Trends in watchmaking artisans from the 19th century to today differ by country.

 Trends in watchmaking artisans from the 19th century to today differ by country. Switzerland grew on cottage industry and subcontracting, peaking at ~90,000 in 1970, then shrinking to 33,000 in 1985 during the Quartz Crisis (1970=1.00 → 0.37). It later recovered with high-end mechanicals: 59,000 in 2019 and 65,000 in 2023 (index 0.72). The U.S. expanded with mechanization—6,880 in 1900 and over 30,000 in the 1970s—but declined to 4,400 by 2008. Germany, centered on Glashütte, rose from 2,000 in 1951 to 4,000 in 2016 (index 2.00). The index compares each year to a base (e.g., 1970=1.00). Note that early figures include seasonal and cottage workers, so variability is high.