The first thing you notice about Jeff Broughton’s workshop is not the tools.
It is quiet.
For more than three decades, Jeff’s life was sirens, radios, and shouted orders on the fireground. Today, the loudest sounds in his world are the soft click of a watch case closing and the steady tick of a movement coming to life.
But behind that calm bench is a story rooted in the firehouse and in the loss of 343 firefighters on September 11th.
“I am a third-generation firefighter and a second-generation watchmaker,” Jeff says. “Those two worlds are just part of who I am.”
And this is how those worlds came together.
Growing Up Between the Firehouse and the Watch Bench
Jeff’s story starts long before he ever pulled on turnout gear. His grandfather served in the fire service. His father was a volunteer firefighter and a respected watchmaker and instructor.
“As a teenager, I went to work for my dad at the bench,” Jeff remembers. “He was the watchmaker. I just wanted to learn enough so I could help.”
His father was not just fixing watches in a back room. He taught for the American Watchmakers Institute, traveled the country as an instructor, and built a reputation so strong that even Swiss manufacturers contacted him looking for rare parts.
Jeff grew up surrounded by tiny gears, loupe lenses, and trays of movements. Precision was not a buzzword. It was how you treated every watch that landed on the mat. You took your time. You did it right. You never cut corners.
Those same values would serve him later in a very different uniform.
A Life on the Line in Columbus, Ohio
Jeff joined the Columbus Fire Department in 1989, already knowing what he wanted to do.
“From day one, I wanted to be an investigator,” he says. “Some guys want to be promoted through the ranks. I wanted to figure out what happened and why.”
He started at Station 2 in downtown Columbus, OH. At one time, it was one of the busiest fire stations in the entire country. Jeff rode the emergency squad, joined the bomb squad, became a paramedic, completed hazmat training, and eventually earned the role of fire and bomb investigator.
Jeff paid for the schools himself, built his credentials on his own time, and finally moved into the role he had chased for 15 years.
“When a fire could not be called accidental, they called me,” he explains. “I did the investigation, made the arrest, and carried that responsibility.”
Over 33 years, Jeff witnessed more than most people can imagine. Car wrecks. Shootings. Stabbings. Fatal fires. Like many firefighters, he learned to maintain his composure for the families and patients he encountered, then processed those experiences later around the kitchen table at the station with fellow firefighters.
“The kitchen table is the heart of the firehouse,” Jeff says. “You come back from a bad run, sit down, talk, joke a little, and it is like therapy. That is how you keep going.”
It is also how the idea of ‘never forget’ became more than a phrase to him. It became something personal.
45 Years at the Bench
While maintaining his position with the fire department, Jeff never stepped away from the workbench.
“I have been doing watch repair since high school,” he says. “I did it the entire 33 years I was in the fire department.”
On Jeff’s off days, he handled repairs for jewelry stores across Columbus. At the station, word spread quickly that there was a firefighter who could fix your watch.
“I never charged a fireman,” Jeff says. “If I had to order a part, they could pay for that, but I did not charge for the work.”
It was not a side business. It was an act of service. One firefighter quietly took care of others in the only calm, meticulous way he knew.
Over 45 years of watchmaking have crafted something you cannot fake. It is a sense of patience, discipline, and precision that became the foundation of 343 Watches.
A Moment That Changed Everything
In the middle of his career in the fire service, a call came that changed everything. The New York Fire Department reached out regarding a firefighter who had survived the collapse of the Towers on 9/11.
The smoke had severely damaged his lungs, forcing him to retire. As an avid watch collector, his fellow firefighters wanted to present him with a meaningful gift.
They asked Jeff for his help, as he was both a firefighter and a watchmaker. This request became the inspiration Jeff needed. He began envisioning a watch that incorporated actual material from the World Trade Center. It would be a watch made not by a corporation, but by someone who understood the significance of that tragic day.
It took years of searching, persistence, and overcoming numerous obstacles. Eventually, Jeff located government-certified pieces of World Trade Center steel, each weighing one pound and accompanied by official documentation. From this steel, he carefully cuts and finishes the dials for his limited-edition watches, honoring the 343 firefighters who lost their lives.
“Everybody told me it could not be done,” Jeff says. “Grinding the steel, getting it thin enough, lasering it, finding the right tools, but I was not going to give up on this idea.”
He retired from the fire department at age 57, after 33 years of service. After that, he committed himself to watchmaking full-time, determined to create timepieces worthy of honoring the lives they represent.
Why Jeff Only Wears His Own Watch Now
If you look at Jeff’s wrist today, you will not see a Rolex or any name brand he once repaired or admired. “I only wear my own watch now,” he says. “If I am asking someone to wear this story on their wrist, I should wear it first.”
Each watch dial starts as a small piece of certified World Trade Center steel. Jeff lasers the Twin Towers silhouette into the metal, hand drills every hole for the markers by hand, fits each marker by eye, coats the surface for protection, and builds the rest of the watch around it.
He can create about one watch per day when everything goes perfectly. There is no assembly line, and no anonymous factory workers. Every watch passes through Jeff’s hands from beginning to end.
“I wanted the best movement, the best case, and the best materials,” Jeff explains. “If this is going to represent the 343, it has to be worthy of them.”
For him, wearing that watch is a commitment. It is a daily reminder of the courage shown by the firefighters who entered the Towers knowing they might not return. It also reminds him of the job he did for 33 years and the brothers and sisters who are still doing it today.
More Than a Watch. A Way to Remember.
Most people who order a 343 Watch are not just purchasing a product; they are choosing a meaningful connection.
Many customers are firefighters who want to keep a piece of history close to them. Some have lost friends or family members in the line of duty, while others feel it is vital to carry forward the memory of the 343.
“I am doing it for them,” Jeff says. “For the firefighters we lost and for those still serving.”
These watches are a way to remember and honor courage, ensuring that the story of the 343 is never forgotten.
Meet the Maker. Explore the Models.
If you’re interested in the story behind these watches, there’s much more to discover.
On our website, you can:
- Meet the maker, Jeff, as he works at his bench with the vintage tools passed down from his father.
- Explore each limited edition model
- Learn how every dial is crafted from certified World Trade Center steel.
Meet the maker, explore the models, and carry the story of the 343 with you every time you check the time.