Veterans Watchmaker Initiative

The Veterans Watchmaker Initiative is the only technical school in the USA devoted to training disabled veterans & non-disabled vets. The Veterans Watchmaker Initiative focuses on providing veterans, primarily disabled veterans, with the skill set necessary to professionally repair & restore timepieces, make new timepieces from parts they create, & restore their dignity of purpose. This career path requires a high skill level, is in great demand, offers excellent pay, & allows the veteran flexibility of a workplace. The professional watchmaker can expect entry-level compensation in the range. Due to the aging watchmaker population, thousands of watchmakers are in demand in the USA. In the 1950s, there were about watchmakers & over 40 watchmaking schools in the USA. Currently, there are about working watchmakers, with the average age being around 65, & only six schools left that teach watchmaking in any form, none of which are geared toward veterans’ needs. VWI’s purpose is to fulfill the needs of veterans by giving them a skill set that they can use anywhere in the world despite a disability. The secondary benefit meets the needs of the watch industry by providing trained watchmakers who are in very high demand. The VWI program is patterned after US history's most successful vocational school. The Bulova family opened the Bulova School in 1945 & trained a generation of disabled veterans as watchmakers. This school operated until 1993 at no cost to the veterans. The deep concentration effect of watchmaker training, due to its nature of high-level eye-hand coordination necessary to perform the work, is highly therapeutic for disabled veterans. This is an essential support structure during training so no one feels isolated. This program will provide the financial security, independence, & dignity of purpose that our veterans deserve.