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HOROLOGICAL NEWS
VORTIC ASSISTS WATCHMAKING SCHOOL FOR VETERANS
C
OLORADO-BASED VORTIC WATCH COMPANY IS
PARTNERING with the non-profit Veterans Watchmaker
Initiative (VWI) to raise awareness for the Delaware-based
school, which is the only technical institute in the United States dedicated
to training disabled veterans to help fill the watch industry’s growing
demand for watchmakers.
As part of the partnership and to help the school continue to provide
free training to the veterans, Vortic created a new series of Military
Edition watches, built from vintage pocket watches used by aviators to
aid navigators on B-17s and B-24s during World War II. Vortic Military
Edition straps are made with vintage military canvas bags, classic black
leather or bomber jacket material.
Students at the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative will begin restoring
Military Edition movements starting in 2020. To help raise funds for the
VWI, Vortic pledges $500 from each Military Edition sold and says it will
hire VWI graduates.
The Paralyzed Veterans of America reports the unemployment rate for
disabled veterans is 82% and the resurgence of vintage watches and
desire for American-made products has lead to a high demand for
mechanical watches and a shortage of skilled workers to restore them.
“As citizens, we have a duty to help those heroic warriors who became
disabled defending freedom and our way of life,” says Veteran
Watchmaker Initiative co-founder Sam Cannan. “The focus of the VWI is
to provide veterans with the training necessary to repair timepieces and
restore their own dignity of purpose.”
Cannan says the VWI has hundreds of applicants from veterans who
want to attend, creating a long wait list. To meet this need, VWI and
Vortic have plans to build a larger school to accommodate more students.
The school graduated the first class of four students in 2019 with the
second class of six will graduate in early 2020. Graduates have been
offered careers with excellent pay and flexible work environments, a
crucial element required for most veterans.
18 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2020