Vortic Watch Company Partners with Non-Profit Veterans Watchmaker Initiative to Train and Secure Futures for our U.S. Military Veterans
"The focus of the VWI is to provide veterans with the training necessary to repair timepieces and restore their own dignity of purpose."
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Veteran's Day and to celebrate our nation's military, Vortic Watch Company, a vintage pocket watch upcycling business, announces a partnership with the non-profit, Veterans Watchmaker Initiative, to raise awareness for the only technical school in the U.S. dedicated to disabled veterans and the industry need for professional watchmakers.
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 led 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 the 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 wanting to attend as well as a long wait list. The VWI has future 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 set to graduate in early 2020. Graduates have been offered careers with excellent pay and flexible work environments, a crucial element required for most veterans.
"I deal with PTSD every day," says VWI Watch Technician and Army veteran Dereck Kelley. "But watchmaking is therapy. And to a degree, it saved me."
As part of the partnership and to help the VWI continue to provide free training to the veterans, Vortic created its Military Edition watches, built from vintage pocket watches used by aviators to aid in navigation during World War II. The Military Edition movements will be restored by students at the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative starting in 2020.
"We owe our freedom to our veterans," says Vortic Watch founder R.T. Custer. "Our partnership is not only about preserving and honoring American history, but to pave a new path for those that deserve it the most."
To help raise funds for the VWI, Vortic pledges $500 from each Military Edition sold with future plans to hire VWI graduates.
To learn more about Vortic Watch Company and the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative and to make donations, please visit www.vorticwatches.com/military and http://veteranswatchmakerinitiative.org/donate-now/.
About Vortic Watch Company
Founded in 2013, Vortic Watch Company combines the cutting-edge technology of metal 3D printing with salvaged and restored antique American-made pocket watch movements to create bespoke wristwatches. Every Vortic watch is a one-of-a-kind timepiece.
Vortic Watches' operates out of a workshop space in Fort Collins, Colorado where the team salvages, restores, and preserves these pieces of American history. The engineering system is entirely made in the United States with most components produced in-house.
Contact:
Tara Vreeland
[email protected]
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SOURCE Vortic Watch Company
