Gen Zers jaded by sky-high tuition costs and workers wanting to ditch their unfulfilling desk jobs are turning to blue-collar jobs as their next professional adventure. And now, some artisan businesses like Rolex are welcoming them to the trades with open arms.
The luxury-watch manufacturer launched its Watchmaking Training Center in 2023, and in the years since has trained dozens in the art of making timepieces. The program emerged from a haunting truth: The craft was dying out, with fewer than 2,000 professional watchmakers left in the U.S., according to recent reporting from GQ. Yet Rolex still has hefty market demands to fulfill; the business currently sells over a million watches every year, a personal best for the luxury brand.
