About Chronavault
A workshop built on the patience that precision demands.
Fourteen years on Sukhumvit Soi 24, one bench, and the belief that a well-maintained watch tells better time.
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How Chronavault came to be
Chronavault opened in 2010 in a narrow shopfront on Sukhumvit Soi 24. The founder, Khun Nattapon Siriwat, had spent eight years working in a Swiss-affiliated repair centre and wanted a place where watchwork could happen at its own pace — without the pressure of retail volume or corporate turnaround targets.
The early years were quiet. Word spread through Bangkok's small community of mechanical watch owners: there was a workshop on Soi 24 where you could have a proper conversation about your watch, leave it without anxiety, and collect it in the same condition it went in — only running properly.
Over time, the scope widened. Vintage pieces arrived from collectors who had run out of other options. Complicated movements came from watchmakers who preferred to refer rather than guess. The workshop's reference library grew, the tool kit deepened, and a second workbench was added.
Today, Chronavault handles three categories of work: movement servicing, case and dial restoration, and extended overhaul for vintage and complicated pieces. The team is small by design. Each piece is assigned to a single watchmaker from intake to completion, so responsibility is clear and continuity is maintained.
Our mission
What guides the work
A mechanical watch is a functional object that requires periodic attention. The goal of any service is to return the movement to a state where it keeps reasonable time without further attention for several years — not to perform unnecessary work, and not to leave the owner uncertain about what was done or why.
Chronavault's approach to case and dial work follows the same logic: restore enough to make the piece pleasant to wear again, without erasing evidence of its history. A watch with thirty years of wear doesn't need to look new.
For vintage and complicated pieces, the priority is documentation. The owner should understand the condition at intake, what was found, what was done, and what remains to be monitored. That record becomes part of the watch's history.
2010
Founded
900+
Pieces Serviced
3
Service Categories
14
Years at the Bench
The people
Three watchmakers, one workshop
Nattapon Siriwat
Founder & Head Watchmaker
Trained in Geneva-affiliated workshops and specialising in vintage Swiss movements. Nattapon established Chronavault after eight years in commercial repair to focus on the kind of work that demands more time than a large service centre allows.
Praewa Leelapon
Movement Specialist
A graduate of the Bangkok Watchmaking Institute with a focus on Japanese and German calibres. Praewa handles full movement services and case work, and maintains the workshop's timing equipment records.
Krit Thongsuk
Restoration & Complications
Krit joined Chronavault in 2017 after a decade working on pocket watches and early wristwatches for a collector in Chiang Mai. He leads the workshop's vintage overhaul work and oversees part sourcing for obsolete calibres.
How we work
Standards we hold to
Condition Documentation
Every piece is examined and photographed at intake. A written condition note is prepared and shared before any work begins, so the owner knows exactly what the watchmaker observed.
Lubricant & Parts Sourcing
We use manufacturer-specified lubricants and source replacement parts through established Swiss and Japanese supplier networks — or fabricate in-house when no catalogue part exists.
Timing Machine Verification
All movements leave the bench recorded on a timing machine. Results are logged and shared with the owner as part of the completed service record — not discarded after inspection.
Hand Finishing Only
Case and bracelet work is done by hand using brushes and cloths chosen for the specific metal and finish. We don't use mechanical polishing that removes surface material or alters original finishing lines.
Secure Storage
Pieces in our care are held in a locked cabinet when not on the bench. Nothing is left unattended on an open surface. The workshop is on a monitored premises at all times.
Owner Communication
You are contacted if anything changes mid-service — unexpected wear, parts that need replacement, or a revised timeline. No additional work proceeds without your agreement.
Expertise
The craft behind the repair
Mechanical watchmaking draws on a body of knowledge that predates most other precision crafts. The levers, wheels, and springs inside a wristwatch were designed to tolerances measured in fractions of a millimetre, and wear accumulates across those tolerances over years of use. A movement that was adjusted to run within a few seconds per day at manufacture may drift considerably further once its lubricants have dried or a pivot has developed surface wear.
Full servicing returns the movement to something close to its original operating condition. Dried lubricants are cleaned away, worn components are replaced where necessary, and the regulation is set against a calibrated timebase. For most pieces, this process is adequate and the watch will perform well for a number of years before another service is needed.
Vintage and complication work is more variable. Older calibres often present worn parts for which no catalogue replacement exists. In those cases, the watchmaker must either locate a donor movement, source from a specialist supplier, or — in limited circumstances — fabricate the component. Each path takes time and requires a different skill set. Chronavault handles all three.
Case and dial restoration sits apart from movement work but shares the same underlying principle: the aim is functional improvement, not transformation. A watch brought in with a scratched crystal and a dull case finish can be made presentable again without losing the character it has developed through use. That balance — between the worn object and the restored one — is where most of the judgment in this work lies.
Work with us
Bring your watch to Chronavault
Walk-ins are welcome during opening hours, or contact us to arrange a time that suits you. We'll look at the piece and talk through what it needs.
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