DIGBY, NS- Danny Amero has always been mechanically minded.
As a child, he was interested in taking objects apart and putting them back together again.
In 1967 he took a watch and clock repair course at the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology.
Today, he’s still working around the clock.
“The beauty in it is taking something that’s stopped working and fixing it again.”
For 51 years Amero has been fixing watches and clocks and he has no plans to stop anytime soon.
His workshop, Amero’s Clock and watch repair, has operated since the 70’s.
Locally he works from Shelburne to Windsor. But he takes orders from Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
“Even though it’s a dying trade, we’re constantly busy,” said his wife, Veronica Amero.
Throughout the years in the business, he’s watched countless other repair shops and jewelers close up shop.
Danny and Veronica buy out supplies from shops closing, to add to their collection of parts and gadgets.
“When we get a new box, it’s just like Christmas,” Veronica joked.
They look through each piece they receive and label them.
Veronica does many tasks at the shop, like bookkeeping, organizing and cleaning parts.
“When I met him, I walked into a full-time job for life,” she added.
The workshop is neatly organized with each part labelled and stored in a drawer or container.
“Sometimes our suppliers will call us for parts because we have so much,” he said.
Staying organized makes it easier for Amero.
When he’s looking for a part, he knows exactly where to look, he said.
Over the years, the pair have watched many changes in the industry.
From manual and wind up watches to digital and automatic watches. From grandfather clocks, to new plastic clocks.
The parts and machines used on the job have changed too, but the Amero’s still have some vintage machinery from the beginning.
“They still work, so we keep using them.”
They collect antique material from older clocks and watches.
“It’s quite the job,” he said.
The Internet has made the job easier. Before it, they had to call around to each part supplier individually to place orders.
Now, everything is available online. They can order parts from around the world and access guides online, just in case he’s working on an unfamiliar product.
“It’s made our lives a lot easier.”
Amero most commonly replaces batteries, crystals, stems and springs. But, he knows how to do it all.
“I love it, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else and that’s why I’m still doing this today.”
