A SOLDIER whose time in the Army is running out has retrained as a watchmaker – and come up with what he believes is a world-first invention.

Staff Sergeant Andrew Sharpe, from Allestree, has served 25 years in the Army, but never lost a childhood fascination for timepieces that came about after he could not fix his broken watch.

With help from an Army resettlement package, which aims to prepare retiring soldiers for civilian employment, Andrew is now getting the opportunity to pursue his long-standing interest.

The change in career has also led Andrew to invent a new watch bezel – the rim that holds on the glass or crystal of a watch.

"I was self-taught for three years before I finally started a proper course with my resettlement money," said the 40-year-old, who retires from the Army in September.

Andrew has an engineering background and has served as a signaller, forward observer and meteorologist during his Army career.

"I asked if I could get funding to train as a watchmaker – but they didn't believe me at first and just said they didn't know about any watchmaker's course," he said.

"Eventually they found the money for me to do it."

Andrew, who is based in Germany with 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, has collected dozens of watches over the last few years and wears a different one each week.

He lives in Stukenbrock, Germany, with wife Saadet, 40, and daughter Emily, 11.

He set up a watchmaking business there two years ago.

"I've had orders to fix and modify watches from all around the world, including Madagascar, French Guinea and Singapore," he said.

"I was recently contacted by someone from the United States after he spotted my comments on a watchmakers' forum on the internet.

"He told me about the modifications he wanted me to make to his Rolex and then posted me his watch to work on."

Andrew can trace his fascination with timepieces back to his childhood.

"I remember I was given a watch that didn't work when I was eight. I kept shaking it and sometimes it would work for a while and then would stop. I wish I still had it as I could probably get it to work properly now," he said.

"I started collecting watches a few years ago and I got an Omega which didn't work all the time.

"I took it back to Omega and they sent it away but eventually contacted me and said they couldn't repair it and that I could have a new one.

" I couldn't accept that as I know that anything mechanical, no matter what's wrong with it, can be repaired – so I took it back, took it apart and fixed it. I then fixed another watch and began to think this is something I can do."

"I spent years worrying about what I would do after I left the Army.

"I'm now really happy that I can do something I really enjoy and am passionate about."