Work Done With Attention, Handed Back With Care
pendulaf is a one-bench workshop in Chiang Mai's Chang Khlan neighbourhood, opened to serve the watches that owners bring in wanting more than a battery swap — though we do those too.
Back to HomeHow pendulaf Came to Be
The name pendulaf refers to the oscillating weight inside an automatic movement — the part that winds the watch as the wearer moves. It is a small mechanical detail that most owners never see, but without it the watch is still. That balance between the unseen and the necessary felt like an honest name for a repair workshop.
pendulaf opened at its present address on Loi Kroh Road after several years of bench experience in Thailand and abroad. The decision to work independently rather than within a larger operation was straightforward: independent work allows the time each piece actually requires, without pressure from service quotas or part-upsell targets that sometimes shape how repairs are approached elsewhere.
Chiang Mai suited the purpose well. The city has a long tradition of craft trades, a population with a genuine attachment to older and finer objects, and a steady flow of visitors and expatriate residents who arrive with watches in need of attention. The workshop serves both, with equal care given to a ฿4,400 battery job and a multi-week vintage restoration.
The workshop takes on three types of work: quartz battery replacement with gasket inspection, mechanical full-service, and vintage restoration. Each is priced plainly and completed by the same hands from intake to collection. There is no triage team, no sub-contracting, and no rush to turn a movement around faster than the timing observation allows.
People Behind the Bench
James Whitmore
Watchmaker & Founder
Trained in movement servicing over a decade of workshop practice in Switzerland and Southeast Asia. Handles all mechanical and vintage work at pendulaf personally.
Nattaya Phongphit
Workshop Coordinator
Manages intake, client correspondence, and parts sourcing. Nattaya ensures that owners are kept informed throughout the service period without needing to chase for updates.
Somchai Maneerat
Parts & Research
Specialises in sourcing period-correct components for vintage restoration work. Has an extensive network of parts suppliers across Thailand, Japan, and Europe.
How We Approach the Work
Movement Inspection First
Before any disassembly, the movement is examined and documented. Findings are shared with the owner, and work proceeds only with informed agreement on scope.
Correct Lubricants
Lubricant selection follows the movement manufacturer's specifications. We do not use general-purpose substitutes where purpose-made watch oils are required.
Full Timing Observation
After a mechanical service, the movement is observed across multiple positions over several days. Regulation is not completed until a stable, consistent rate is confirmed.
Patina Preservation
Case work on vintage pieces is handled with the minimum intervention necessary. Polishing and refinishing are carried out only when the owner has specifically requested and understood the effect.
Written Documentation
Every mechanical service and restoration is accompanied by a written condition report. Restoration work also includes a photographic record of the movement at each significant stage.
Secure Storage
Pieces in service are stored in a locked, climate-controlled cabinet when not actively on the bench. High-value items are noted at intake and given additional security measures as agreed.
Watch Repair in Chiang Mai — What That Means Here
Mechanical watch servicing is a discipline that combines hand skill with measurement. The movements found in everyday wearing pieces — from mass-produced automatics to hand-wound dress watches from several decades past — each require specific knowledge of the tolerances involved, the lubricants suited to their particular bearing surfaces, and the adjustment methods appropriate to their regulating systems.
pendulaf works across a range of Swiss and Japanese calibres, from simple three-hand movements to basic complications such as date, day-date, and small seconds. For calibres with unusual construction or rare component requirements, we will say so at intake and give an honest view of what is achievable before any work is agreed.
Vintage restoration sits apart from routine servicing and requires a different disposition. The goal is not to make an old piece look or run as though it were new, but to bring it to a state where it can be worn or handled without risk of mechanical failure, while retaining the evidence of its age. That means sourcing replacement parts that match the original specification, avoiding modern substitutes where period-correct components are obtainable, and resisting cosmetic improvements that were not part of the original design.
Chiang Mai's craft culture — present across woodworking, silversmithing, textile work, and ceramics — informs how pendulaf approaches watch repair. The city has a sensibility for things made carefully and built to last. That is the standard this workshop tries to meet.
Bring Your Watch In for a Look
Drop us a message with a brief description of the piece and what you have noticed. We will reply with a clear view of what the work involves.
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