French for a watch repairer who diagnoses faults and restores watches to working order.
A rhabilleur works in after-sales service, on watches already sold, rather than on the production line. Servicing a mechanical watch means taking most of the movement apart, cleaning the parts, checking them for wear and replacing worn ones; on an older watch, parts are repolished instead when replacements no longer exist. The movement is then reassembled and relubricated, and the watch runs for about a week or longer while its automatic winding and rate are checked. A mechanical watch generally needs this about every five years.
In Switzerland, rhabillage is one of two specializations of the four-year watchmaker CFC. Its tasks include estimating repair costs and preparing quotes, replacing defective or worn parts and making parts no longer available. Some houses train service watchmakers by level of complexity: Patek Philippe requires at least five years of training for its standard movements and at least seven before a full overhaul of its complications.
In job listings
The French word belongs to Swiss and French watchmaking; English listings say service, after-sales or customer service watchmaker, or watch technician. It signals work in a service center or a retailer’s workshop, diagnosing faults and overhauling watches of different ages and calibers. See current service watchmaker roles.
