Tim Stewart's workplace springs to life at the top of every hour. It happens, quite literally, like clockwork.
A symphony of bells, chimes, whistles, dings and dongs takes hold of the antique clock shop, a place containing timepieces that date back more than 400 years.
It could be said that Mr Stewart is as rare as some of the items he repairs; at the ripe old age of 27, he is the only apprentice watchmaker Victoria has had for at least four years.
"It's quite scary to think of that," he said.
"I'm the only one from Victoria, so it does make it quite a lot of weight on my shoulders.
"I love working with my hands. I love fixing things, bringing things back from the dead."
Limited study options
Watchmakers say there is no shortage of work, but the number of independent repairers is shrinking, as big-name Swiss companies become more powerful by restricting access to spare parts and fixing more watches themselves.
Currently, there is only one way to enter the watchmaking trade in Australia. Hopefuls must sign up to a part-time TAFE course in Sydney and balance travel, study and apprentice work, if they can find an employer willing to take them on.
Graham Baker, the Victorian president of the Watch & Clockmakers of Australia, has called for government funding for local intensive training courses to allow students to study full time.
It is the model used in Switzerland, and Mr Baker equates the courses to "15 years on the job".
"In the 'education state', we really haven't got anywhere," he said.
The other challenge for independent shops is to hold onto staff when the big companies come calling, offering in-house jobs for higher pay.
"We might spend three or four years training them, then they're gone," Mr Baker said.
He said his fear was that independent repairers would die out and in turn drive up repair prices if consumers were forced to deal directly with watch companies.
'I knew this was the rest of my life'
Mr Stewart said more people would take on watchmaking if there was a local course people knew about.
He believes anyone could become a watchmaker if they had patience, passion and an eye for detail.
"You could be in a wheelchair or something like that. If you can use your hands, you can do watchmaking."
Now a fourth-year apprentice at Colman Antique Clocks in Melbourne's inner-east, Mr Stewart fell into the industry after facing health problems while working as a boilermaker.
An interest in watches turned into a full-blown obsession, so much so that a pocket clock has been incorporated into the tattoo sleeve on Mr Stewart's left arm.
"The first time I properly serviced a watch … just seeing that balance wheel start ticking, that was the greatest feeling," he said.
"As soon as that had happened, I knew that this was the rest of my life."
