1982 received grants from Australia Council and NSW Premiers Department to study musical instrument conservation at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany under Friedemann Hellwig and John Henry van der Meer.

1984 accepted the post of conservator at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, and was later acting senior conservator there before returning to Australia in 1987.

1987 - 1990 worked on the conservation and collection development for the musical instrument collection at the Power House Museum, Sydney, and later as curator of the same collection.

1990 - present working privately as maker, conservator & consultant in Melbourne, Australia.

Ian Watchorn has worked as maker, conservator and consultant for the following institutions, collectors and performers:

Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
Stiftselsen Musikkulturens Främjande, Stockholm, Sweden
Museo Civico, Bologna Italy
Power House Museum, Sydney Australia
Max Möller & Zoon, Violin Experts, Amsterdam Holland
Studio for Early Music, University of Melbourne
LaTrobe University, Melbourne
University of Sydney
University of Western Australia
Charles Darwin University
Australian Government Department of Communications & the Arts
Wieland Kuijken, Belgium
Peter Lissauer, London Baroque Soloists
Thomas Albert, Musikalischer Compagney, Berlin
Hajo Bäss, Musica Antiqua, Cologne
Jonothan Rubin, Geneva
Anita Mitterer, Concentus Musicus, Vienna
Michael Sand, San Francisco Baroque Orchestra
William Bower, New Zealand
Richard Webb, Academy of Ancient Music, London
Dorothea Jappe, Basel
Lucinda Moon, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Stephen Freeman, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Tommy Anderssen, Sydney
Miriam Morris, Melbourne
Adrian Walter, Darwin
Otago University, New Zealand
Grainger Museum, University of Melbourne
Geoffrey Morris, Melbourne
Samantha Cohen, Melbourne
Rosemary Hodgson, Melbourne
Prof. John Griffiths, Melbourne