— Our Story —
From a Single Workbench on Charoen Krung
Arun Watchworks opened in 2009 at its current address on Charoen Krung Road, a street long associated with Bangkok's trade in quality goods and imported instruments. The founder, Khun Arun Thanapit, had spent eleven years as a movement technician with a Swiss-affiliated service centre before taking on a small shophouse unit and setting up independently.
The name — Arun, meaning dawn — was chosen for its connection to the river at first light and for what that image represents: the careful start of a process, the moment when detail becomes visible. It has informed the workshop's approach ever since.
From the beginning, the focus was on documentation and communication. Every watch that enters the workshop receives a numbered service slip, a condition photograph, and a written assessment before any work begins. Owners receive a summary of findings whether or not they proceed with service. This practice, which takes more time than a verbal quote, has shaped the reputation the workshop now holds among Bangkok's collector community and expatriate residents.
Today the team handles three tiers of service: quartz battery and seal visits, complete mechanical overhauls, and detailed complication or restoration projects. The volume is deliberately moderate — enough to maintain quality, not so high that thoroughness becomes a casualty of scheduling.
Mission
"To handle each watch as if its history matters — because to its owner, it does."
In Numbers
16+
Years operating
4,200+
Services completed
3
Service tiers
2
Languages spoken
Values
- Documentation before assumptions
- Transparent scope and pricing
- Realistic timelines, communicated promptly
- Work paced to suit the watch, not the calendar
— The Workshop Team —
The People at the Bench
Khun Arun Thanapit
Founder & Master Technician
Trained in movement servicing at a Swiss-affiliated centre over eleven years before founding the workshop. Leads complication and restoration projects personally, and reviews all timing reports before issue.
Khun Pattama Phromrak
Watchmaker — Standard Services
Handles standard movement overhauls for mechanical and automatic pieces. Trained at Mahidol technical institute and has been with the workshop since 2016. Methodical, careful with documentation.
Khun Narin Somchai
Client Liaison & Intake
Manages intake assessments, client communication, and service documentation. Bilingual in Thai and English. Ensures each owner understands the scope and progress of their watch's service at every stage.
— How We Work —
Standards We Hold Ourselves To
These are not policies written for a website. They are the habits the workshop has kept since 2009.
Condition Photography at Intake
Every piece is photographed on arrival. Images are filed against the service record and shared with the owner on request, providing a clear before-and-after reference.
Ultrasonic Movement Cleaning
All mechanical and automatic movements are cleaned in a professional ultrasonic system using watchmaker-grade solutions, then air-dried before reassembly begins.
Timing Machine Verification
After regulation, each serviced mechanical movement is tested on a timing machine across multiple positions. Results are recorded and included in the written service report.
Water Resistance Assessment
Gaskets and seals are inspected on every service. Where we hold the necessary equipment, basic water resistance is tested before the watch is returned. Findings are noted in writing.
Written Service Summary
Standard movement services and all complication work include a written summary of what was found, what was done, and what to monitor over the next service interval.
Secure Storage During Service
Pieces awaiting work or collection are held in a secured cabinet, tagged with their service slip number. No watch is accessible to non-technical staff or visitors at any time.
— Expertise & Context —
Bangkok's Charoen Krung Road has been a point of entry for imported goods — and skilled trades — since the nineteenth century. The watch trade here predates department stores and, to some degree, the city's reputation for luxury retail. Arun Watchworks sits within this history, occupying a shophouse unit that has housed technical trades for decades.
The workshop handles movements from the principal Swiss families — ETA and its derivatives, Valjoux, Sellita, Jaeger-manufactured calibres, and selected Seiko and Miyota Japanese movements. Vintage pieces are assessed individually; we accept those where parts are still accessible or where in-house fabrication of minor components is feasible. We decline pieces where we believe specialist manufacturer attention is more appropriate, and we say so clearly rather than accepting work we cannot complete to a satisfactory standard.
Complication work — chronographs in particular — requires a different kind of patience than standard servicing. The lever systems and cam arrangements in a well-worn column-wheel chronograph need to be mapped before disassembly, cleaned without disturbing timing relationships, and rebuilt with attention to the sequences that govern function. It is slow work. The pricing reflects that, and so does the timeline we quote.
For collectors relocating to Bangkok or visiting from elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Arun Watchworks accepts pieces by prior arrangement. We ask for a brief description and photographs before confirming intake, so we can assess suitability and advise on the most appropriate service tier before the piece travels to us.
— Next Step —
Bring Your Watch In for a Look
No obligation attached to an assessment. We examine the piece, share our findings, and leave the decision to you.
Request an Assessment