Chiang Mai, Thailand
A Workshop Built on Patience and Honesty
Lanna Wela came from a belief that mechanical watches deserve attentive hands and plain-spoken care — not hurried repairs and vague estimates.
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Where Lanna Wela Began
Lanna Wela opened on Loi Kroh Road in Chiang Mai with a straightforward purpose: to offer mechanical watch servicing and restoration that people could actually understand. The name draws on "Lanna" — the historic northern Thai kingdom whose spirit of craft and patience runs deep in this region — and "Wela," the Thai word for time.
The workshop grew from years of frustration with repairs that arrived unannounced, invoices that made little sense, and timepieces returned looking altogether different from how they left. We set out to do things differently: assess first, agree on costs before lifting a tool, and keep owners informed throughout.
Chiang Mai's Old City neighbourhood has always drawn people with an appreciation for things made carefully — antiques, textiles, woodwork, jewellery. Mechanical watches fit naturally into that world. Many of the pieces we receive are inherited, collected, or simply loved — and each one receives the same deliberate attention regardless of its commercial value.
Today Lanna Wela handles three core services: movement servicing and cleaning, crystal replacement, and full vintage restoration. We work on one piece at a time with the care it deserves, and we welcome questions at every stage.
Our Mission
To return mechanical watches to dependable life through careful, well-explained work — preserving what makes each piece itself while giving it the attention it needs to run well again.
Our Values
- Transparency — nothing proceeds without your knowledge and agreement
- Patience — fine work is not hurried; we move at the pace the piece requires
- Honesty — if a piece is beyond what we can do well, we say so
- Respect for originality — we conserve rather than reinvent
The People
Who Works on Your Watch
Peerapat Thongchai
Head Watchmaker
Over fourteen years working on mechanical movements, with particular experience in older Swiss and Japanese calibres. Peerapat leads all movement servicing and vintage restoration work at the workshop.
Nattaya Kositchai
Restoration Specialist
Nattaya focuses on case and dial conservation, bringing a careful eye for period-correct finishes and a patient approach to materials that require gentle handling. She manages all crystal work and case restoration.
Wanchai Anuwat
Client Liaison
Wanchai is the person you speak with first. He handles consultations, progress updates, and all questions owners have during a repair — making sure communication stays clear and nothing comes as a surprise.
How We Work
Standards We Hold to on Every Job
Written Assessment First
Every piece receives a written assessment before any work begins. For restorations, this becomes a plan agreed with the owner covering scope, expected costs, and timeline.
Proper Cleaning Equipment
We use ultrasonic cleaning equipment suited to watchwork, with appropriate solutions for different materials. Parts are dried and prepared carefully before reassembly.
Timing Verification
All movement services include timing verification across multiple positions using a timing machine. We record and share the results so owners know exactly how their watch is performing.
Secure Custody of Pieces
Watches in our care are stored securely when not on the bench. We issue a receipt for every piece left with us and maintain a logbook of all items and their status.
Service Warranty
Movement services carry a warranty period covering the work carried out. If a serviced movement develops a fault related to our work, we revisit it at no additional charge.
Privacy and Discretion
Owner information and details of pieces entrusted to us are kept confidential. We do not photograph or share images of client timepieces without explicit permission.
About Our Work
Mechanical Watchwork in Chiang Mai
Mechanical watches — whether a simple hand-wound movement or a more complex automatic — require periodic servicing to continue functioning as intended. Over time, oils dry and lose their lubricating properties, causing components to wear more quickly and timekeeping to suffer. A thorough movement service addresses this by disassembling the movement, cleaning each part, replacing worn components where necessary, applying fresh lubrication, and regulating the timing to a reliable standard.
Chiang Mai's climate presents particular challenges for watch movements. Humidity levels vary significantly across the year, and dust from the region's drier months can work its way into unsealed cases. Watches that spend time in northern Thailand benefit from slightly more frequent servicing attention than those kept in drier, more controlled environments.
Vintage and inherited timepieces call for a different kind of attention altogether. Where a modern watch can often be serviced using manufacturer-supplied parts and standard procedures, an older piece may require sourcing of obsolete components, careful judgement about what can be cleaned and what must be replaced, and a considered approach to surfaces that carry the marks of their years. This work proceeds more slowly, and that pace is appropriate.
Crystal replacement is a practical service that can transform how a watch looks and wears. A deeply scratched or cracked crystal diminishes the dial behind it and, in some cases, allows moisture and debris to reach the movement. Replacing it with a well-fitted new crystal restores both appearance and protection, and at Lanna Wela the surrounding case receives attention too, ensuring the fit is proper and the finish remains consistent with the rest of the piece.
A Timepiece Worth Caring For?
Whether you have a specific concern or simply want to know what a service might involve, we are happy to talk it through. No obligation, no pressure.
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