Our Story
From a Corner on Yaowarat Road
ratanahq.world opened in a narrow shophouse on Yaowarat Road — Bangkok's old jewellery and trade quarter — at a time when the street still smelled of lacquer and solder in the morning. The name came from the proprietor's mother, who repaired her own watches with a pin and a steady hand and thought it foolish to send a good movement to someone who had not looked carefully at it first.
The workshop has stayed on the same road. The approach has stayed the same too: receive each watch as a serious object, assess it before touching it, share what is found in writing, and proceed only with the owner's agreement. We work on mechanical and automatic movements — crowns, dials, and full calibre overhauls — and we take the time each piece needs.
Most of the pieces that come through our door carry some personal weight. A grandfather's watch that stopped years ago. A travel piece bought in Geneva and worn faithfully for two decades. A lady's dress watch found in a drawer at the back of a wardrobe. We understand that the repair is not only about the movement.
Our Mission
Serve the Object and the Person Behind It
Honest Assessment
Every watch receives a written summary of what was found before any work begins. Nothing is assumed; nothing is left undiscussed.
Owner Agreement First
No step beyond the agreed scope is taken without a separate written discussion and your approval. Surprises are not a feature of careful work.
A Record That Stays with the Watch
Our service reports and photographs become part of the object's own history. Future owners will know what was done, when, and why.
The Workshop
The People Behind the Bench
Ratana Kanchanawong
Founder & Senior Watchmaker
Trained in mechanical horology across Thailand and Switzerland, Ratana founded the workshop with a preference for heirloom movements and an insistence on writing down what is found before touching anything.
Pattaraporn Phomchai
Dial & Hands Specialist
Pattaraporn focuses on the visible surfaces — dials, hands, and luminous material. She documents every piece at high resolution before any treatment and discusses each option with the owner in writing.
Somsak Thammarat
Movement Technician
Somsak handles movement disassembly, ultrasonic cleaning, and regulation. He works methodically and keeps the photographic log that accompanies every heirloom calibre service from start to finish.
Workshop Standards
How We Keep Quality Consistent
Dust-Controlled Opening
All watches are opened in a contained area with controlled airflow. This matters particularly for dial work, where surface contamination from a single session can alter the character of an aged dial.
Ultrasonic Cleaning Protocol
Movement parts are cleaned ultrasonically using solutions chosen for the component material. Delicate parts from older calibres are handled individually rather than batched to avoid contact damage.
Calibre-Matched Lubricants
We use lubrication appropriate to the specific movement design and age. Vintage calibres often require lighter oils than modern equivalents, and this is checked before any service begins.
Multi-Position Regulation
After assembly, each movement is regulated across multiple positions and checked over at least 24 hours before the watch is returned. The results are included in the service report.
Photographic Documentation
Every meaningful stage of a heirloom service is photographed. These images are shared with the owner and serve as a permanent record of the work, separate from the written report.
Written Service Reports
Each piece is returned with a written note describing what was found, what was done, what was replaced, and what was left as found. There are no verbal-only summaries.
Our Expertise
Mechanical Watch Repair in Bangkok's Jewellery Quarter
ratanahq.world works on mechanical and automatic movements from across the twentieth century and into the present. Our three main services — crown and stem renewal, dial and hand restoration, and heirloom calibre full service — address the most common situations that bring a watch to a repair bench.
Crown work is often the first sign that a watch needs attention: a crown that turns with less resistance than it once did, or that feels loose in the hand. Addressed early, this is a contained and predictable service. Left longer, worn crown threads can become a more involved repair. We describe what is found and what is proposed before proceeding.
Dial restoration is perhaps the service that calls for the most conversation. Collectors hold sharply different views on whether an aged dial should be cleaned, left, or refinished. We present the options and their implications in writing, sharing photographs of the piece, and proceed only once the direction is clear and agreed.
For heirloom movements — those passed from a grandparent, or worn across two decades of daily life — the full service combines mechanical care with documentation that becomes part of the object's history. We photograph the movement at each stage, note every part replaced, and return the watch with a written account of the work.
Our workshop is on Yaowarat Road, in the part of Bangkok that has traded in fine objects and the craft to care for them for well over a century. We keep the same hours as the street: Tuesday through Saturday, through the morning and into the late afternoon.
Next Step
Speak with Us About Your Watch
Whether you have a specific concern or simply want to know whether a piece is worth servicing, we are glad to take a look and share what we find before any decision is made.
Get in Touch