The Story Behind Lefty Watches

My name is Demir, and LEFTY began long before it became a brand.

Years ago, I was simply looking for a meaningful watch to gift my father. That search led me deeper than I expected — into mechanical movements, case construction, finishing, and the small details that separate a watch that looks good from one that feels right over years of wear.

I didn’t start as a designer or a businessman.
I started at the workbench.

Over time, I moved through many phases: buying watches, modifying them, repairing and polishing them, and eventually reselling hundreds of pieces. I worked on everything from worn vintage watches to modern microbrands, learning firsthand where watches fail, how materials age, and why some designs endure while others don’t.

That hands-on experience shaped how I see watches — not as objects, but as tools meant to be worn daily.

Why Lefty Exists?

Throughout all those years, one thing never made sense to me.I’m left-handed yet almost every watch is designed as if left-handed wearers don’t exist. Crowns digging into the wrist. Awkward time-setting. Cases that feel unbalanced when worn on the right wrist.Some brands will offer left-handed or destro versions on request but usually at prices far beyond what most people can justify for a daily watch.An affordable, well-designed, automatic destro watch simply didn’t exist.So I tried to build one.

The Hard Part

Converting movements into left-handed configurations sounds simple on paper. In reality, it isn’t. I failed more times than I can count. Movements didn’t align. Layouts didn’t work. Proportions felt wrong. Many attempts ended up in drawers, never to be worn. It took years of trial, error, and refinement before I reached a point where I felt confident enough to put a watch on someone else’s wrist. Most people would have stopped.
Many probably did!

LEFTY exists because I didn’t.

Valenne is the first result of that persistence. It’s a purpose-designed destro, automatic Day-Date watch, not a flipped afterthought. Every decision was made with balance, comfort, and everyday wear in mind. It’s not built to chase trends or luxury labels .It’s built to be worn, used, and lived with.LEFTY is still small by design. I work in limited runs, stay close to the process, and focus on getting the fundamentals right rather than scaling too fast.

Looking Forward

LEFTY isn’t about making dozens of models.

It’s about doing one thing properly — and then doing the next thing only when it’s ready.

If you’re left-handed, or if you simply appreciate watches designed with intention rather than convention, you’re exactly who LEFTY is for.

Thank you for being here at the beginning.

— Demir

Founder of LEFTY Watches