How My Time As A Firefighter Inspires Design

It started in high school. While my friends were filling out college applications, I was in EMT school at night and on weekends. On my 18th birthday—the very second I was legally eligible—I worked my first shift on "the box." By 20, I was pulling double duty: swinging a hammer by day and grinding through the fire academy on nights and weekends. At 22, I was sworn in as a career firefighter. I was living my lifelong dream, until PTSD cut it short. It was a hard stop I never saw coming, but it forced me to rediscover my creative side.

Through every trauma and triumph, a Victorinox Swiss Army watch—a gift from my uncle—was the one constant on my wrist. I stared at that second hand while counting pulses and timing breaths, typically 9 to 12 runs a shift, 10-14 hours at a time. That watch saw it all. Eventually, the bezel broke and the movement failed. In a moment of frustration I still regret, I threw that treasure away.

In the fire service, we live in military time. I spent years converting that 12-hour dial to 24-hour reports. I actually grew to enjoy those small moments of mental reflection amidst the chaos of other people’s worst days. Then, it clicked: 2200 hours is 10 PM. On the dial, that 22 lines up with the 2... and in that connection, I saw 222. It’s an angel number for trust, harmony, and rebuilding—a number that has followed me my entire life.

I realized this design—a bridge between the 12 and 24-hour worlds—didn’t exist. So, I built it. That was the birth of the Swiss Made OG. I haven’t looked back since.