Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
"Now let's see what's wrong with this thing". Watchmaker Juliene Lechenne at work. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
AND WE don't mean in the astrological sense. This man makes sure that the shiny gadgets on our wrists keep us chronologically co-ordinated.
Swiss Stores watchmaker Juliene Lechenne (ironically, he is Swiss) has been in the island for three months. Let's clarify a few things. He's called a watchmaker, but he really repairs them although he probably could make them from scratch.
Two, watchmakers aren't all old, bespectacled grandfathers; Juliene is only 25. And any store carrying the Rolex brand, must have a watchmaker on the staff. It took Ueli Bangerter, general manager of Swiss Stores, weeks to find one willing to come to Jamaica.
DISCOVERING A NEW COUNTRY
"I came to discover a new country and a new culture," the somewhat shy Juliene admitted. Watchmaking is such a precise science and it takes a unique kind of person to do it. Though his grandfather was a watchmaker, he wasn't immediately drawn to it.
"I wasn't interested in school that much, so my parents suggested I try it. They said it would be a good thing for the future," he remembers. At age 15, he started four years of apprenticeship at Patek Philippe, one of the top watch manufacturers in the world. He then worked with them for another four years including a year and half stint in New York; where he learned English. After two years working for Rolex, he decided to take the Jamaican challenge.
The work is meticulous. Juliene is like a surgeon; using his little tools to delve into the heart of the watch. A Rolex can have as many as 200 parts and to find out what's wrong with one, you might have to remove all of them. Putting them back isn't easy either.
"To do this kind of work, you have to be patient, calm and don't drink too much the night before," he jokes. He's enjoying Jamaica, loving the people and the sights, even if most of his days are spent in the store's workshop where he spends approximately 10 hours a day. He has an initial two year contract and plans to make full use of it.
"When you have opportunities like this, you must take them. There's always something to learn. When I'm old, I can tell my children about my experiences," he reasons. He might stay on after the two years or he might go elsewhere. But there's no rush; he's got time on his hands.
