INTERVIEW

“However, regardless of a watch’s worth, I always treat it with respect,” says the skilled watchmaker. “Sometimes the $10 Warehouse purchase is valued just as much as a Swiss Rolex just because it was a childhood gift from a dad or a grandparent who has passed away.

PHILIP’S ON AN all time high!

Young children often dream of becoming policemen or firemen, teachers or nurses when they grow up. Few, if any, clamour to be watchmakers. However, when many of his teenage friends were still deciding on a career, Philip Green had time on his side as HELEN PERRY discovered.

Philip Green’s initials aren’t engraved on the hearts or memories of royalty or celebrated rock stars but they can be found minutely etched on the inside rear casing of watches owned by both Prince Charles and Elton John.

Often described as one of ‘a dying breed’, Philip has clocked up thousands of hours repairing thousands of timepieces, some bargain basement buys, others worth hundreds of thousands of dollars including those of numerous prominent people.

“However, regardless of a watch’s worth, I always treat it with respect,” says the skilled watchmaker. “Sometimes the $10 Warehouse purchase is valued just as much as a Swiss Rolex just because it was a childhood gift from a dad or a grandparent who has passed away.

“I never ignore or undervalue the sentimental attachment to pieces that come to me for repair or, of course, the many wonderful collectables – character watches, vintage watches and more.”

Furthermore, Philip sees hundreds of watches every week – anything from 300 to 500 are sent weekly from jewellers around the country to his home-based workshop. This year, for the first time, he has also taken on an apprentice who is showing that same fascination for this complex work as Philip did when he was a similar age (and still does).

Growing up in Pukekohe where he attended high school, Philip says he was set to leave school but his parents said, “‘not without an apprenticeship!”

“I was always interested in watches and how they worked so when I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship at Wrights Jewellers [in King Street, Pukekohe] I was stoked.” “Part way through my training I moved to Jeff Honeybun Jeweller in Howick where I finished my time. Interestingly, Jeff now does one day a week of repair work for me.

“There just aren’t many real watchmakers around; about 45 in the NZ Horological Society [of which Philip is president] and only about 12 who can handle the big workloads so I really appreciate the help I get.”

Once trained, like many young people, the fledgling watchmaker set out on his OE. On settling in London, he says “a few minor white lies and a whole lot of luck” landed him job at Cartier’s, an opportunity which would usually pass by a lad from the ‘Antipodes’.

“I was there for an unbelievable four years, exposed to the kind of work I would never have seen in New Zealand. Of course, it was nearly all high end watches and I was especially lucky to work on watches owned by some very important people.

“Like many other craftsmen, watchmakers tend to inscribe the inside back of a watch casing with their initials and the repair date. The detail is tiny and most owners wouldn’t even know it was there. Prince Charles and Elton John both have watches I’ve initialled so, that’s pretty cool.

“I was also privileged to work on a bracelet watch owned by the Queen [Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11). If I’d broken it? Now, that would have been a newsworthy story!”

With Swiss watches still acknowledged as the best in the world, Philip says this generally makes them extremely complex to work on – “memorising every aspect of their movement, the deconstruction as well as remembering the right order to put back the parts, is what it’s all about so you can’t leave that kind of job to just anybody.

“What’s more, many of the most respected brands are now opting to do their own repair working making it difficult to source parts. Fortunately, I’m still doing okay in that department although Smart watches are finding a big market these days especially among young people.”

Despite his expertise, Philip is extremely modest about his talent for a job which not only requires a keen eye – with the assistance of a magnifying loupe – but also requires lateral thinking when it comes to some repair solutions.

Because the glass on watches may also need attention, the kind which doesn’t usually come into a watchmaker’s brief, Philip has developed his own glass company in order to cut a new glass where needed.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only watchmaker in the country offering this service which came about because I try to find a solution even for the most awkward repair.”

With watches his prime domain, Philip admits he is sometimes asked to repair clocks too.

“Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time, or the capacity, to take on clocks but I am an avid clock collector. My latest purchase is a dishwasher size, rare cuckoo clock. Cuckoo clocks aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but this was one is amazing; I just had to have it.”

But, that’s not the only unusual clock in his home – he and wife Paula have them in various sizes and colours, big and small, mostly of antique or veteran status, which makes for great talking points.

“There’ll probably come a time when my eyes won’t allow me to keep on with the detailed watch work, then I might do more with clocks,” Philip muses, “I’m keen to ‘retire’ to our Pauanui property by time I’m 55 where I’ll still have a workshop but, hopefully, a lesser workload.

“That’s where working from home is such a big advantage. It’s helped me establish my own business but it would never have been so successful if it hadn’t been for Paula – we started this together. I do the repair work; she makes the business tick. I guess you could say we like running on time!”

Intricate work for Philip.