About Namjai
A workshop built on patience and care
We are a small team of watchmakers in Bangkok who believe that a well-maintained mechanical watch deserves the same attention it was made with.
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How Namjai came to be
Namjai — the Thai word for a generous, open-hearted spirit — describes the way we try to approach every watch that comes through our door. The workshop opened in Bang Kho Laem, on the quieter southern stretch of the Chao Phraya, where the pace of the neighbourhood suited the kind of work we wanted to do.
The workshop was started by Khun Chaiwat, who trained under a Swiss-educated watchmaker in Chiang Mai before spending several years in a small restoration atelier in the old quarter of Bangkok. The name Namjai came from his grandmother, who told him that good work and good character were the same thing — and that both required an open heart.
We are a small team by intention. Keeping the workshop small means the watchmaker who receives your enquiry is the same person who works on your watch. There are no tiers of service coordinators between you and the bench.
Over the years, the watches that have passed through our workshop range from everyday automatic pieces worn daily on a commute, to family heirlooms that have not run in decades, to watches brought in by collectors who want careful, considered work above all else. Each one is different, and each one receives a fresh assessment rather than a standard procedure.
Our approach to restoration is conservative: we prefer to clean and preserve over polish and refinish. If there is a choice between returning a watch to factory condition and keeping its earned character, we always discuss that choice with the owner first. The watch belongs to you, and any cosmetic decision should be yours.
We are not the fastest workshop in Bangkok. We are not trying to be. We take on a limited number of watches at any one time so that none of them are waiting in a drawer while something else is worked on.
What Guides Us
Our values
Honesty before profit
If a watch is not worth the cost of a full service, we say so. If you can get a suitable result from a lesser service, we recommend that instead. We would rather keep your trust than take a larger fee.
Conserve, don't erase
Patina, small marks, and the history written on a case are part of what a watch is. We do not remove these things without your knowledge and agreement.
Open communication
You hear from the watchmaker, not an intermediary. Updates are given when something changes or when we find something worth telling you about. You are not left to wonder.
The People
Who works on your watch
Chaiwat Thanakit
Head Watchmaker & Founder
Trained in Chiang Mai and Bangkok with over fifteen years working on mechanical movements. Chaiwat leads every service assessment and handles all restoration work personally.
Nattaya Pramoj
Movement Technician
Specialising in vintage automatic movements, Nattaya brings a methodical approach and a particular interest in mid-century Thai and Japanese calibres.
Araya Siriwan
Client Liaison
Araya manages all correspondence and scheduling, ensuring that every enquiry is followed up promptly and that customers know where their watch is at each stage.
Standards & Practices
How we maintain quality
Timing machine verification
All movements are tested on a timing machine across multiple positions before and after service. We share the readings with you as part of the service record.
Swiss-grade lubricants
We use lubricants from established Swiss suppliers — the same grades used by independent watchmakers across Europe — applied in the correct weight for each surface.
Written service record
Every watch receives a written record of the work completed, parts replaced or sourced, and timing results. This documentation stays with the watch's history.
Secure handling
Watches in our care are stored securely at all times. We do not allow outside visitors into the workshop area, and all watches are photographed on arrival.
Post-service check period
After assembly, each watch runs in our workshop for a minimum of 48 hours before we consider the service complete — giving us time to observe its behaviour before it returns to you.
Transparent pricing
Our service prices are fixed and shared in advance. Any additional parts or work needed beyond the standard scope is discussed and approved by you before we proceed.
Expertise
Mechanical watch care in Bangkok
Bangkok has many watch shops, but relatively few workshops dedicated to the unhurried work of mechanical watch servicing and restoration. Most watches reach us in one of two states: worn daily without attention for many years, or sitting unworn in a drawer because something stopped working. Both are entirely normal, and both have straightforward paths forward.
A mechanical movement needs periodic service — not because something is broken, but because lubricants dry and degrade over time, and dry pivots wear faster than they need to. The interval varies by movement type, conditions of use, and age, but for most everyday mechanical watches a service every five to eight years keeps the movement running without accelerated wear.
Vintage and antique watches require a different kind of attention. Parts are sometimes no longer available from manufacturers, which means working with what is there rather than replacing it. Our preference is always to service and reuse original parts where they remain serviceable, and to source sympathetic period-correct replacements when they are not.
We serve customers across Bangkok and across Thailand, and we also receive watches from collectors and owners further afield. Whether you come in person to our Bang Kho Laem workshop, or you are sending a watch from elsewhere, the process begins the same way: a short message, a photograph, and an honest conversation about what the watch needs.
Start Here
Would you like to talk about a watch?
Write to us or call — we are happy to advise before anything is committed to.
Get in Touch