the Kingdom by the Prince Horology Vocational Training Centre starting back in November 2019 and with their first classes underway by June 2020.

Prince Horology’s equipment, infrastructure and know-how was all imported from Switzerland in order to build a comprehensive training programme that taught students how to work with a variety of products and materials, according to Jessica Thakur, the Prince Horology technical advisor.

“Our first stage is learning micro-mechanics. In the Swiss system we start by making components, making tools and learning how to measure small things while teaching the students how to use their hands and develop fine-muscle control.

“Then, later on, when they are ready they head upstairs to the second workshop to begin working on actual watches,” she says.

There are lots of specialised tools for turning metals into custom watch components. Students take the raw materials and use the machinery and tools to create the parts they need to carry out repairs.

“Prince has made every possible investment towards ensuring that our Cambodian students are starting at the same or even higher level than the students in Switzerland or everyone else around the world. To be honest, I was quite jealous when I saw the workshop because I didn’t have half of these tools when I began watch-making in Australia, so they are very lucky,” she says.

In the classroom they have some model components and also components crafted by students for their examinations. They have pieces that are only 2.5mm in size that they manufacture and manipulate and shape with their hands.

“Students at watch-making really need to have good hand and eye coordination. They need to have really good patience, lots of focus and concentration – and for long periods of the day – a total of 3400 hours for two years going from 8am-5pm from Monday-Friday,” Thakur, 41, tells The Post.

Thakur says they have a cleaning room to clean the components and also different types of machines that they use for polishing the surfaces of the metals to make them look shiny and new for the clients.

She says these are just some examples of the many subjects that they work on with students while training them in the repair and upkeep of Swiss watches.

“Servicing these watches could be compared to servicing cars. They take it apart, clean it from the inside out, lubricate everything and put it back together in an exacting manner. These watches are manufactured in Switzerland and the students are here to learn how to take care of them rather than to make them for now. The role of the watch repairman is in the customer service area rather than manufacturing,” Thakur emphasises.

In this industry there are many roles that need to be filled: Encasing technicians, watch service technicians, watchmakers, technical assistants and more. After gaining some experience they can move into technical training positions or as technical leads and managers in service environments.

“Some students at our school dream of making their own watches and these courses start them along on that journey,” she says.

“My goal in the future is to gain more experience from other countries in terms of my watch career so that I can build myself up skills-wise. And when I am capable both in my ability and finances, my passion really is to make my own brand one day, although it’s a long journey ahead,” says Ung Chhunlong, one of the watchmaking students interviewed by The Post.

“It’s wonderful to be able to get an education here in Cambodia that is on par with that of any other country. And once you attend the classes here you realise that it’s more than a watchmaking course because you learn so much and it really has a positive impact on your daily life. It’s amazing how much watch repair can teach you about patience in your own daily life,” says another student Sak Lihour.

Thakur points out that the technologies involved with mechanical watches and digital watches are quite different from each other but both are very important to know for any prospective watchmaker.

Mechanical watches can theoretically last forever as long as they are well-maintained. The physical parts will eventually erode unless they are kept lubricated and cared for but this takes a long time. However, it’s essential for students to understand watch technology like newer battery operated watches because there are so many of them out there.

At the moment the training centre class has just six Cambodian students, but they hope to increase to two classes of eight students by 2023.

“The ideal class size for watchmaking is really six students. But in terms of our training facilities here, we do have space for 16 students. We do small training groups because it’s very intensive practical work that requires a lot of instructor oversight and interaction,” Thakur, the former manager of the WOSTEP Worldwide Partnership, says.

Their faculty at the moment consists of Maarten Pieters – a well-known figure in Swiss watchmaking – who serves as a technical advisor and a teacher. Bannes Lee, a Swiss-trained Malaysian watchmaker, recently joined as an assistant instructor.

Fees for the two-year complete training programme come to USD $2500 for Cambodian students, although the goal is to eventually provide 100% scholarships for those in need along with stipends and accommodation allowances for all eligible Cambodian applicants. All of the current students are on scholarship and they would like to also offer international students a $15,000 scholarship award later on.

The minimum age for enrolling in the course is 18, but their current students are all in their early 20’s.

“We are proud that all of our current students will be the first Swiss watchmakers trained at home on their own soil in Cambodia. I’m so impressed that they can succeed in such a high demand programme and in terms of their competence we are very pleased with their performances.

“We had no idea how successful this type of vocational training would be in Cambodia as we are setting the benchmark by doing this essentially. Our six young men are incredibly respectful and extraordinarily motivated and hard-working with their lessons. The results have been impressive and on par or even above our experiences with other students around the world,” Thakur says proudly.

She says the local talent they are training here could become teachers or technical assistants in Cambodia, but they don’t have a full watch repair service centre in the Kingdom yet. However, opportunities in other countries in the region or internationally are always possible too.

“Our first class will graduate in July this year. We are aware of many opportunities within Cambodia and throughout the ASEAN network. We would also love to grow our school’s faculty by adding some of of our Cambodian graduates,” says Thakur.

Asked what the allure of the Swiss watches are these days given the arguably more convenient and ubiquitous presence of smartphones, she says that the luxury of a Swiss timepiece is a far more emotional attachment than could ever achieved by a digital or smart watch because it is a work of art and such care and effort went into making each one.

Clients have always sought out Swiss watches for their engineering, traditions and timeless craftsmanship. Mechanical Swiss timepieces have shown steady growth in both sales and value, untainted by the competition offered by the digital age because they are just vastly different products.

Thakur says she’d really like to see more female students in Cambodia participating in the courses and finding a passion for this kind of work.

“In Switzerland it’s more like 60 per cent women and 40 per cent men. Here, obviously, we attract men because the obvious connection to the engineering and because Cambodia is generally dominated by men as far as education goes. But we’re seeing more and more women encouraged to learn about and understand this field. Why not? It’s a safe job and well-paid and there’s nothing about it that men do that women can’t,” she says.

“At the Prince Horology Vocational Training Center in Cambodia, students learn the art of contemporary watchmaking through a comprehensive and practically based educational program which is unique in the Asia-Pacific region and rooted firmly in Swiss methodology. In this far-flung setting a world apart from the frosty peaks of the Swiss Alps, students learn the secrets of how to remain faithful to centuries of traditional Swiss watchmaking expertise,” she says.

For more information on the Prince Horology watchmaking programme, they can be contacted via their Facebook page: @princehorology