Watchmaker for older mechanical watch, case/dial restoration, etc.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I was wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a good watchmaker in / around Chiang Mai who can do basic maintenance (clean, oil) on older mechanical watches, as well as more cosmetic work on a case, dial, etc. (Polish, remove/reduce patina and so on)

I'm aware of the Charoensilp shop on Thapae Rd which is great, but I get the impression they're more suited to doing regular maintenance on higher end watches. I'm looking more for a person who's also good at cosmetic work / restoration of watches that aren't worth ten-thousands of Baht. (More like a couple thousand Baht after service and minor cosmetic improvement.)

[Chiengmaijoe]

The shop on the corner of Thapae rd and Kampengddin Rd, opposite to where AIS office was has a few old boys that seem to know what they're doing. They sell and service a few of the big name brands. They have a car park at the back, on the soi opposite the entrance to the now closed AIS.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Thank you; I think it's a branch of Charoensilp though right, the same as the larger shop on Thapae Rd? This one right:

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@18.787876,98.998868,3a,75y,39.28h,84.76t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s6caUePm6Y7t3NXiyjtKrYQ!2e0

[Torrens54]

Great workmanship at Charoenslip but it can take time.

We brought in a 130 year old Dutch Clock which needed the "Chime and Time" Chains to be put back on the correct wheels. We'd tried getting this done in Perth and the supposed "Watchmaker" stuffed around for several weeks and we took the clock from him. When we came back to CNX my wife took me and my "Prized Clock" into Charoenslip.

They also took a long time ( several weeks) but when we got the clock back it worked perfectly and has done so for several years, Forget how much they charged but it wasn't too bad.

[northernjohn]

There was a recent thread on watch repairs. sorry I don't know how to direct you to it. But it can't be far back. why don't you look it up. There was several other recommendations on it. Give them a try.

[Bung]

Do these charoenslip guys service modern Swiss mechanical movements well? I have a couple and would love not having to send them out for service. Any idea on price would be appreciated as well.

[Chiengmaijoe]

Thank you; I think it's a branch of Charoensilp though right, the same as the larger shop on Thapae Rd? This one right:

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@18.787876,98.998868,3a,75y,39.28h,84.76t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s6caUePm6Y7t3NXiyjtKrYQ!2e0

It's the same shop, with two entrances, depending how you like it, up front, or round the back. You don't need to tell us.

[elektrified]

I can't recommend the above for cosmetic work although for all other repairs they are No.1 as far as I am concerned. They restored over 10 old Swiss and a couple of American watches for me. The only time I was not happy was with a restoration they did. They sent it to their shop in Bangkok and it took many weeks. When I got it back the color of the face was way too bright white and wasn't even close to the original color and looked funny on an 80 year old watch, the paint was uneven, had a ripple, and a couple of the numbers were put back crooked. For what they charged (which was a lot), it was not the best job.

[grin]

There is a small one man shop in the basement of KSK, assuming it's still there. It was on the opposite side from all the cell phone shops. We've been taking watches there for years but he did such a great job that we haven't needed to go back in quite a while. The most we ever paid for a repair was 300 baht.

Grin

[grin]

Oops, sorry, my wife says it was on the third floor of KSK. I was thinking of the basement at Central Airport, perhaps.