Salary
Average Salary: $38,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,586,424
On average, the amount a horologist makes is on par with the average working American. That sounds great until you realize the average working American doesn't make a whole lot. At around $40,000, horologists aren't exactly living the high life, but it's a manageable income.
To add in some extra dough, the secret in the horology business is house calls (source). The most well-paid (which is to say Swiss-trained) horologists are pulling in over $60,000 per year, which is not bad for a profession that was almost left behind back in the 20th-century.
When it comes to the incentives for this job, there are some great things and some not-great things. For instance, it's great that there aren't many people with your skillset, so competition should be limited.
It's great that you have a lot more freedom than the average office worker. It's really great that the older, stiff-upper-lip crowd enjoys their heirloom clocks and watches almost as much as they enjoy telling people about their heirloom clocks and watches. They spend money on these things like it's going out of style (it isn't).
On the other hand, the amount of money you can make is pretty much equal to the amount of watches and clocks you take apart and put back together, which may not be all that many. Fewer people are buying watches these days, so fewer watches are being made, and fewer repairs are required.
You may have a great deal of independence, but the trade-off is no employer-sponsored health care, pension, 401k, or office softball games.