Bernhard Stoeber is a watchmaker and industry veteran.

1. Describe briefly your childhood.

I am the youngest of three boys born into a family of watchmakers (grandfather, uncle and father). Our father passed away when I was 12 years old and our mother was able to run the business with the help of a very dedicated team. She put my two brothers through college and I became the designated watchmaker, who was supposed to take over the business eventually.

2. As a child did you have any driving ambition?

We lived in a rural area in Germany (about two hours north of Frankfurt/Main) and I had no real ambitions growing up. That changed after our father’s passing and I was looking forward to becoming a watchmaker.

3. What is your first significant memory as a child?

Some of my early memories are seeing our father working in the workshop with another watchmaker-journeyman and our mother waiting on customers.

4. Have you ever had another profession?

No, my career path was always connected with watchmaking yet I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in different companies, countries and holding a variety of position from bench watchmaker to shop supervisor, to manager and later to a senior management position. I always enjoyed teaching and gave numerous courses to watchmakers in Germany (with Omega), USA (with Omega and later Movado Group), Switzerland with Rolex as Zone Manager and Technical Trainer in Geneva and later in China being responsible for the apprenticeship program there and the continuous training of the existing watchmakers

5. What made you decide to go in the direction you are currently in?

Well, I’m now semi-retired and have a small workshop at home. In addition, I work part-time with a young watchmaker couple that were trained at the Rolex sponsored Lititz Watch Technicum not far my home in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. I’m also a life-member of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute, have been teaching courses on Vintage Chronographs and writing articles for their monthly magazine, the Horological Times. Also close to my home is the Museum and Headquarter of the North American Watch- and Clock-Collectors where I’m a member as well.

6. What’s the worst job you’ve had to do?

After graduating from Academic Highschool (“Gymnasium” in German) after 10th grade I started my apprenticeship with a local master watchmaker in our area.

As it was common in those days, the apprentices duties were not only to learn the trade yet also clean the store and show cases, sweep the sidewalk and other unrelated jobs. In addition, by master sometimes made not too kind remarks about a few customers, something I had never experienced with my parents. So, after one year I asked my mother to enroll me in a full-time Watchmaking School which was actually the one in Pforzheim. I finished there my apprenticeship with very good results and later also passed my Master Watchmaker’s Exam in 1975.

That same year, I started working for the West-German Service Center of Omega and Tissot which opened up different pathways.

7. What’s been the hardest moment in your life so far, and how did you overcome it?

Without any doubt, this was the passing of our father. My two older brothers were at boarding schools, so I had the possibility to spend many hours with him hiking in our local woods, learn about the history of this part of Germany, Architecture and Classical Music. He also introduced me to our family history which we can trace back to the early 16th Century.

8. Who has had the strongest influence on you?

My parents, of course. They instilled some really imported core values (respect, hard work, integrity, empathy, etc.) which helped me throughout my career. Later I had numerous teachers, colleagues, managers, directors and Corporate Leaders) that believed in me and opened many doors for me.

9. What are you most proud of?

There is not a single event to mention, yet I’m proud of my overall career path. Shortly before our mother passed away, we made our peace and she recognized that I would have never been able to achieve so many things if I had taken over our family business.

10. What advice would you give to a 20 something someone thinking of taking a similar path as you?

I would encourage anyone who is interested in watchmaking to pursue his/her ambitions. It is essential to find a good apprenticeship place and/or watchmaking school that teaches micro-mechanics and the fundamentals of mechanical watch servicing including chronographs.

11. Name three things on your bucket list.

Well, I would like to travel back to China and see more of the country outside of the big cities that I visited during my tenure there (Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai). Other than that, I have been fortunate to travel to many countries during my active career which helped me to appreciate different people, cultures and customs.

12. Where do you think the watch industry is going to be in 10 years time.

I believe the watch industry will continue to grow. We have seen in recent years the appearance of many new brands with advanced technical designs and features. I would like to see that more companies take on watchmaking apprentices and open pathways for the well-trained watchmakers. I do believe that our profession and industry will be still relevant and striving in the future.

To contact Bernhard Stoeber