Born in Baf in 1948, Öztan Demirbilek began his journey into the craft of watchmaking after completing his secondary school education, when he started working as an apprentice under a master watchmaker. Developing a strong interest in the profession, he learned the craft with enthusiasm and eventually adopted it as his lifelong career. After completing his military service at the age of seventeen, he continued practising watchmaking in the area where he lived until 1974. He later purchased a shop in Güzelyurt, which he continues to run to this day.

For many years, Öztan worked primarily as a watch repairer. However, with the advancement of technology and the decline in demand for mechanical watches, he gradually shifted towards selling gift items in his shop. During the years when mechanical watch repair was more common, he sourced the necessary spare parts from Türkiye. Today, as mechanical watches have become less widespread, he explains that finding replacement parts has become increasingly difficult.

Öztan describes watchmaking as a beautiful yet demanding profession that requires great patience and precision. He recalls spending days, and sometimes even weeks, working on a single watch. Due to the time, skill, and meticulous craftsmanship involved, the cost of such work can be high. As a result, many people now prefer electronic watches, which do not require the same level of detailed repair as traditional mechanical timepieces. Consequently, the art of mechanical watchmaking is slowly fading away.