No. It isn’t a zero sum game.

How can you prevent wide adoption of a cheaper and more reliable solution to a problem?

Some of them, yes.

There still are mechanical clocks. They're just not that common. Or rather, they're having a comeback as luxury/jewellery items since their functional aspect is not required anymore. And since they're not a functional widespread item, the need for clock repair shops has reduced drastically. But there is a need for other type of repair shops for which the current generation of workers is well prepared and educated to handle. Hence my idea that the silly meme that we're discussing is on a timeline rather than side by side.

Yes. I wasn’t able to get my great grandfather’s pocket watch repaired.

There are people who can fix those depending on where you live or how much you're willing to pay. If you can't find an artisan shop, try and talk to one of the big watch makers companies, they might help. When I needed something similar, Tissot pointed me to one of their local contractors in my area.