Work that earns the trust placed in it
Movemento is a small specialist workshop in Ayutthaya. We exist to serve watches that matter to their owners, handling each one as though the history it carries is part of the job itself.
How Movemento began
Movemento opened on Naphralan Road after its founder spent several years working alongside a Chiang Mai-based watchmaker who had trained in Switzerland. The discipline of that apprenticeship — careful disassembly, methodical inspection, documentation of every finding — became the standard the workshop still follows.
The name is a nod to the Italian word for movement, the mechanical heart of a watch. It was chosen deliberately: most of what happens at this bench is invisible to the owner, so the name is a quiet reminder that the work centres on what moves the hands, not on surfaces and appearances.
Ayutthaya seemed the right place. The city carries its own relationship with careful preservation. Bringing a watch to a workshop here felt consistent with that character — unhurried, considered, respectful of what came before.
A workshop, not a chain
Movemento is deliberately small. We take on the work we can do well, which means we sometimes decline pieces outside our scope and refer owners elsewhere rather than stretch into unfamiliar territory. This keeps the standard consistent and the communication honest.
Three services cover most of what owners bring to us: a cleaning and lubrication tune-up for watches in fair running order, a water-resistance reseal for sport and diver pieces, and a full heirloom rebuild for family watches being preserved for the next generation.
Pricing is fixed within each service scope. If the inspection reveals something outside that scope, we discuss it before continuing. There is no work done without the owner's knowledge and agreement.
What shapes the work
Scope before starting
We agree on what the work covers and what it costs before anything is touched. Adjustments require a conversation, not assumptions.
Everything written down
Condition on arrival, parts renewed, timing measurements, condition on departure — all recorded. The paperwork outlasts the service interval.
One responsible hand
Your watch is handled by one person from inspection to collection. No rotation between technicians, no loss of context mid-job.
Plain language throughout
Reports are written to be understood by the owner, not to demonstrate technical vocabulary. You should know exactly what was found and what was done.
Honest about limits
Some movements and some damage fall outside what we handle well. We say so clearly and, where possible, suggest a more appropriate route.
Unhurried by design
Turnaround estimates are realistic, not optimistic. A job done properly the first time causes less inconvenience than one rushed and then corrected.
Who does the work
Phirat Suwannarat
Lead Watchmaker
Trained in Chiang Mai before establishing Movemento. Handles all mechanical movements and the heirloom rebuild programme. Has been working on watches since 2009.
Nattaya Kanchanawong
Workshop Coordinator
Manages client communication, inspection scheduling, and the documentation archive. Ensures every job's paperwork is complete before collection.
Wirat Pongsawat
Technical Assistant
Specialises in case-work, water-resistance resealing, and pressure testing. Handles the practical stages of reseal and cleaning services under Phirat's oversight.
How each job is managed
Calibrated test equipment
Timing machines and pressure test rigs are checked for calibration on a scheduled basis. Results on job sheets reflect actual readings, not estimates.
Watchmaker-grade lubricants
We use purpose-made watch oils and greases with known viscosity grades. Lubricants are rotated on expiry rather than used beyond their stated shelf life.
Secure storage in custody
All watches held for service are kept in a locked and indexed cabinet. Access is logged. No watch is left on an open bench when the workshop is unattended.
Photographic condition record
Photographs are taken at intake and at completion for every job. Heirloom rebuild projects receive step-by-step photography throughout the process.
Watch repair in Ayutthaya — what the work involves
A mechanical watch is a system of interdependent parts, most of them smaller than a grain of rice. Keeping such a system running well over years and decades requires periodic cleaning, fresh lubrication, and — for cases that enter water — reliable seals around every opening. These are not cosmetic concerns. They are maintenance, in the same sense that a vehicle needs oil changes and tyre checks.
Movemento was set up to offer this maintenance at a standard that justifies the trust placed in a small workshop with a relatively significant piece. The three services we offer cover the most common maintenance requirements: routine cleaning and lubrication for movements in fair order, seal renewal for watches used in or around water, and comprehensive rebuilds for pieces where the history of the watch matters as much as its function.
Ayutthaya's climate — humid, warm, subject to seasonal flooding — creates particular reasons to keep water-resistance seals current. A gasket that was adequate in a temperate European climate may not hold after several years in a Thai environment. The reseal service exists partly to address this: owners of diver and sport watches who use them actively in Thailand should check their seals more frequently than the manufacturer's general guidance suggests.
The heirloom rebuild service reflects a different kind of concern. Family watches — pieces passed from a grandparent, a parent, a person no longer present — carry meaning that no monetary valuation captures. Rebuilding such a piece carefully, and recording every stage of the process, creates a kind of dossier that travels with the watch. Whoever receives it next inherits not just the object but a record of what was done and when. That seems to us a worthwhile thing to offer.
Reach out about your watch
A short description of the piece and what you'd like addressed is enough to start. We'll come back with an honest assessment of what's involved and what it would cost.
Get in Touch