Watchmaker, a profession of the future?

"Nowadays, everyone checks the time on their cell phone." You've probably heard this statement many times, and most likely, you've also said or thought it yourself. Indeed, many of us do, but this doesn't mean the wristwatch is in decline. On the contrary. It's still a very common travel companion—or accessory, or whatever you want to call it—for us. Rafael de la Torre and Toni Gimeno, the two partners of the Tempora watch shop at 238 Còrsega Street in Barcelona, know this well. It's common for a line of customers to line up outside if you walk past mid-morning. The shop is small, okay, but the line can be as long as ten people. A traditional watch shop, one that will change your battery and replace your strap, or perform an express repair, or put your table clock, alarm clock, or wall clock back in tip-top shape.

Ah, but are there still that many wall clocks in this world? Of course! Just take a look at the walls of the store, packed with watches waiting for customers to pick them up. "We have what the neighborhood asks for and needs," explains Rafael. At Tempora, you can request a repair or an update, such as a watch refurbishment. They have a selection of mid-range watches, of a certain quality, practical, comfortable, good-looking, and reasonably priced, in line with the prevailing purchasing power in this area of the Eixample, near the lower part of Sant Gervasi and also Gràcia. "If we were a little higher-end, we should offer more high-end products." Price fluctuations? Well, anywhere from 9 euros to replace a large number of watches to 500 euros to update a Rolex.

They don't work in the buying and selling world, but they do have a lot of work with authentication—there are a lot of counterfeits around the world—and the description of valuable watches for auction houses. The average customer is usually the one who needs the battery and strap, but they also have many long-standing clients who pass on the maintenance of the wall clocks: "In the neighborhood, in the 20th century, there used to be between two and three clocks per apartment." There's still work in that regard. How long does a wristwatch last, roughly? On average, a year and a half. Not only do they get their money's worth from the neighborhood, but since it's an area with quite a few doctor's offices, mutual insurance companies, and the Hospital Clínic, there are also many people who take advantage of their doctor's visits and stop by Tempora to change the battery or strap.

They've been at their current location since 2002, but Rafael learned the trade a few meters away, on Aribau Street, next to the antique dealer Xarrié and the German watchmaker Demel. He started in 1980 and learned the trade. The main clientele were antique dealers who commissioned repairs. Until 1992, Xarrié gave him the opportunity to open his own watch shop in a space next door. At that time, the neighborhood lacked a watch repair shop available to local residents, to ordinary people. Thus, the clientele grew loyal and the business was able to prosper.

As we said before, watches never go out of style. And the passion for high-end watches is a whole world to be taken into account. Although it is not strictly their field of activity, they do benefit from it. "It's an attractive world, one that draws attention and has good window displays." An example? The recent US Open winner, Aryna Sabalenka, didn't celebrate her victory without first wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph, valued at more than $230,000. More examples: Fernando Alonso has a €150,000 Richard Miller, and Lamine Yamal's watch collection seems to be, despite his youth, already top-notch. These pieces don't often appear at Tempora, but just before the interview, they had already changed the batteries in a couple of Hublots and Chaumets. Is this a masculinized territory? In general, yes, Rafael explains, but Angie Cárdenas looks great in Aruseros A Rolex Submariner that's close to 15,000 euros.

And the profession? Well, Rafael gives us an interesting fact. There's only one official watchmaking school in Spain. And it's in the Zona Franca (Free Trade Zone) of Barcelona. This year, thirty people enrolled, a not inconsiderable number. And do you know what contributed? A recent 3Cat program on professions with a future that included, precisely, that of watchmaker.