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Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Watch and Clock Repairers?
Task-level automation exposure for Watch and Clock Repairers: 15 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
27%
weighted task index
15 of 15 tasks scored
Median Salary
$67,230 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
1,310 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-0.3%
employment change
100 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 8 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$49,990 – $110,050
Highest medians
California $110,050
New York $95,060
Florida $81,850
Virginia $80,410
Maryland $62,440
Lowest medians
Colorado $49,990
Pennsylvania $59,880
Texas $59,950
Maryland $62,440
Virginia $80,410
State figures come from the 49-9064 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 27%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 67%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 0%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 6%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 0/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
15 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 19%
3 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 7%
1 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 74%
11 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#14977 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean, rinse, and dry timepiece parts, using solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical watch-cleaning machines.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
#14984 · Core · 15% automatable
Adjust timing regulators, using truing calipers, watch-rate recorders, and tweezers.
physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance
Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
#14979 · Core · 5% automatable
Reassemble timepieces, replacing glass faces and batteries, before returning them to customers.
physical manipulation — Reassembly after repair requires hands-on fitting
Reassemble equipment after repair.
#14978 · Core · 13% automatable
Disassemble timepieces and inspect them for defective, worn, misaligned, or rusty parts, using loupes.
visual inspection — Locating wear and damage requires physical inspection
Inspect mechanical equipment to locate damage, defects, or wear. Disassemble equipment to inspect for deficiencies.
#14975 · Core · 12% automatable
Oil moving parts of timepieces.
physical manipulation — Physical lubrication task requiring hands and access
Lubricate equipment to allow proper functioning.
#14982 · Core · 70% automatable
Estimate repair costs and timepiece values.
data analysis — Labor/material cost estimation from rates
Estimate costs for labor or materials.
#14976 · Core · 10% automatable
Repair or replace broken, damaged, or worn parts on timepieces, using lathes, drill presses, and hand tools.
physical manipulation — Manual replacement of mechanical parts
Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts. Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
#14980 · Core · 28% automatable
Test timepiece accuracy and performance, using meters and other electronic instruments.
physical manipulation — Hands-on mechanical testing in physical environment
Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
#14983 · Core · 10% automatable
Perform regular adjustment and maintenance on timepieces, watch cases, and watch bands.
physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of machinery
Maintain work equipment or machinery.
#21084 · Core · 75% automatable
Order supplies, including replacement parts, for timing instruments.
decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
#14986 · Core · 45% automatable
Gather information from customers about a timepiece's problems and its service history.
interpersonal — Assessing customer problems needs live diagnostic dialogue
Confer with customers or users to assess problems.
#14987 · Core · 22% automatable
Test and replace batteries and other electronic components.
physical manipulation — Electrical probing and meter work by hand
Test electrical circuits or components for proper functioning. Repair electronic equipment.
#14985 · Core · 80% automatable
Record quantities and types of timepieces repaired, serial and model numbers of items, work performed, and charges for repairs.
text generation — Record parts and repair details from provided data
Record information about parts, materials or repair procedures.
#14988 · Core · 9% automatable
Demagnetize mechanisms, using demagnetizing machines.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of physical workpieces
Clean workpieces or finished products.
#14981 · Core · 10% automatable
Fabricate parts for watches and clocks, using small lathes and other machines.
physical manipulation — Part fabrication requires physical machining and handling
Fabricate parts or components.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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