Fashion: Watches / Espoo
Making time
Many top horologists train not in Switzerland but at a Finnish school that keeps the industry ticking.
Kelloseppäkoulu, The Finnish School of Watchmaking, is one of the watch industry’s best-kept secrets. But for those in the know it is considered to be one of the world’s most prestigious watchmaking schools, with Swiss heritage labels such as Rolex and Patek Philippe trying to recruit its students before graduation. Alumni include the likes of Kari Voutilainen and Stepan Sarpaneva, who regularly receive some of the top honours at the annual Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Despite its successes, Kelloseppäkoulu is relatively unknown outside the tight-knit circles of watch enthusiasts. Securing a place on the school’s three-year training course, which doesn’t charge tuition fees, can seem impossible: Kelloseppäkoulu has only admitted a maximum of 30 Finnish students a year since it was founded in 1944. But things are changing. In an effort to expand its curriculum and attract an international cohort, the school has announced plans to launch its first English-language programme later this year. The €50,000 course will teach pupils the art of bespoke watchmaking over two years.
Despite revisions to the school’s admissions process, Kelloseppäkoulu’s commitment to precision and artisanship remain unchanged. When monocle visits, a dozen or so third-year students are hard at work, assembling wristwatches in classrooms filled with neat rows of desks, lamps and large collections of tools. It would be easy to mistake them for surgeons, given the white jackets and protective glasses that they often wear. In fact, much of their work is similar to surgery: watch movements are made up of miniscule pieces that require both a steady hand and detailed knowledge to assemble. Working on wristwatches is a privilege that these students have earned after years of rigorous training. This starts with learning the basics, including the construction of tools and individual watch parts.
First-year student Mervi Kivistö is building a handmade drill bit in a workshop, whose walls are lined with antique pendulum clocks. She worked in another industry for more than a decade before pursuing her dream of becoming a horologist. “Many of my fellow students had other careers before deciding that watchmaking was what they wanted to do,” she says.
It’s rare for horology students to start their training by making their own equipment. Most Swiss brands use industrial machinery to produce their watches, so tool-making know-how is often deemed unnecessary. “It’s this expertise that makes Finnish graduates stand out from those who come from German or Swiss schools,” says celebrated watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. Part of Kelloseppäkoulu’s class of 1986, Voutilainen went on to work for the likes of Parmigiani Fleurier in Switzerland before founding his eponymous brand in 2002. He has since received multiple awards for his designs, including the kv20i Reversed and World Timer men’s watches. “Finns have been working for the likes of Patek Philippe since the 1960s and the Swiss industry loves them,” he says.
Many students hope to work in Switzerland after completing their studies. In order to beat the competition, Swiss brands start courting Kelloseppäkoulu pupils before graduation. Direct sponsorships are forbidden in Finland, so luxury watchmakers forge co-operation agreements with the school, allowing them to donate movements and train teachers.
Given its close-knit relationships with some of the best brands in the world of horology, aspiring watchmakers have often lamented the school’s admissions process. “People are constantly asking me how they can study at Kelloseppäkoulu,” says alumnus Stepan Sarpaneva, who started Helsinki-based brand Sarpaneva Watches after working for celebrated watchmakers Viennau Halter and Christopher Claret in Switzerland. “The school could charge more than Harvard and its courses would still be full.”
For Kelloseppäkoulu principal Hanna Harilainen, the decision to address these concerns by introducing the school’s first English-language course couldn’t come at a better time. Demand for luxury watches is rising. Fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci, are investing in the sector and Swiss factories are seeking new talent to increase their production capabilities. Soon, Kelloseppäkoulu students will be able to partake in international exchange programmes with watchmaking schools across Europe. Finland’s best-kept secret might not stay secret for much longer. —
