One student, one bench, in Fujian, China. Your instructor demonstrates each procedure, then you do it yourself. Taught in Mandarin with a live interpreter beside you, on genuine Swiss and Japanese movements. Tuition from $1,590, a fraction of what a European school charges.
No experience needed · Taught in Mandarin with a live interpreter · Hands-on from day one
Most of your day is spent at the bench, with one or two short theory sessions each week to explain the principles behind what you are doing. Your instructor demonstrates each procedure at your bench and explains it as it happens, with the interpreter translating live. Then you do it yourself, and any mistake is corrected on the spot.
Every student works at their own bench with a complete set of screwdrivers, tweezers, a loupe and a blower. Nobody shares tools and nobody waits their turn.
Alongside standard calibres you will work on worn watches with genuine faults. The problems you solve in class are the problems you will meet in your own shop.
You strip and rebuild the same calibre until you can do it without thinking. We do not move on to the next skill until you can complete the full service procedure unaided.
Every procedure is demonstrated at your bench, explained and interpreted as it happens, and then you do it yourself while your instructor watches and corrects.
Full-time programmes at European watchmaking schools run one to two years, with tuition in the tens of thousands of dollars. We teach the same bench fundamentals - strip down, fault-find, clean, assemble, regulate - in an intensive short course, and most of your time here is spent with your hands on a movement. We do not pretend to hand you those two years of theory, or the diploma that comes with them.
Theory first, then tools, then hands. You learn what every tool in the tray does and how to keep it true, then strap and case work, quartz fault finding, jewel and battery replacement, and the polishing and brushing that make a watch look new again.
Everything in the intermediate course, plus three of the hardest movements in the trade.
Everything in the advanced course, plus the lathe — the tool that lets you make the part instead of hunting for it.
Your bench, loupe, screwdrivers, tweezers, cleaning machine and all practice movements are provided. No hidden equipment bill, no need to ship your own kit.
Every course is built for beginners and you are at the bench from the first hour. Start with the two-week course and extend after your first day if you want more.
Prices are per student in US dollars. Accommodation is included free of charge on the four-week and six-week courses; students on the two-week course can book a room from around $12 per night, depending on the room. Payment plans are available on request.
Indicative tuition for comparable full-time watchmaking programmes, per student. We are not comparing like for like on duration — we are comparing the bench skills you walk away with.
| Where you study | Typical tuition | What you save |
|---|---|---|
| Watchmaking school, Switzerland | $25,000+ | — |
| Full-time course, United Kingdom | $12,000+ | — |
| Watchmaking school, United States | $18,000+ | — |
| 福建名匠世家名表维修, 4-week course | $2,890 | up to $22,000 |
Figures for other institutions are indicative ranges for comparable full-time programmes and are shown for general comparison only. Please verify current fees directly with each school.
You do not need to commit to anything until your visa is in your passport.
Say which course and which month suit you. We reply within 24 hours with availability and a full cost breakdown.
No deposit, no prepayment. We hold your bench for fourteen days — you pay when you arrive.
We normally provide an invitation letter and a copy of our business licence to support your application. What a consulate asks for changes, so confirm the current requirements with yours before you book travel.
Send us your flight number. An instructor meets you at Fuzhou airport and travels with you to your accommodation.
Six days a week at the bench if you want it. On your last day you sit a practical assessment and leave with a certificate and photographs of your work.
One price covers your whole course, and from the four-week course onwards it includes your accommodation. The only extras are flights, visa fees and meals.
Take a watch apart, clean it, put it back together and service it - on your own, at your own bench.
That is the claim, and it is narrow on purpose. It does not make you a brand-authorised technician, and it does not make you a chronometer regulator. Nobody who teaches this trade honestly can promise either of those in two to six weeks. What it does mean is that a watch arrives on your bench and you finish the service without turning round for help.
There are no student quotes on this page, and there never will be. We are not going to put words into a student's mouth to sell you a course. Judge us on the things you can check: the twenty-one skills we list, the calibres we name by number, the photographs of the workshop, and the answers we give you on WhatsApp before you pay anything. Nothing is due before you arrive, so ask us and we will show you photographs and video from whichever course is sitting at the benches that month.
No. We assume you have never opened a watch. If you can handle small tools carefully, you will manage. The only thing we ask is that you can follow a demonstration, and a translator is beside you the whole time.
More than 70%. Theory is kept short and practical: one or two sessions a week, always tied to the job you are working on at the bench. Everything else you learn by doing it, at your own bench, with an instructor beside you.
English as standard, because our classes are usually mixed. If you need Spanish, Russian or Arabic, tell us when you book and we will arrange an interpreter for your intake. There is no extra charge, but we need a few weeks' notice to organise it.
Your instructor teaches in Mandarin and a dedicated interpreter stands beside you, translating every explanation and every step as it happens. English is the standard interpretation language because our classes are usually mixed. If you need Spanish, Russian or Arabic, tell us when you book and we will arrange an interpreter for your intake.
Most students enter on an M (business) or F (non-commercial visit) visa, or an L tourist visa for short courses. We normally provide an invitation letter to support your application. Always confirm current requirements with the Chinese embassy or visa centre in your own country before applying.
Yes, from the four-week course onwards. We provide a private room in a serviced apartment building about ten minutes from the workshop, free of charge, for the whole course. Students on the two-week course can book the same rooms from around $12 per night, depending on the room and the season. Either way, we make the reservation for you.
Tell us and we cancel your booking. You have paid nothing, so there is nothing to refund — come when your visa comes through.
Tell us your dates and we will hold a place for you. No payment is needed to reserve a bench for fourteen days.
We reply to every enquiry within 24 hours.