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Cuckoo clocks line one of the wall’s at the decades-old school in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, Que. (Alison Brunette\/CBC)<\/p>\nCanada\u2019s only watchmaking school probably isn\u2019t what you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n
For one thing, the \u00c9cole national d\u2019horlogerie is located on the third floor of an elementary school in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res \u2013 a city of about 140,000 people, halfway between Montreal and Quebec City.<\/p>\n
And, despite an entire wall covered in cuckoo clocks, a half-dozen grandfather clocks standing side by side, cabinets full of watches, and mantel and wall clocks taking up entire shelving units, the space is surprisingly quiet.<\/p>\n
Benoit Mercier says the near-silence is necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt requires a lot of patience and peace of mind to work with so many tiny pieces,\u201d said Mercier, one of two full-time teachers at the school. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re lucky, we have the whole floor to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercier says the school was founded 80 years ago, after the Second World War, with the purpose of helping veterans learn a new skill to help them reintegrate into society. But he says the goal today is much different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to teach watchmaking from the basics to be professional on the market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cuckoo clocks line one of the wall’s at the decades-old school in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, Que. (Alison Brunette\/CBC)<\/p>\n
There are 20 full-time students enrolled \u2014 the maximum capacity \u2014 and 11 potential students are on a waiting list to get in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And while Mercier says the focus is on jewelry\u00a0making, the skills students acquire like high dexterity, attention to detail and patience are highly\u00a0specialized and favour a wide array of job opportunities.<\/p>\n
The space is made up of several classrooms, each serving their own unique purpose \u2014 from working with gases in order to create extremely hot flames to soldering metal parts.<\/p>\n
In one of the larger, brighter rooms, student Emma Boudet has finished putting together an intricate-looking cuckoo clock.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the 23-year-old says it was a frustrating task because of its complexity and fragility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey look pretty on the wall,\u201d she said with a chuckle, \u201cbut that is the last one I will do in all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally from France, Boudet says she left her job in a lab in the food industry to study at the watchmaking school, and she hopes to eventually find employment at a high-end jewelry\u00a0and watch retailer in Montreal.<\/p>\n
Mercier says companies like TAG Heuer, Rolex and Birks reach out to the school looking for future employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Emma Boudet, a 23-year-old student, puts a grandfather clock back together as part of her final exam. (Alison Brunette\/CBC)Finding meaning in maintaining<\/p>\n
Farther down the hall, the music of Tchaikovsky sounds from a Bluetooth speaker set up on Louis-Philippe Grondin\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s scrutinizing an automatic wristwatch through a magnifying glass attached to his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are things inside it that are paper thin, so every breeze of air is too much,” he said. “I try to work [with] the windows closed, and I try to hold my breath to do certain things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grondin says he\u2019s three-quarters of the way through his program, and he’s cleaning, oiling and reassembling a case of 10 watches as part of a final exam.<\/p>\n
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Former interior designer Louis-Philippe Grondin says listening to classical music helps him concentrate while tinkering with tiny pieces. (Alison Brunette\/CBC)<\/p>\n
The 46-year-old former interior designer says he wanted to switch careers and find something that better aligned with his values.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the materials we used would be good for a lifetime, but in five to seven years, it would all be going into the trash can because it was out of fashion, and I wasn\u2019t at ease with that,” he said. <\/p>\n
Grondin says that doesn\u2019t happen with watchmaking \u2014 a point he makes daily by wearing an 87-year-old watch on his wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more meaningful, I think, to maintain something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grondin says he plans to work for himself once he graduates, designing and creating his own jewelry\u00a0and watches.<\/p>\n
LISTEN | Exploring the school’s legacy in This is Quebec podcast:<\/p>\n
This is Quebec13:41Canada\u2019s only watchmaking school stands the test of time<\/p>\n
The \u00c9cole nationale d\u2019horlogerie in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res is the only watchmaking school in Canada.\u00a0It was founded 80 years ago, after WWII, to help veterans learn new skills and reintegrate into society after returning home.\u00a0Today it trains watchmakers for the global market in a wide variety of professions.Tiny pieces \u2014 and a big move<\/p>\n
Behind a locked door in a windowless room, hundreds of small drawers line the space. Each one is filled with dozens of tiny bottles containing even more miniscule components.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is where we keep all of our pieces, all of our tools,\u201d Mercier explained. <\/p>\n
Every bottle is marked with handwritten letters and numbers. Mercier says it\u2019s a universal system that each student must learn so they can recognize the calibre of each piece.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If working with such miniscule pieces is difficult, the idea of moving them is nearly inconceivable. But that\u2019s something Quebec\u2019s Education Ministry says needs to happen.<\/p>\n
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Millions of miniscule components are locked behind closed doors and organized with a universal numbering system at the school. (Alison Brunette\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Mercier says the school got notice a few months ago that it will have to move.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe primary school needs more space, and the fact that we occupy an entire floor all by ourselves is kind of a problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mercier says the school will remain in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, but when asked how the millions of very organized tiny pieces will be transported, he sighs and shakes his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be up to me,” he said. <\/p>\n
While the timeline of the move is unclear, the discussions involve respecting needs in order to keep teaching once it’s complete.<\/p>\n
From the Eastern Townships to Quebec’s Far North and everywhere in between, CBC\u2019s new podcast, This is Quebec<\/a>, brings you the stories shaping life across the province. \u00a0<\/p>\n Tune in to This is Quebec with Breakaway host Alison Brunette for a new episode every Friday on CBC Listen<\/a> or wherever you get your podcasts. \u00a0<\/p>\n