It is a recurring worry among people who dream of watchmaking: do you need to be a whiz at physics or geometry to succeed? Good news: the answer is no.

While it is true that the engineers who design movements use complex mathematical formulas to calculate gear trains, the repair watchmaker (who repairs and assembles) relies on different qualities. What matters at the bench is logic, a sense of observation and patience. Understanding how energy flows through a movement or how an escapement works does not require solving equations, but rather carefully observing the mechanical interaction between components.

Learning watchmaking is above all visual and intuitive. With the right illustrations and a progressive method, anyone can grasp the basics of watchmaking theory.

No prerequisites means you can start today: see watchmaking for beginners for the first ten hours, then follow the full path in how to learn watchmaking online.

At Décalibre, our teaching method is designed to be accessible to everyone, with no scientific prerequisites whatsoever. Discover our first free module and get started!