Chiang Mai · Est. 2004
A workshop built around care, not volume.
Kanok began as a single bench and a set of hand tools. Twenty years on, the philosophy is the same: look carefully, work patiently, and speak honestly.
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How Kanok came to be
Kanok Siriwan started the workshop in 2004, having spent the previous decade learning his trade under a Swiss-trained watchmaker in Bangkok. When his family moved to Chiang Mai, he set up a small repair bench in a rented shopfront on Tha Phae Road — the same address the workshop still occupies today.
The early years were mostly quartz batteries and strap changes, the everyday work that keeps a watchmaker's hands busy. Over time, word spread that the man on Tha Phae Road would also take on the things others turned away: stopped pocket watches from estate sales, automatic movements seized by humidity, dress watches that had sat unworn for a generation.
Today, the workshop handles around a hundred pieces a year. The team is small by design — two watchmakers and one person who manages communication with clients. This keeps the work personal. Every watch that comes in is seen by someone who understands its mechanism and will explain what they find in plain language.
Our Values
What guides the work
Transparency before everything
We tell you what we find. If the cost of repair approaches the watch's value, we say so. If we can't help, we say that too.
Respect for the object
We treat each watch as something that matters to its owner — because it usually does. Cosmetic changes are never made without discussion.
Patience over speed
Good watchwork takes the time it takes. We don't rush movements or cut steps. Timelines are honest, not optimistic.
Clear communication
You'll hear from us at each meaningful stage. If something changes — in scope, timeline, or cost — we contact you before proceeding.
The People
Who works on your watch
Kanok Siriwan
Master Watchmaker
Over twenty years working with mechanical and quartz movements. Specialises in heritage and vintage restoration.
Nattaya Thongsuk
Watchmaker
Joined Kanok in 2016. Handles quartz servicing and automatic regulation with a careful and methodical approach.
Pornpan Prasert
Client Liaison
Manages all client communication, intake assessments, and progress updates. Your first point of contact at the workshop.
How We Work
Workshop standards
Written assessment first
Before any work begins, we prepare a written assessment describing what we've found and what we propose. You decide whether to proceed.
Period-correct lubricants
We use lubricants specified for each movement type and age, stored and applied correctly to maintain their properties.
Timing machine verification
All serviced mechanical movements are tested on a timing machine across multiple positions before being returned to their cases.
Water resistance testing
Where the design permits, we test water resistance after servicing gaskets and seals to confirm the case is properly protected.
Photographic documentation
For restoration work, each stage of disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly is photographed so the record accompanies the watch.
Secure handling at all times
Watches in our care are stored in a locked cabinet when not on the bench. Postal pieces travel with full insurance arranged in advance.
Expertise
A watchmaker's view of the craft
Watch repair in Chiang Mai ranges from battery kiosks in shopping centres to independent workshops where the work is done properly. Kanok sits firmly in the latter category — not because of any particular credential, but because of how the work is approached. Every watch that enters this workshop is opened by someone who understands what they are looking at, assessed with care, and returned only when it's behaving as it should.
Mechanical watchmaking requires a specific combination of manual dexterity, pattern recognition, and patience. A movement serviced in haste — reassembled with residue still on the jewels, or regulated at only one position — will run inconsistently within months. The watchmakers here take time because taking time is what the work demands.
For older and vintage pieces, the challenge is slightly different. Parts may no longer be available from manufacturers. The patina on a case dial may be irreplaceable. Decisions about how far to refinish a bracelet, or whether to source a period-correct crown or adapt a modern equivalent, require genuine discussion with the owner. Kanok approaches these conversations as a collaborator, not as an authority who simply delivers an outcome.
Clients come to the workshop from across Chiang Mai and the surrounding region, and occasionally by post from further afield. The size of the workshop — deliberately small — means the watchmakers know every piece currently in their care, and can answer specific questions without needing to consult a job sheet.
Get in Touch
Bring your watch for an honest look.
Drop by the workshop, call us, or send a message with a description of your piece. We'll reply with our initial thoughts at no obligation.
Contact the Workshop