How nagatima came to be
The workshop opened in 2009, in a narrow shophouse on Ratchadamri Road. The founder, Khun Prayut Chaiwat, had spent the previous fifteen years working in service centres operated by Swiss and German brands — long enough to develop a clear sense of what a small, independent workshop could do differently.
The name Naga came from the serpentine coil of a mainspring — that densely wound strip of steel that releases its stored energy in a long, controlled spiral. The naga of Thai tradition is a creature associated with water, continuity, and careful strength. Both images seemed fitting for a workshop built on precision and patience.
For the first several years, the focus was almost entirely on movements that other workshops had declined — watches with bent hairsprings, seized barrels, or calibres for which spare parts were hard to locate. That experience with difficult cases shaped the diagnostic approach the workshop still uses today.
The service list has evolved since then, but the operating principle remains the same: one watch, one technician, one written record. No work is handed off partway through, and no estimate is revised upward without a conversation first.
The team
A small group working in the same space, on the same watches.
Prayut Chaiwat
Senior Watchmaker
Fifteen years in brand service centres before founding the workshop. Specialises in vintage calibre rehabilitation and hairspring correction work.
Nicha Wattana
Movement Technician
Joined nagatima in 2014 after completing horology studies in Chiang Mai. Handles bracelet and clasp work, and assists with overhaul procedures.
Siriporn Pattana
Client Relations
Manages intake assessments, written estimates, and client communication. Ensures that watch records and condition reports are produced for every visit.
Workshop standards
These are not posted policies — they are the practices the technicians follow on every job, regardless of the service tier.
Stereo microscope inspection
All hairspring and pivot work is inspected at magnifications that resolve individual surface flaws. Imprecise observations produce imprecise corrections.
Calibre-specific lubrication
Lubricants are matched to the tolerances of each calibre family. A single oil grade does not serve all pivot sizes and escapement geometries equally.
Multi-position timing machine
Regulation is measured in dial-up, dial-down, crown-up, and crown-left positions. The report shows numerical rates in each attitude, not just a single flat reading.
Demagnetisation before adjustment
Every movement that shows timekeeping irregularity is demagnetised before hairspring work begins. Residual magnetism in the balance wheel produces symptoms that mimic centring errors.
Parts traceability
Any replacement component — spring, jewel, tube, or wheel — is logged by source and part reference in the watch's service record. Owners receive a copy.
Pressure test on applicable cases
Where the case construction permits, water resistance is tested after reassembly. Results are noted in the service record. Cases that cannot be tested reliably are identified at intake.
Mechanical horology in Bangkok
Bangkok has a substantial collector community for mechanical watches — from mid-century dress pieces to current sport references — and a corresponding need for skilled workshop services. nagatima exists to serve that need with the kind of care that large-scale service operations tend not to provide.
The workshop handles movements from a broad range of Swiss, German, and Japanese manufacturers. Particular experience has been accumulated with calibres from the 1950s through the 1990s, where spare parts require careful sourcing and the tolerances reflect manufacturing norms that differ from those of current production.
Clients travel from across Bangkok and from nearby provinces, most arriving through a referral from an existing client or from a collector forum. nagatima does not advertise broadly or operate a quick-turnaround volume model. The work is done thoughtfully, at the pace the movement requires, and that is the only way it will be done.
The workshop is accessible from Ratchadamri BTS station, a short walk along Ratchadamri Road. Intake is by appointment; walk-ins are welcomed for enquiries, though assessment appointments take priority.
Schedule an appointment
Questions are always welcome.
If you are unsure whether your watch needs attention, a brief call or written enquiry is a reasonable first step. The technician will describe what to look for and whether a workshop visit seems necessary.
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