Our Story
A small workshop
with a clear purpose.
Rattana was founded to give watches the kind of attention that is harder to find these days — unhurried, transparent, and respectful of what a timepiece means to its owner.
Our Background
How Rattana began
Rattana opened on Thalang Road in the old quarter of Phuket Town in 2011. The name belongs to the family that started the workshop — a name that has appeared on the same street in various forms since the 1970s, when the founder's father ran a small clock repair stall a few doors down.
The current workshop grew from a different observation: watches were being sent to Bangkok or abroad for servicing when the skills to look after them properly were available right here, if applied with a little more care and patience. That gap felt worth filling.
We remain a small operation by choice. Keeping the team compact means every watch is handled by someone who knows it properly and can answer questions about it directly, without relaying information through layers of staff.
Our Approach
What guides our work
We take a straightforward position: the watch you leave with us belongs to you, not to us, and our job is to return it in better condition while keeping its character intact. We do not try to make old watches look new unless that is what you want.
Pricing is discussed before work begins. Timelines are realistic and held to. If something changes during the service — an unexpected worn part, a question about how to proceed — we stop and talk to you before continuing. Nothing is decided on your behalf.
We work on mechanical and automatic movements: everyday wearers, mid-century dress watches, vintage pieces, and items with sentimental weight. We are honest about what falls outside our scope and will say so clearly at the first meeting.
The People
Who does the work
Prem Rattana
Head Watchmaker
Prem trained formally in horological repair in Chiang Mai before returning to Phuket to open the family workshop. He focuses on movement overhauls and sentimental restorations, where patience and a steady hand matter most.
Niran Kiatying
Case & Dial Specialist
Niran handles case refinishing, dial assessment, and bracelet work. He has a particular interest in preserving the original surfaces of vintage pieces — knowing when not to polish is as important as knowing how.
Malee Lertchai
Client & Workshop Coordinator
Malee manages intake, documentation, and communication with clients. She is usually the first person you speak with, and the one who ensures that what you agreed with us at the start is what happens.
Standards
How we take care of your watch
Intake documentation
Every watch is logged in detail when it arrives — brand, reference, serial number, visible condition, and any concerns you have noted. This record stays with the watch throughout.
Appropriate lubrication
We use lubricants suited to each movement type and component. Applying the wrong lubricant, or too much of the right one, causes as many problems as it solves — this is an area where attention matters.
Water resistance testing
Where seals are replaced as part of a service, water resistance is tested before the watch is returned. Results and the original rated depth are noted in the service record.
Restoration photography
For sentimental piece restorations, photographs are taken at each significant stage. These are shared with you on completion and form part of the handover record.
Timegrapher measurement
Movements are measured on a timegrapher after assembly. Rate, amplitude, and beat error are noted and, where possible, adjusted to within an acceptable range before return.
Secure storage
Watches in our care are stored in a secure part of the workshop, handled only by workshop staff, and returned only to the person who brought them in or a confirmed representative.
Our Work in Context
Watch repair and restoration in Phuket
Mechanical watches are among the few objects designed to run continuously for decades with periodic attention. A movement that is serviced at reasonable intervals — typically every three to five years for a watch in regular use — will generally remain reliable and keep its original character far longer than one that is ignored until something fails.
Rattana works with watches across a wide range of ages and origins. Some come in for routine maintenance by owners who are simply diligent. Others arrive after years of sitting unused in a drawer, or having been passed down from a family member. A watch that has not run for a long time is not necessarily damaged; it often just needs the accumulated old lubricant cleaned out and fresh oil applied in the right places.
Phuket's tropical climate — warm, humid for much of the year — places specific demands on watch movements and on the seals that protect them from moisture. We take the local environment into account when assessing what a service should address and what advice to give on ongoing care.
We are based in the old town area of Phuket, which has traditionally housed independent craftspeople and small workshops. It is a setting we feel suits the kind of work we do — unhurried and neighbourhood-scale, rather than retail-focused. Visitors are welcome during opening hours; there is no appointment needed to have a watch looked at.
Take the next step
Come and see us in Phuket Town
No appointment is needed for a first look. Bring your watch in and we will tell you what we see and what the options are — clearly and without pressure.
Contact Us