What is SAWTA? 

SAWTA, the Swiss American Watchmakers Training Alliance, was founded to ensure a standardized curriculum design, implementation, proficiency testing and certification primarily for the Rolex-funded watchmaking schools in the United States.

The principal outcomes of our SAWTA curriculum are graduates who are qualified for employment in environments that are typically perceived as challenging, since they require a wide range of hard/soft skills and knowledge, like technical positions in high-end retail environments or advanced technical positions in service centers of the watch industry. In two years, our students begin to learn the profession in its full scope, both in theory and in practice.

The SAWTA curriculum is unique as it covers high-end watch service in its entire spectrum: repairing movements, refinishing cases and bracelets, casing the movement, waterproofing the watch – as well as necessary administrative skills (order/inventory of spare parts, bookkeeping), general professionalism when it comes to communication with customers and suppliers, and knowledge of the industry – all skills needed by an independent watchmaker.