ith recently appointed principal Hanna Harilainen, Kelloseppäkoulu, the renowned Finnish School of Watchmaking, located in Espoo, west of Helsinki, is back on track. Seemingly her applied science and business background, in combination with a huge team effort, was needed: after more than a decade with the axe of imminent closure hanging over the school’s head, the economics are now secured for the foreseeable future.

“The amount of teaching makes our school stand out,” said Ms. Harilainen, who took on the position in August 2022. “In vocational education the number of scheduled hours is normally quite low. But here we have 34 hours per week, and students often stay after hours working on their projects,” she continued.

After more than a decade with the axe of imminent closure hanging over the school’s head, the economics are now secured for the foreseeable future.

Some ingredients that brought the school back from red numbers are the securing of long-term government and EU grants, and the introductions of a degree program for store people and shorter courses for other commercial clients.

Tiina Virtanen looks forward to a career in the watchmaking industry.

Said Ms. Harilainen: “Apart from that, we have done like in any organisation: Optimising, cutting costs, outsourcing. We can also share some teachers between courses and institutions. And we are seeking more collaboration with companies. But it is extremely important that the quality must remain. For instance, Switzerland needs 4,000 staff in watchmaking, and our students must have that level of quality required. Steady hands are also demanded by other industries, for instance in quantum physics, space, and medicine.”

“A country like Switzerland needs 4,000 staff in watchmaking, and our students must have that level of quality required.”

Thus, highly qualified teachers are essential. On Europa Star’s visit in January, Smuige Saikku, 1988 alumnus of Kelloseppäkoulu, who returned to his native Finland after 16 years in Switzerland working for Renaud et Papi, Christophe Claret, Ulysse Nardin, and Greubel Forsey, was leading a workshop where each of the 15 students was disassembling and reassembling 3035 Rolex movements. “Our students also work with the Rolex GMT, Omega movements, IWC and other products, and they also do service for some clients,” said Mr. Saikku.

“The big difference with Wostep (ed. note: read here) is that we also work with clocks here at Kelloseppäkoulu, at Wostep they only work with small watches. And our students spend the first six months making tools before they even touch a watch,” continued the goateed master watchmaker who has also studied at Wostep and taught at other watchmaking schools.

Jutta Berggren likes the individual approach of Kelloseppäkoulu.

The students can choose between watchmaking and micromechanics – and normally the division is 50/50, with around 15 students in each class. The first year focuses on clocks, the second on pocket watches, and the third on watches.

The watchmakers’ final project is to finish a movement with bevelling, mirror polishing, perlage, and Geneva stripes. They also fit a raw hairspring before fitting it into a readymade case. “We do not just change parts – we solve problems, we do all the testing et cetera,” said third-year student Jatta Berggren.

“We do not just change parts – we solve problems.”

Heikki Eerola dreams of a future in Switzerland.

“I came here because I am always looking for infinite potential of growth. There is always something new in watchmaking,” added Heikki Eerola (who dreams of a future in Switzerland) during a break, before he put the loupe back over his eye to continue the challenging task of fitting a collet and a stud onto a hairspring.

To make sure all students have the right motivation for a professional future, they must be interviewed, tested for manual skills, and take a psychological test before starting the first year. “Every student is seen – as a person, both strong points and weak points. And we are guided to make the most of our capabilities,” said Jatta Berggren.

Hairspring to be fitted on Heikki Eerolas graduation project.

The micromechanics students’ final project is to design and produce a case from scratch, and seemingly the next generation of casemakers are no strangers to experimental use of materials like Fatcarbon^®, aluminium and silver.

Almost all students are Finnish, and Kelloseppäkoulu’s tuition is predominantly in Finnish. But over the years they have had several foreign students from around the world. “We can also provide courses in English,” said Ms. Harilainen, adding: “We offer customized course packages for companies who wish to train their newly recruited staff to have the same skill level as our highly regarded graduates.”

“I am really proud of our students – they are motivated and skilled persons,” said Mr. Saikku.

“This education gives them a strong foundation – and our goal is that our students should have the steadiest hands in the world,” added Ms. Harilainen – who also reached out a hand to the watch industry: “We welcome more collaborations – both in general and for the September 12 celebrations of our 80^th anniversary.”

“This education gives them a strong foundation – and our goal is that our students should have the steadiest hands in the world.”