Nimmanhaemin Road · Chiang Mai
A Workshop Where Time Is Taken Seriously
Lanna Timeworks was built around a simple idea: every watch that passes through our door deserves the same care its maker put into building it.
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Where the Workshop Came From
Lanna Timeworks grew out of a personal interest in mechanical things — specifically the kind of small, precise machinery that powered wristwatches before quartz movements made timekeeping cheap and disposable. The workshop was set up on Nimmanhaemin Road, in the Suthep quarter of Chiang Mai, because the city itself has a long relationship with skilled handwork: silversmithing, woodcarving, lacquerware. Watch repair fits naturally into that tradition.
The early years were spent on basic movement servicing and battery replacements, but over time the work expanded to include vintage refurbishment and, eventually, chronograph overhauls. Each step required learning — sourcing the right tools, understanding caliber-specific quirks, finding suppliers for parts that are no longer in production. That process is still ongoing.
We do not rush work. A vintage wristwatch that arrives for refurbishment may stay with us for six weeks. That is not a failing — it is what the work requires. Most pieces have been waiting decades for proper attention; a few more weeks to do it well seems reasonable.
Our Mission
What We Are Here to Do
The mission is straightforward: to provide watch repair and refurbishment that is honest about what can be done, transparent about cost and timeline, and careful with every piece regardless of its monetary value.
We work on daily-wear quartz watches and on rare mechanical pieces with equal attention. The owner of a ฿500 department-store watch who needs a battery and wants the crystal cleaned receives the same communication and care as the collector bringing in a vintage chronograph for a full overhaul.
We are based in Chiang Mai and we work from a single workshop. That limits our volume, but it means every piece is handled by the same small team that assessed it — not passed along a chain of technicians in a larger operation.
Transparency
Written estimates before work begins. No surprises on collection.
Patience
Good work takes the time it takes. We do not cut corners to speed up.
Respect for Objects
Patina, wear marks, and original character are preserved, not erased.
Communication
Photo updates and clear timelines. Your piece is not a mystery to you.
The People
Who Works in the Workshop
Khun Nattapol
Head Watchmaker
Trained in movement servicing and mechanical chronograph overhaul over fifteen years of practice. His focus is caliber-specific work, particularly Valjoux and Lemania movements.
Arunee Sriprasert
Vintage Specialist
Works primarily with mid-century wristwatches, handling non-invasive assessments, dial care, and case detailing. Her approach prioritises preserving original surfaces over restoration.
Prachaya Tanakorn
Quartz & Logistics
Manages quartz movement servicing, battery stock, and client communications. Ensures pieces received by post are logged, assessed, and their owners kept informed throughout.
How We Work
Workshop Standards
The protocols we follow on every piece, regardless of type or value.
Written Estimate Protocol
Every piece receives a written assessment and cost estimate before any work proceeds. The owner approves in writing before we begin.
Ultrasonic Parts Cleaning
Disassembled components are cleaned ultrasonically before reassembly, removing old lubricant and debris without abrasive contact.
Multi-Position Timing
Mechanical movements are timed across six positions using a timing machine before the piece is reassembled and cased.
Gasket & Water Resistance Check
Case gaskets are inspected and replaced where needed on quartz pieces, and water resistance is assessed where the case design permits it.
Client Data Privacy
Contact details collected for repair correspondence are held securely and used only for communication about your piece. They are never shared with third parties.
Condition Reports
Chronograph overhauls are returned with a written condition report: work carried out, parts replaced, and timing figures across positions.
Workshop Context
Watch Repair in Chiang Mai: What We Bring to the Work
Chiang Mai has a well-developed tradition of fine craft work — the city's artisan heritage is visible in its silver workshops, its lacquerware studios, and the woodcarving ateliers along the roads leading out from the old city. Watch repair is a narrower discipline, but it belongs to the same family of skills: close attention to small things, knowledge passed from practice rather than from manuals alone, and a preference for doing the work well over doing it quickly.
At Lanna Timeworks, the pieces we most often see are vintage wristwatches from the 1950s through to the 1980s, many of them Swiss-made with movements that were designed to be serviced — not discarded. These calibers respond well to proper attention: cleaned, lubricated, timed, and cased back up with care. The result is a watch that runs accurately and will continue to run for years without intervention.
Mechanical chronographs represent a more demanding category of work. The chronograph mechanism sits alongside the timekeeping movement, adding its own set of components — the clutch, the column wheel, the return-to-zero cam train — each of which must be serviced and adjusted in sequence. We work with Valjoux and Lemania calibers because we have the tooling, the documentation, and the experience to do so responsibly.
Quartz servicing is less complex but no less important. Batteries left too long in a movement can leak and cause corrosion that goes well beyond a simple cell replacement. Regular quartz service — battery change, gasket inspection, case cleaning — keeps a piece running and maintains the movement in good condition.
Bring Your Watch to the Workshop
We are on Nimmanhaemin Road, open Monday through Saturday. Or write to us first — we are happy to discuss any piece before you commit to bringing it in.
Write to Us