Our Workshop
Work done slowly, and done properly
Chronara is a watch repair workshop on Charoen Krung Road, Bangkok. We work on mechanical and automatic timepieces — servicing everyday watches, restoring inherited pieces, and documenting overhauls for collectors.
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How Chronara came to be
Chronara started in 2011 in a small room off Charoen Krung Road, at a time when Bangkok's watchmaking trade was concentrated in a handful of older shops that had been serving the same families for decades. The founders — a watchmaker who had trained in Chiang Mai and later worked in Switzerland for several years — wanted something different: a workshop that could handle a wider range of movements and speak plainly to the people who brought them in.
The name was assembled from two older words for time — a small nod to the craft's history without pretending to be something it was not. From the start, the approach was unhurried. A watch in for service is examined before work is agreed, documented during the job, and returned with notes. Nothing is rushed to meet a deadline at the cost of the work.
Over the years the workshop grew into its current space at number 142, a few minutes' walk from the river. The bench team now numbers four, and the range of work has expanded to include collector overhauls and detailed restoration projects that sometimes take several months to complete. The working principles from 2011 have not changed.
Our approach to each piece
Every watch that comes in is different — in age, in how it has been worn, in what it means to the person who owns it. We try to understand that context before we begin. A watch that has been worn daily for thirty years is not the same project as a piece bought at auction and brought in for its first overhaul since manufacture.
Written notes accompany each job: what we found, what was done, and what we recommend for next time. This creates a service history that stays with the watch and is worth keeping.
Who brings their watches to us
Our work comes from a range of people. Some are daily watch wearers who want a reliable service without fuss. Others have inherited pieces that need careful attention and a sympathetic eye. Collectors bring high-value and complicated movements for overhauls they want properly documented. The common thread is that they want to know what is happening with their watch at every stage.
The Bench Team
People behind the work
Nattakorn Suwannarat
Head Watchmaker
Trained in Chiang Mai and completed advanced movement work in the Vallée de Joux. Leads the bench and handles all collector overhauls personally.
Pimchanok Thongsri
Senior Technician
Specialises in vintage movement servicing and case restoration. Has worked on timepieces ranging from early twentieth-century pocket watches to mid-century automatics.
Wichai Arpornpanya
Bench Technician & Documentation
Handles standard bench services, regulation, and the written condition notes that accompany each job. Meticulous with detail; responsible for Chronara's photographic records.
How We Work
Standards on the bench
Condition assessment before work begins
Each piece is examined under magnification before any scope is agreed. We describe what we find in plain language, not technical shorthand.
Ultrasonic cleaning & fresh lubrication
All service work uses ultrasonic baths for movement parts and calibrated lubrication stations. Lubricants are sourced from the same suppliers used in professional watchmaking.
Written record with every job
A condition and work note is prepared for every piece — even straightforward services. You receive this at collection and it becomes part of the watch's history.
Secure storage while in our care
Watches are held in a locked cabinet when not on the bench. A signed receipt is issued at drop-off and required at collection.
Timing machine regulation
After reassembly, each movement is tested on a timing machine across multiple positions. Results are noted and adjusted to bring the movement within an acceptable range for its type.
No unnecessary intervention
On vintage pieces, we do not refinish surfaces or replace parts unless it is needed or agreed. The principle is: do what is necessary, and nothing more.
Watch repair and servicing in Bangkok — Chronara
Bangkok has a long history with fine timepieces. Charoen Krung Road, where Chronara is based, was the city's first formal commercial street — a place where trade in quality goods has been part of the character for well over a century. A watch workshop here sits naturally in that tradition.
Chronara works across three service levels to match different needs. A full bench service for a working automatic watch — disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, regulation — typically moves through the workshop in two to three weeks. Vintage restoration projects, where we source period-appropriate parts and decide together how much of the original surface to preserve, take longer and begin with a written assessment. Collector overhauls for complicated movements are the most involved work we do: careful, conservatively finished, and fully documented in a bound report.
The workshop is on Charoen Krung Road in Bang Rak, close to the BTS and easily reached from across the city. We work Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:30, and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00. Walk-ins are welcome; calling ahead is helpful if you are bringing in a vintage or complicated piece.
Chronara does not use outside contractors. Every piece is handled by our bench team, in-house, from first examination to final testing. This is not a policy choice for marketing purposes — it is simply how the work gets done properly.
Ready to bring your watch in?
Send us a note with a few details about the piece — we will respond with which service level suits it and a rough idea of what to expect.
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