Our Story
A workshop built around patience and respect for craft
Naga Kala began with a straightforward intention: to offer watch owners in Chiang Mai a place they could trust with their timepieces, whether worn daily or handed down through family.
About Naga Kala
Where the workshop began
Naga Kala came together on Mun Mueang Road in the Si Phum district of Chiang Mai, a neighbourhood that has always attracted careful, considered work. The name draws from the naga — a figure associated in northern Thai tradition with water, patience, and the turning of time — paired with the Thai word for time itself. Together they speak to what watchmaking actually is: an engagement with time, done slowly and thoughtfully.
The workshop was founded by a horologist who spent many years servicing watches in both Thailand and abroad before settling in Chiang Mai. The city's calm rhythm suited the pace that fine mechanical work demands. Rather than build a large operation, the decision was made to keep things small and personal — a bench, a small team, and a focus on doing fewer jobs well rather than many jobs quickly.
We work across three tiers of service: routine maintenance for watches in good health, cosmetic dial and hand work for pieces that still run well but have lost their visual clarity, and in-depth restoration for vintage and inherited timepieces that need substantial care. All three start with an honest assessment, shared in writing before any work begins. Owners are never pressed to proceed.
Chiang Mai has a significant community of watch collectors and enthusiasts, as well as many people who simply own one watch that matters to them. We serve both groups equally well, approaching each piece with the same level of attention regardless of its market value.
The People
The bench team
Kritsada Panyarat
Head Watchmaker
Over fifteen years working on mechanical movements across Thailand and Switzerland. Specialises in vintage calibre restoration and movement rebuilding.
Nanthida Wiroj
Dial & Finishing Specialist
Trained in surface conservation and dial care, with a particular sensitivity to original finishes. Handles cosmetic work on dials and hands across all service tiers.
Arthit Thongkam
Client Liaison & Assessment
First point of contact for new enquiries, responsible for initial assessments and condition reporting. Ensures every owner is kept informed throughout the process.
How We Work
Standards we hold ourselves to
Written Assessment First
Every watch that comes to the bench receives a condition note in writing before any work is discussed. This creates a shared understanding from the start.
Owner Consent at Each Stage
For restorations involving multiple steps, we check in with the owner before progressing to each new phase. Nothing happens without your agreement.
Original Parts Where Possible
Replacement parts are used only when the original cannot be saved. We source appropriate period-correct components for vintage work where substitution is necessary.
Timing Tested on Completion
Every movement that passes through the workshop is tested on a timing machine before return. Results are noted in the service record that accompanies your watch.
Secure Handling
Watches held at the workshop are stored securely and logged individually. We keep a record of each piece from drop-off to collection, with clear responsibility at every step.
Open to Questions
Watchmaking is not always familiar territory. We welcome questions at any stage and explain our findings in plain terms, without assuming prior knowledge.
Craft & Context
Watchmaking in northern Thailand
Mechanical watchmaking is a discipline that changes slowly. The fundamental principles of a Swiss lever escapement have not shifted in two centuries, and many of the tools used today would be recognisable to a horologist from the early 1900s. That continuity is part of what draws people to the craft — and part of what draws watch owners to seek out someone who has spent real time learning it.
Chiang Mai has become an increasingly natural home for skilled independent craftspeople. The city's pace, its artisan tradition, and the relatively accessible cost of a proper workshop make it a place where careful, thoughtful work can be sustained without the pressures of a large metropolitan environment. Naga Kala reflects that context: small, deliberate, and focused on what can be done well at a human scale.
Watch owners in Thailand face particular conditions — high humidity through the monsoon season, temperature variation, and the general wear that comes from a tropical daily life. These factors affect lubrication intervals, gasket integrity, and the long-term health of a movement. Regular servicing, done at the right intervals, is one of the most effective ways to preserve a watch across decades of use. We advise on appropriate timing based on the specific calibre and conditions of each piece.
For collectors and those with inherited timepieces, the question of restoration is often more nuanced. The value of an original dial, an unpolished case, or a patinated movement is something we take seriously. Our approach to vintage work is always conservative: do no more than is needed to return the watch to reliable function, and preserve what time has given it where that is the owner's wish.
We'd be glad to take a look at your watch
Drop by the workshop on Mun Mueang Road, or get in touch to arrange an assessment at a time that suits you.
Contact the Workshop