While I've always had a hand in the creation of my watches, it's been progressively getting more extensive.

It started simply — sourcing components, assembling, finishing. Standard ground for most independent makers. But the more I worked, the more I wanted to actually make the parts themselves, not just put them together.

So I taught myself to machine. The garage lathe became the starting point for titanium cases — cut, turned, and finished entirely in-house, no outsourcing. Then came the chapter rings and case backs, each one torched by hand to bring out the natural heat-coloring in the titanium, no two ever quite identical.

From there it was dials. First laser-engraved designs, working out depth and detail on brass and titanium blanks. Then airbrushed base coats, learning the patience that water-based paint demands. Then lume — mixed, applied, cured by hand into every index. And now, pad printing, pulling text and logos straight off hand-cut clichés.

Every step added is a step I refused to hand off to someone else. Garage Hira isn't a brand assembling parts from a catalogue — it's one person, in one garage, slowly building the entire watch from raw material to finished piece.

That's the model going forward. Not faster. Not bigger. Just more hands-on with every part that makes my watches what they are.