Watchmaker
I’m in this line of work since I was 14, you know! That time, I started out in my father’s company first. It was in those old department stores. We were all working for him, my brother, sisters… We work for many many years! But then I stopped after I turned 40. It was because of family issues, but no need to talk about all those lah. They all argue about how to do the company, all the decisions, then I said “aiya, don't want already lah”, so I left to start by myself. I went to find a shifu (teacher) to teach me, and then I started out on my own lorh. Until now, I 56 already, still doing this!
For this job, eyes are very important. Eyes and hands. Memory also. Must remember how to put everything back. When we want to repair, we must take out all the parts, piece by piece. Got skill one. Fixing 1 watch, can take up about 1 hour plus. Then after you service, clean up, fix back, it can be up to 3-4 hours for 1 watch! All these bigger clocks [points to large wall-mounted clocks] is much simpler. The smaller watches with all the mechanisms are a lot harder. Have to know how to take out and put back. Take out is easy, but put back is very, very hard. Must be step by step, because if you’re not careful, it will break. If break, have to pay for the customer. They will ask you why this cannot work. So must be careful, and got order one, for all the layers.
That's why I 40 years old then come out. Young time don't dare to do myself, and some more don't have much savings. Don't have the base to invest in your own business. At least if your parents can give you a bit, then can worry less. But if don't have base, I say don't take the risk, go work first lah. Work until you got savings, got $100,000, then can open up shop. Some more, when I started under my father, I not so good. Only do the normal basics. Then when I come out, meet all my teachers, then they teach me more than 80 patterns. All in all, I invested about $50,000 to start the business. A lot, right? That's why I don't dare come out last time. Know basics only, don't dare to ownself do, ownself invest. Just work for my father for forty years, get a bit of savings, then after so long, then dare to come out and try. Ask teachers to teach me, and slowly improve lorh. If you know just the basics, cannot make money one. Must work until you know about 80%, then you can survive.
My daughter same problem also! She study study, work 3 years, then say she want to start up cake shop. I told her, better don't want! Why? Because you don't have the big capitals. How to fight Breadtalk? Breadtalk is #1, you think you can take over them meh? Better don't lah. If you invest, it must be something special. If not, don't waste time. So my daughter say okay okay, just work. You work every month, get $3000-$4000, enough already what! Why want to invest? Now Singapore how to work? Work hard also cannot survive.
Some more now Covid times, walao, all die lah. You see all the handbags, all die! [points to retail stores next door] For mine, lucky still okay. All those stores that got skill one, all okay. Who want to buy bag, buy dress now? You? Now all buy online right? My daughter also. Everything also buy online. You see, all those shops close already, because nobody buy! Not just because of Covid, it’s price all that also.
So my shop is lucky, god bless I got skill. No other business can survive, I tell you. For this line, still need this type of technician. Everyone got watch what! Everyone looking for repair, even all the youngsters also. Don't tell me you buy the watch, $5000, $10,000, then cannot use, just throw away? Cannot be what! So we need technicians. No machine can do this for you. That's why I told my daughter, should do this type of business. But she say not interested, so bo bian (no choice) lorh.
This job is really about skill, but experience is also important lah. Experience means must learn a bit here, then make mistake there, learn again, then combine all and become skill. Learn by doing is better than just reading book, I tell you. We all 30-40 years old, got more skill, because we also saw more problems. Must learn from the mistakes, then next time you will know everything. It's okay one.
And this job is like Kungfu – got all the shifu, and they will help you become professional. To learn this skill, one person will take long time. But if got people to teach you, it’s very fast. Instead of 1 week, when they guide you, it becomes 1-2 days only. They can give you shortcut so you learn faster. No need 3-year degree, 1 year also got more experience! So yah, all this is also very important.
I'm quite lucky lah. I get to learn from the Singapore teachers, means I no need to go Switzerland for training. If not, must spend $60,000 to go there for 3-6 months, you know! If you want to go there, go to those lead companies like Cartier. They will send you one, and you won’t need to pay for it. You know why? Because you got certificate from the school. If you don't have, they won't send you. Then when you come back, salary will be very high one, you know! I think the basic now will be $5000+. Everybody got chance to go one, if you got certificate. But every country 1 person only. This year I think it was Hong Kong one, Thailand one, Malaysia one, Singapore also only one. So it’s very special okay! They train all these countries because the countries got the service centres, need people to jaga(supervise). So must train and put one special technician there, cannot anyhow put someone inside there to work. From every country, 1-2 will fly there and then come back and know how to handle everyone else. The companies need the technicians, the 10 special staff. Need a lot to handle the special brands like Cartier all that.
Everything is money lah. But yeah, I’m quite lucky. I meet all my teachers in Singapore, no need to pay any fees, just learn from them. Experience, no one can teach. But you are my son, my cousin, so I will help you. Got a lot of good friends teach me, and different person all got different skill. They all teach you like real. They show where is the mistakes, how to solve the problems, then next time no need to ask already because you learned the skill. Once you learn the machine already, is very easy. If not, it’s the $60,000 lorh! For me, lucky I meet all my teachers, then they teach me for free. All my shifu, I very gan dong (感动- touched). Because they teach me, I learn very fast, save a lot of time and money. Learn yourself? Okay lah, can is can. But will take 5 years one. Learn from others is much faster, 1 year can already, and can learn many things. Nobody there, very difficult one. If they just help teach you the main points, then it’s very fast.
In Switzerland they will teach you from the bottom, because $60,000 leh! But once you finish and come outside, it won’t be like that lah. The company paid for you, so they will want to earn money from you! So you must work for them under contract. But then, it’s also different in those big companies. Because after the training you become specialised in this line. Then the company will need you, because you got skill. Can earn a lot one leh! If no skill, they will just give you $2000. Study also same what. My niece go normal work, with certificate get $6000. No cert? $3000. Last time you can just come in with the skill. Now you go interview with the cert, straightaway get more money. But then just being smart also no use. Must all come together.
Sorry, my English is very bad. [laughs] I never learn at all. I learn all this from customer one! I don't know how to write, but I can talk. Talk until my customers say, "wah you really know everything!" Of course lah, I have to train for them what! Some more, English is everything now. Or for this work, maybe also need the Switzerland languages – like French, German, Dutch. But most important is really English lah, cannot survive without it one.
I even got asked to go do sales last time, you know? I can really talk, but this is not my interest. I can go stand there, become some professional. Then if the customer want to complain or what, I can give all the very good answer and solve all the problems. This one very important. If cannot solve, then how? Must know everything, until close eye already know what will happen. Then people will think “wah, you really got experience”. They will trust you. But here also same what! Also got a lot of funny customers, it’s not easy one. Some will always argue this or that, and you must make sure you can answer. The young ones are more difficult. They will always find fault. After repair, they will ask to test and see if everything is accurate. You see all my machines here? Must test water, test the line, everything. See whether can pass or not.
I have to buy all this equipment myself leh! Buy online, from all over. Just this one machine can be $8000 okay! Very high-tech. Last time funny, no equipment at all, so just agar-agar! Today it can look good, but tomorrow, we don't know. That one? Tomorrow then tell me. [laughs] But now cannot lah. Now when the customer ask this or that, I will just tell them “look at the machine, see what it say”. I no need to say anything one.
You know, I work here 40 years already, never change at all! Why leh? Because what else can I do? Sell dress ah? Handbag? [laughs] Very hard to change job. Skill is skill. But this job, I enjoy a lot lah. That's why never change. You join this line, you have to like it. You must concentrate, have patience, and be cool… Cannot hot temper. You must have patience with each one, love it, work with it slowly, work with love… Only then will you get the good results you want. If not, here got problem, there got problem, cannot work finish one! To some people, it's very boring, very annoying. But if the job is very annoying, I say just let go, stop for the night. If not, if you got anger, when you hold the parts, it will all fly, then cannot find! [laughs] Last time, I was like that lorh. All the small small parts fly. Then especially if you got no experience ah, cannot find one! But after you learn, then more relaxed already. So just rest, cool down then try again tomorrow. Then might be more smooth. Now you so fed up, confirm cannot solve one. Just wait until good mood again, don't waste 2, 4 hours.
For these hot-tempered people, it’s always about the money. But money is not a problem one! You want to have a big house all that? Okay, then go earn yourself lah. If you need some extra $1000, $10,000, just borrow and slowly pay back. If now you cannot return money yet, then just ask for more time and slowly pay back. All those big loan sharks, kill me also no use! You need me to save up the money and survive. Kill me, you will also die. It's okay as long as you pay back one. I see some people so unhappy, until want to die, but tomorrow you will still want to do things, right? Some will gamble, will lose money. But don't panic lah. Just slowly pay back, don't gamble again. You will be alright.
I say all this because you see the other shop there? The guy was like that lorh. Owe so much, now must slowly pay back everything. Lucky he never lose his family. Money can lose one lah, owe also can. Sometimes you cannot sleep, but everything can sort out one. Just keep your heart open. Once kena (suffer) already, must know what to do, know to stop. Then others must also give them a chance to change. Even those small 4D must watch out – you win, you will want to play more. Lose, same thing what! Mind already sot liao. Best is just don't gamble lah. Learn from experience. When people die, everything is closed, no need to talk already. Now need to live, any issue still no need to die. Just do things slowly, give chance. Can one!
Really, no need to take everything so seriously lah, no need to think so far ahead. Worry so much, also will just become stress. Work must be enjoyable. If not, go work very sian (not happy). Not me! I very happy, I enjoy my work. But must have skill lah. No skill cannot earn money. Now very experienced already, money also not very big problem. Also got good family, good children, grandchildren, can just relax and play with the grandchildren! So worry no use lah. Just be lucky that you are healthy.
[Checks watch] Hmm, now looks like nobody coming already. So late, 8pm already. Usually, 6+ onwards already no one. Shopping mall is like that one. But lucky I work in this shopping mall leh! You know, the other malls and food courts will mandate all the opening and closing times. Here the building is not our boss. We report to the landlords, so it’s more flexible. The landlords are less strict, so I can stay here until 8, 9pm. And sometimes will still have people one. You see these other shops will also stay, slowly clean up. Own business is like that one. Slowly enjoy can already. Settle everything, let your heart be at ease. Only then you will be happy, no stress.
Like me lorh, I can really sit down here the whole day leh! I very lucky, can do my hobby as work. I like it, and I got the skill. And for this job, old also good lah. I got patience, very ping jing (calm). Of course, some customers will come, be not happy, raise my blood pressure. When they got problem, it’s not good for them, not good for us also! All will be very fed up one. But I will just tell him and tell me, just take it easy, slow down, enjoy your life. Tomorrow you still have to see the sun what? Make yourself so sad for what? So I will just talk to them. And then once customer happy, I also happy, because I get my money! [laughs]
That's why I also like to work until I finish fixing everything. Sometimes at home I will work on a watch until 2-3am. Then 7am wake up, go back to work some more, then come back late again, all that. It’s really not easy. Sometimes when you don't know where the problem is… Wah, very irritating, waste a lot of time. But cannot rush through it also. Time flies very fast when you fix. Before you know it, it's 2am! Then my wife will be nagging at me, "Don't want to sleep ah? Think you very strong ah?" [laughs] But it’s like that lah, we always concentrate until like that. We must do a good job.
But now, also a bit sad. All the other repairmen retire already… They all old men, 60 plus already. I'm one of the youngest. And my brother, my father's company, all also closed already. After I left, about 5-7 more years later, they wind up already. Eh but I also tell you now, I always say guys, but also got girls horh! A lot of agents and big companies have. Okay there’s not a lot lah. Out of 10, maybe 2 or 3 will be girls? But yah, you also can okay!
But you don’t want right? Yah I know lah, now not a lot of youngsters want to do this. What for, right? Now everyone educated already, want to do watch meh? Only earn a few thousand? They don't want lah! My daughter also… I got teach her, you know? But she don't want. Aiya… Headache lah. They just want to earn easy money, but this job is one by one, then salary so low. Last time we fix ah, only earn $180 okay! That one is 40 years ago lah, it was really very low. Then now you all come out of university, straightaway $5000 already. You do this one, how to earn that much? Very far away okay, maybe after 10 years [laughs]. So nobody want to learn lorh.
I also work here so long, can only earn about $5000. Then $2000 I have to spend, then must pay CPF, income tax, cut cut cut until almost nothing left! One lunch outside, already so much money. Usually I only got $500 left. What can you do? It just sits in your pocket, you don't dare to use, when you want to buy things, will think, think, think first. That's also why from young, if your income not enough, you won't dare to leave and start it out on your own. That's why I also only left at 40. That's very late already leh. If you got a better job earning more than $5000, don't do this. You see, only after all this effort, then in this line you will start to earn some money like me. This one is for whole life to do. Otherwise, you just come out of uni, go elsewhere, already earn so much. Imagine, after 10 years, maybe got half a million already!
So that’s why lorh. Now, where got young ones want to learn? Out here I'm the youngest already leh! The other younger ones are all in the big companies. All these dealer shops, only got me left. The rest, all the shifu, all retire already, 70, 80 years old. All the children don't want, all the old people die already, so how? No more masters left leh... And I also cannot be called shifu, I learn 80% only. We got rank one, you know? 100% is impossible lah, always got all those complicated watch, cannot learn all. But just huo dao lao xue dao lao (Chinese saying: live until you’re old, learn until you’re old). Slowly learn the different types, pick up the skills and experience, watch other people, then can get better.
Only agent companies can say they are 100%. Because agents will have all the spare parts on standby. Or if don't have, they will send to factories. So they are 100%. Then for us small shops, cannot 100% lah. 80% considered okay already, lucky we can survive. Can do Rolex, Cartier, Omega – these few is enough already. Those other half-a-million, million dollar watches, who will dare to do? You dare? Wah, I confirm don't want, cannot anyhow do one. [laughs] Just send to the agents. Handphone, laptop also same what! Normal shops won't do Apple repairs, they will ask you to go to Apple direct. Then Apply will say, destroy, buy new one. No such thing as repair! [laughs] So no 100% one. Do enough to survive can already.
Singapore, 2021