Swiss luxury watch brand Rolex is giving $1 million to underwrite the Watchmaking and Microtechnology program at Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee.

The commitment of $1 million over five years supports a program which, since being established in 1946, has developed an excellent reputation both locally and nationally in serving the needs of the watchmaking industry, says the Rolex announcement.

Rolex has been an industry leader in providing funding for the training and education of skilled watchmakers. In 2000, it gave a $1 million five-year grant the watchmaking program at North Seattle Community College in Seattle, Washington. It renewed that grant in 2005.

In 2001 Rolex established its own Lititz Watch Technicum school, a not-for-profit foundation that has already trained and graduated more than 50 watchmakers. In 2004, it also pledged a $1 million five-year grant to support the Saint Paul College watchmaking program in St. Paul, Minn.

In addition to its extensive investments in U.S. watchmaking education, Rolex also operates the Tokyo Watch Technicum in Japan and the Rolex Training Center in Mumbai, India.

The Donald W. Reynolds Technology Center houses the Watchmaking and Microtechnology program at Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee.

JCK