Working Lives: The Yaba-Trained Horologist Who Used to Fix Watches in Peckham, London

Working Lives- Nigeria’s Swiss Trained Luxury Watch Makers

Someone accidentally dropped a high-end Swiss luxury watch while on an extended business trip to Nigeria. He reluctantly agreed to visit a watch repair service in Ikoyi to see if it could be fixed. The guy in the store told him more than he knew about his wristwatch- the type of “movement”, the name of the maker, and the only (authorized dealer) who sold parts for the brand in Lagos.

He had no doubt he was dealing with a thoroughbred professional. He has recommended his services to many other people since then. Nigeria has a small group of expert horologists, many of them trained in Switzerland. Yaba College of Technology used to have a Horology course supported by Swiss watchmakers until Nigerian things started to happen e.g. donated equipment walking away. You may not have a luxury watch to service, but you will definitely enjoy reading about the Working Lives of these Nigerians with the specialist skills to work on the most complicated Swiss watches. 

Working Lives: The Yaba-Trained Horologist Who Used to Fix Watches in Peckham, London  

“When I returned from London, I went into business with a lady who was importing Christian Jacques watches to Yaounde, Cameroon. She financed the business but I was the Chief Horologist”

Tunde Adeshina Ogunsheye

The Watch Store, 64 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi 

Where are you from?

I am from Itoko in Ogun State.

Please, tell us about your education

After my A levels, I went to Yabatech to study Horology.  I studied for 3 years to get my Ordinary National Diploma (OND).

And your family?

My dad used to be a watchmaker too. He used to work for a watch company here in Ikoyi in the 1990s. My mom on the other hand was a businesswoman. My parents have 6 children. I am the third.

Where do you live and how much is the rent?

I live here on the Island, in Ajah. I am not renting.

How did you become a horologist?

Because my dad is one. I used to be fascinated seeing him work on different watches when I was a child. After my OND, I traveled to the United Kingdom in 1998 to work. I got a job in a watch store in Peckham. When I came back to Nigeria, I decided to start my own business.

Where did you train?

horologist

Everything I know today as a horologist, I learned while I was studying at Yabatech. I picked up a few things from my dad and while I was working in a watch store in London. But Yabatech remains the basis of everything I know.

Where did you work after your training?

The only place I worked after my training was the watch store in Peckham. When I came back to Nigeria, I met a business partner, she is a Nigerian who was importing Christian Jacques watches. We established a business in Cameroon in 2002. I decided to come back to Nigeria and established Jata Watches on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi in 2010.

Who were you selling the watches to in Yaounde, Cameroon and what was the business like in Cameroon?

We were selling in the prime areas of Cameroon, just the same way we have our Lekki, Ikoyi and the like, that is the same way it is in Cameroon too. I had to leave because I wanted to establish my own business. The majority of expatriates in Cameroon patronized and rich Cameroonians too. The only difference is that Nigeria has a bigger market.

What are the differences in how you are trained as someone who works on high-end luxury watches compared to people who fix watches for the masses?

People always ask this question. There is a big difference. Watches have levels. There are high-end luxury watches worth millions of naira and there are simple watches you get for N10,000 and you also have different quality fakes for the luxury watches. If you are not a well-trained professional, you can’t handle original luxury watches. You will simply damage the watch. To start with, you won’t even know or have the right tools. You won’t know where to source the right parts. You may not even know some of the parts.

Your first salary?

I was earning £200 weekly in the UK then.

How much did it cost you to establish?

For the first business I was into with my business partner in Cameroon, she did more of the financing. I did not have so much money then. So I was basically the chief horologist in charge of the whole store. But when I was about to start my own business over here in Ikoyi in 2010, I started with about N600,000.

Also Read: Working Lives: The Abuja Horologist Whose Dad Sent to Train in Le Locle, Switzerland

What are the key equipment you need to buy and how much do they cost?

In most cases, the equipment we buy to fix watches is not what you go to Oshodi or Shoprite to buy.  New watches come out every year, new technology, and of course, new tools come with the new collections and the technological changes that come with them. So let’s say I have this particular tool today and then another new watch in launched the following month or year, it won’t work for the previous collection. So, getting key equipment has to be something you do every year if not every month depending on the type of wristwatches customers collect and bring to you to service.  There are so many equipment and each one has its own specific use for a specific wristwatch. Tweezers and pliers are also staples in the luxury watch repair kit, at least one should have those two things.

Did you get a bank loan to start?

No, I didn’t get a loan. All I used was just the little savings  I had and then family and friends helped out too.

What are the main services you render?

Servicing of wristwatches is the main service I render. We also engrave, polish and repair watches and fix batteries. We also sell high-end wristwatches.

Have you ever done anything else apart from fixing watches?

Not at all. This is the only thing I have ever done.

How many hours do you work in a day?

I get to the store by 12 pm daily and I close by 5 p.m. So that is 5 hours of work daily. But the store itself opens by 8:30am and close by 6:30 p.m. I have someone that works for me.

What’s your best day like on the job?

It’s a business. You can be happy on Monday and something might not go well on Tuesday. You take the bad and the good.

If you are not a well-trained professional, you can’t handle original luxury watches. You will simply damage the watch. To start with, you won’t even know or have the right tools. You won’t know where to source the right parts. You may not even know some of the parts.

Your worst day or experience on the job?

Obviously, there would be a series of funny experiences one would encounter as a businessman over the years. I have had some funny experiences with customers but I cannot go into them, they have to be kept confidential.

Who are your main clients?

We deal with all kinds of clients, not only rich people. You just have to be interested in good quality watches and taking good care of the watches.

How successful are you convincing people to let you fix their expensive watches rather than them taking them to London?

Word of mouth and referrals actually do the job for me.  When I fix a watch for a particular client, he or she goes ahead to tell friends about my services and they all bring their wristwatches to me for repairs.  The new satisfied clients tell others. And the circle continues.

Also Read: Working Lives: The Lady Banker Who Exposed a Grandson’s Fraud

What parts do you often change in expensive watches, where do you get them and how much do they cost?

Battery and panels are the parts I change often. Those are the parts that wear and tear affect the most. We mainly import from Switzerland. There is also a Swiss parts shop over here in Lagos. But only professionals can buy in the shop. I am registered with the dealer. You can’t find the parts of expensive wristwatches anywhere; the companies sell only through verified dealers. You find regular batteries selling for N1,000 or less but you need to get special batteries that may cost as high as N12,000 for some watches.

What’s the most expensive watch you have ever worked on?

I have worked on many expensive wristwatches, but the one that stands out to date is a Patek Philippe wristwatch that costs almost a million dollars that I serviced in 2018. The owner is a customer based in Lagos.

How much do you make in sales weekly?

It is not a stable figure. Moreover, I can’t even disclose it.

How much do you spend in a day?

I have a car, so I hardly spend money on transport apart from buying fuel for my car and then something quick to eat while I am at work. I spend about N5,000 daily

What other things do you spend money on?

Buying foodstuff at home, paying my workers, paying for my children’s school fees, rent, and utility bills amongst others.

Do you have savings? 

Yes, I save monthly.

Are you married?

Yes, I am happily married with 3 kids.

Do you have plans to venture into something else apart from this business?

No! I love my job.