The Portuguese Navy’s Master Watchmaker

Pedro Coelho celebrates 18 years this year as the master watchmaker at the Portuguese Navy’s Hydrographic Institute (IH).

When asked why he chose this profession, Pedro often says he became a watchmaker by chance, as it was never something he envisioned. “It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” he explains.

Born in the “heart” of Portugal, in Carrasqueira, a village in the municipality of Góis, Coimbra district, Pedro moved to Lisbon with his family at the age of six. Initially, they lived near the São Jorge Castle and later settled in Alto do Moinho, on the southern bank of the Tagus River.

Between 1996 and 2007, Pedro worked at the Alfeite Arsenal, located at the Lisbon Naval Base, where he studied and specialized in mechanics, later working in the Engine Workshop. Although not a military serviceman, Pedro considers himself to have acquired a "military streak" after years of working alongside military personnel on the base. During that period, he had the opportunity to embark on frigates such as the Vasco da Gama, Corte Real, and Álvares Cabral, which were considered the Navy’s "stars" at the time.

Pedro’s story with the Hydrographic Institute began in 2007, when he applied for a position as a locksmith and started working at the Hydrographic Base in Azinheira, Seixal. About two years later, Commander Santos Fernandes, then Director of Support at IH and a former Head of Division at the Alfeite Arsenal who already knew Pedro, approached him. Alongside Lieutenant Gil Galrinho, then Head of the Infrastructure and Transport Service, Commander Fernandes proposed that Pedro take the Technical Watchmaking Course. This suggestion arose because the IH’s watchmaker was about to retire, and they needed a successor.

Pedro, who didn’t even wear a watch at the time, accepted the challenge. At 31, he began the course at Casa Pia de Lisboa, an institution that already had a partnership with the Hydrographic Institute. Adjusting to student life was challenging, especially since Pedro was nearly twice the age of most of his classmates. Even so, he excelled as the top student in his class throughout the three-year course and was recognized as the best student in the school for two of those years. He considers this experience one of the most transformative of his life. To this day, he is remembered at Casa Pia as "the oldest student in the school."

In 2012, after completing the course, Pedro assumed the role of watchmaker at the Precision Instruments Workshop of the Hydrographic Institute. The following year, he was invited to teach at Casa Pia, a role he balanced alongside his responsibilities at IH. In 2016, he was invited to join the jury panel for the National Skills Competition, WorldSkills Portugal, held every two years. Since 2017, Pedro has also served as a juror for the Professional Aptitude Tests (PAP) of the Technical Watchmaking Course at Casa Pia.

Over these 18 years, Pedro Coelho has been the sole watchmaker in the entire Portuguese Navy. He is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all types of clocks or instruments with watchmaking mechanisms, such as marine chronometers, second counters, barographs, thermographs, and others. When required, he travels to various locations to carry out technical interventions.

Pedro is also responsible for repairing clocks found in the offices of Admirals, including those in the offices of the Chief of Staff of the Navy (CEMA), the Vice-Chief of Staff (Vice-CEMA), and the CEMA’s deputy. The master watchmaker considers himself fortunate to be able to work on these clocks, particularly because some are historical pieces dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

In addition to serving the Navy, Pedro also performs interventions for other entities that request services from the Hydrographic Institute’s Precision Instruments Workshop.