Our Workshop
Craft Practiced With Patience Since 2009
A small workshop in Bangkok where we believe the work of a watchmaker is measured not in volume, but in care.
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How Suvarna Horology Began
Suvarna Horology opened in 2009 on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok's Khlong Toei district, founded by Natthawut Phocharoen after a decade spent studying watchmaking in Switzerland and working with restoration specialists in Chiang Mai. The name draws from the Sanskrit word for gold — a reference not to luxury, but to the unhurried quality that gold symbolises across Southeast Asian craft traditions.
The workshop started with a single bench, a binocular loupe, and a clear focus: mechanical watch repair done with the kind of attention that larger service centres can rarely afford. In the years that followed, the practice grew steadily through word of mouth among Bangkok's watch community, collectors, and expatriates with vintage pieces in need of care.
Today the atelier handles three core services — mechanical movement restoration, crystal replacement and case polishing, and specialist antique pocket watch work — and has no plans to expand that scope. Keeping the scope narrow means every watchmaker in the workshop is genuinely skilled at what they do, rather than generalists spread thin across too many disciplines.
Our Mission
Preserve what matters, explain what we find
We don't view a watch brought in for service as a transaction. The piece has a history — sometimes visible in its wear patterns, sometimes told to us by the owner. Our role is to restore it to reliable function without erasing the character it has accumulated. We explain our findings in plain language, discuss options before acting on anything irreversible, and return the timepiece with documentation the owner can keep.
15+
Years Operating
900+
Movements Serviced
3
Core Services
100%
Owner Consultation on Complex Work
The People
Who Works at the Bench
Natthawut Phocharoen
Master Watchmaker & Founder
Trained in Switzerland with additional specialisation in antique movement restoration. Leads all complex pocket watch and vintage caliber work personally.
Siriporn Kraiwong
Movement Restoration Specialist
Focuses on Swiss and Japanese mechanical calibers, with particular depth in mid-century ETA and Seiko movements. Handles the majority of our restoration intake.
Aphisit Thongpan
Crystal & Case Technician
Skilled in crystal fitting across sapphire, mineral, and acrylic types, with a careful hand for case polishing that respects original surface treatments.
Standards
How We Work
The protocols below aren't aspirational — they describe what actually happens at every stage of a service.
Ultrasonic Cleaning
All movement components go through an ultrasonic cleaning bath before inspection. This removes accumulated oils, dust, and oxidation without abrasion.
Magnified Inspection
Every component is inspected under binocular loupes or a bench microscope. Worn jewels, cracked mainsprings, and bent levers are identified before reassembly begins.
Archival Lubrication
We use Moebius lubricants selected to the caliber type — the same grade used in conservation watchmaking. Applied to pivot points under magnification.
Multi-Position Timing
After assembly, movements are tested on a timing machine across six positions. Adjustments are made until the watch runs within acceptable deviation for its grade.
Water-Resistance Testing
For crystal replacement services, gasket integrity is verified with a pressure test before the watch is returned. Watches failing the test are flagged to the owner.
Written Documentation
Every watch returned includes a written condition report. Antique pocket watches receive a photographic record at each stage — a document as durable as the service itself.
Workshop Philosophy
Mechanical Watchmaking in Bangkok
Bangkok is home to a growing community of mechanical watch enthusiasts — collectors of vintage Swiss movements, owners of inherited pocket watches, and everyday wearers who prefer a hand-wound or automatic caliber over a quartz alternative. What this community has sometimes lacked is a local workshop with the depth of skill to handle complex restoration work without sending pieces abroad.
Suvarna Horology occupies that space. Our work covers the full range of mechanical calibers: pocket watches from the early twentieth century with open-worked movements and hand-painted enamel dials; mid-century Swiss automatic calibers from makers like ETA, AS, and FHF; and contemporary Japanese movements from Seiko and Citizen that reward proper servicing with another decade of reliable timekeeping.
The craft of watchmaking draws on fine motor skills, material knowledge, and an understanding of how tiny mechanical systems behave over time. Lubricants migrate, mainsprings fatigue, jewel surfaces accumulate micro-debris. A well-executed service addresses all of these — not by replacing what can be preserved, but by returning the movement to the condition it was designed to operate in.
We are a small workshop by intention. The watchmakers here know each other's work, discuss difficult cases together, and maintain a shared standard across every piece that passes through the atelier. For owners who care about what happens to their timepiece, that consistency matters.
Ready to Begin
Bring Your Watch to the Atelier
Whether you have a question about a specific caliber or want to arrange an assessment, send us a message. We respond to all enquiries within one working day.
Contact the Workshop