Escapement Lab
George Town, Penang
Watch owners served by Escapement Lab
Testimonials

What Owners Say
After Collection

Accounts from owners who brought pieces through the Quartz Overhaul, Refinishing, and Complication Restoration programmes.

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11+
Years on Lebuh Pantai
940+
Pieces serviced
4.9
Average owner rating
100%
Seal jobs pressure-tested
Owner Reviews

From the Collection Counter

HZ
Hairul Zaman
Bayan Lepas, Penang

Brought in my daily Seiko diver for a full seal service. The workshop gave me a written note at intake listing what they'd test, and another at collection telling me the seal was sound and the rate had stabilised to within two seconds. That kind of record is not something you get from most places.

Quartz Overhaul and Seal Renewal · July 2025
CT
Chin Thiam Leng
George Town, Penang

Had my father's steel bracelet watch refinished. Before anything started they showed me a small test area on the underside of the strap to confirm the finish depth. I appreciated that — refinishing is not reversible and I wanted to be sure before committing. The result on the case flanks is very clean, the brushed sections read clearly against the polished lugs again.

Case and Crystal Refinishing · June 2025
NS
Nurul Syafiqah
Butterworth, Seberang Prai

Quartz overhaul on a Casio Edifice chronograph that I use near the water. The crown had been feeling a little loose. They renewed the full seal set and flagged in the condition note that the crown tube threading was fine but worth checking again in eighteen months given how often the piece gets wet. Collected on day four. Good work, sensible notes.

Quartz Overhaul and Seal Renewal · July 2025
RM
Rajan Muthu
Ipoh, Perak

Sent a vintage column-wheel chronograph in from Ipoh. Scoped at RM 4,150 with a seven-week estimate. Final cost and finish fell within both. The photographs at disassembly were useful — I could see exactly how the levers had worn and what was replaced. Piece came back running cleanly on both registers with no drag on the reset.

Chronograph Restoration · May–June 2025
LW
Lee Wan Fong
Tanjung Bungah, Penang

Crystal on my dress watch had taken a chip from a corner impact — nothing dramatic but it caught the light badly and bothered me. Took it for the refinishing programme even though the case did not need much work. The crystal was replaced, a couple of hairlines on the case front polished out, and the bracelet was resized on the spot. Nine working days total, as quoted.

Case and Crystal Refinishing · July 2025
AK
Ahmad Kamaluddin
Sungai Petani, Kedah

I had a cam-lever chronograph with a second register that would stop mid-flight and not reset cleanly. The intake quote covered the full complication programme and nine weeks. Photos came through at each stage, which helped because I was following from up north. Eight weeks in total, register runs to the stop properly and resets in one press. Good honest work.

Chronograph Restoration · April–June 2025
Case Studies

How Specific Problems Were Resolved

Case Study 01 · Quartz Dive Watch
The Situation

A Penang owner brought in a steel dive-style quartz worn daily near the sea. The crown felt slightly resistant when screwing down and the previous service had been performed eighteen months earlier at a mall counter — no pressure test was noted on the receipt.

What Was Done

Full quartz overhaul: battery, circuit and coil tested, contact traces cleaned, movement holder inspected. All three seals — caseback, crown tube, pushers — renewed with fresh gaskets. Case pressure-tested post-sealing. Watch placed on timing machine for 48 hours.

Outcome

Caseback gasket showed compression set from the prior job. Crown tube seal was still functional but close to the end of its service life. Both renewed. Rate settled at +1.5 seconds/day over the 48-hour run. Collected on day three with a written note on gasket condition and the next advised service window.

"The note they gave me at collection was more detailed than anything I'd seen from a service centre. It told me the actual condition of each seal, not just 'service completed'." — H.Z., Bayan Lepas
Case Study 02 · Vintage Column-Wheel Chronograph
The Situation

A column-wheel chronograph from the mid-1980s arrived with a running second register that would jump and occasionally stop before the stop pusher was pressed. Reset was also sluggish, requiring two presses on roughly one in three attempts. The piece had not been serviced in over a decade.

What Was Done

Full complication programme: complication plate removed and disassembled, column wheel inspected for tooth wear, all lateral connecting levers and return springs examined. Two worn heart-cam levers and one reset spring replaced from trade stock. Movement cleaned, reassembled with corrected end-shake throughout. Full function test at every pusher and corrector.

Outcome

Both registers run cleanly to the stop without any intermediate jump. Reset completes in a single press on all twenty test cycles. Stage photographs sent at disassembly, reassembly, and final test. Total scope: six weeks and three days from intake to collection. Final invoice matched the original quote.

"The disassembly photos showed me what forty years of wear looks like on a column wheel. I hadn't expected that level of detail — it genuinely helped me understand what the restoration involved." — R.M., Ipoh
Workshop Contact
Address
14A Lebuh Pantai
10300 George Town, Penang
Hours
Tue–Fri: 10:00–18:00
Sat: 10:00–16:00
Sun–Mon: Closed
Professional Standing

Credentials and Record

Penang Heritage Craft Recognition
Noted by George Town World Heritage Inc. as a skilled trades workshop contributing to the working character of the heritage precinct.
Regional Trade Parts Network
Active member of the watch parts supply network used by authorised repairers throughout Malaysia and Singapore, ensuring component access.
Verified Post-Service Reviews
4.9 average from owner reviews collected 2023–2025. Categories assessed: scope accuracy, timeline, condition at collection, and documentation quality.
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