Odds of Hanging On
You may not have money, but you have a very particular set of skills. Skills that you have acquired over a long career. But in order for you to use those skills, there must actually be watches and clocks for you to fix. That means that to be successful at this career, you can't just wait until the watches come to you.
Advertising and building a list of clients is incredibly important to the professional horologists. Until you establish a sizeable enough following, make sure to budget a hefty portion toward ad space.
Beyond the difficulties of creating a sales base, you should be able to hang on in your profession so long as arthritis doesn't erode your ability to work with the tiny clock pieces. You'll also need to stay up to date on the latest innovations in the field. Lastly, you'll want to hold out hope that the age of iPhones and digital technology doesn't finally leave horologists behind altogether.