About Chronova
Careful Work,
No Shortcuts
A small studio in Chiang Mai's Nimman quarter, focused entirely on giving watches the attention they were built to receive.
Back to HomeOur Background
How Chronova Came to Be
Chronova opened on Nimmanhaemin Road in 2009, the result of a single watchmaker deciding there was a gap in Chiang Mai for repair work done properly — not quickly. The founder, trained in Switzerland and with a long background in northern Thailand's craft tradition, wanted a space where each watch was treated as the object of engineering it actually is, not a battery or strap sold through a shopping-mall kiosk.
Over the years the studio has stayed deliberately small. There are no franchise relationships, no volume targets, and no work farmed out to third-party bench hands. What comes in stays in-house, and the person who assesses your piece is the same person who returns it to you.
The name comes from the Latin chronos — time — and nova, suggesting something renewed. That's the simplest way to describe what happens here: time, handled with respect, and returned in better order than it arrived.
2009
Studio opened with a single watchmaker and a clear intention: no shortcuts, no volume pressure.
3 Services
Three well-defined service tiers keep every job within the studio's genuine area of skill.
One Studio
No outsourcing. Your watch stays at the bench where it was assessed, from start to collection.
The People
The Studio Team
A small group of people who take the work — and the watches — seriously.
Krit Phromnak
Master Watchmaker
Trained in the Vallée de Joux region and working in Chiang Mai since 2009. Handles all mechanical and heritage work personally.
Nalin Suwanphat
Workshop Assistant
Responsible for case preparation, strap work, and keeping the day-to-day service jobs moving to schedule.
Araya Wongkham
Client Liaison
First point of contact for all enquiries. Coordinates estimates, collection schedules, and keeps owners informed throughout each job.
How We Work
Our Working Standards
These aren't policies written for a wall. They're the way the studio has operated since the first week.
Workshop-Only Repairs
Every job is completed at our own bench. No pieces are forwarded to external workshops or intermediaries.
Written Estimates Before Work Begins
You receive a written scope and cost outline before any tools touch your watch. No surprises at collection.
Timing Machine Verification
All mechanical movements are measured on a calibrated timing machine before and after any adjustment work.
Secure Storage While in Care
Watches awaiting bench work or collection are held in a locked, humidity-controlled cabinet away from the front of house.
Water-Resistance Testing
Where a watch is rated for water resistance, we test the case seal after any work that involves opening the caseback.
Plain-Language Communication
Reports and estimates are written for owners, not other watchmakers — clear enough that anyone can understand what was done and why.
Watch Repair in Chiang Mai — What Actually Matters
Chiang Mai has no shortage of places that will change a battery or swap a strap. Chronova exists for the situations those places can't handle — or shouldn't attempt. Mechanical movements, particularly in older or less common pieces, require a precise understanding of how individual calibres behave and what each component is designed to do. That knowledge takes years to develop and isn't something that can be approximated with generic parts or internet guides.
The studio is on Nimmanhaemin Road because the neighbourhood suits the kind of client who tends to bring us work: people who carry a watch because it means something to them, not just because it tells the time. Whether it's a grandfather's Swiss automatic, a mid-century Japanese piece picked up at a market, or a well-worn daily driver that deserves a proper service, the approach is the same — look at it carefully, say clearly what it needs, and do that work well.
Pricing is set to reflect real workshop time and appropriate parts. We don't compete on cost with quick-service counters because we're doing something different. What we do offer is a piece that comes back running as it should, with documentation you can refer to next time it needs attention.
Ready to Talk?
Bring Your Watch in for an Assessment
No pressure, no commitment required at first look. Come by the studio or send a message describing the piece.
Get in Touch