Our Workshop · Our Standards
Measured Work, Recorded Results
Klepsydra has operated from Lebuh Armenian since 2008. Everything that leaves this bench carries a written account of what was found, what was done and what was measured.
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From a Single Bench in George Town
Klepsydra opened in 2008 on Lebuh Armenian, in one of George Town's oldest commercial streets. The name comes from the ancient water clock — a vessel that measures time by flow — and the same idea shapes how the workshop is run. Work moves at the pace the piece requires, not the pace that looks efficient on a schedule.
The workshop started as a single technician's bench with a timing machine and a parts cabinet. Over fifteen years the scope has extended: we now handle timekeeping appraisals, crystal and dial renewal, and the full service of layered complications including chronograph, calendar and moon phase modules.
Through all of it the method has stayed the same. Every piece comes in, gets measured, gets a written report, and leaves with the documentation that will make the next service easier for whoever carries it out.
George Town suits this kind of work. The UNESCO-listed heritage district has long attracted people who pay attention to made things — furniture, buildings, food, textile. Watches fit that pattern. A number of our clients inherited pieces and came to us not knowing whether to service or sell. We help them understand what they have before any decision is made.
Our pricing is flat-rate by scope. The Timekeeping Assessment is RM 440 and credits against any follow-on service booked within sixty days. Crystal and Dial Renewal is RM 1,320 including new gaskets and pressure testing. Complication Overhaul is RM 3,980 and carries a 24-month service coverage period on the overhauled module.
We also accept postal intakes from clients elsewhere in Malaysia. Contact us first, and we will confirm the service scope and advise on suitable packaging.
Our Position
What We Stand For
A watch or clock is a record of mechanical thinking. The people who made it solved real problems of precision and miniaturisation. Our job is to read that work carefully, note what is worn or mis-timed, do only what is needed, and leave a paper trail that respects the piece's history rather than obscuring it.
The People
Who Runs the Bench
Ahmad Hishamuddin
Head Watchmaker
Trained at a Kuala Lumpur watchmaking school in 1999, Ahmad has spent more than two decades reading timing traces and diagnosing mechanical faults. He leads all complication overhaul work.
Lim Mei Shan
Crystal & Dial Technician
Mei Shan joined Klepsydra in 2013 after ten years in optical precision work. She handles all crystal fitting, gasket renewal and pressure testing, with a particular focus on vintage dial conservation.
Rajendran Subramaniam
Assessment Technician
Rajendran runs all timekeeping assessments and produces the rate reports that accompany each appraisal. He has been with the workshop since 2016 and trains new bench staff in documentation standards.
How We Work
Workshop Standards
Written Job Record
Every intake opens a job sheet. Measurements, parts, observations and test results are entered as the work proceeds. The completed record is handed over with the piece.
Six-Position Timing
Rate and amplitude are measured in all six positions using a calibrated timing machine. Results are charted and explained in plain language, not left as raw figures.
Pressure Testing
Cases receiving crystal or gasket work are pressure tested before return. Results are noted against the original depth rating declared by the manufacturer.
Parts Transparency
Any wear part requiring replacement is identified and priced before ordering. No substitution proceeds without your approval. Replaced items are listed on the job sheet by reference number.
Secure Handling
Each piece in the workshop is labelled and stored in individual trays when not on the bench. Pieces are never left unsecured overnight. Postal returns use tracked, signed-for services only.
Service Coverage Period
Complication overhaul work carries a 24-month service coverage period on the overhauled module. Terms are stated plainly in the handover document, not buried in footnotes.
Our Expertise
What Bench Experience Looks Like Over Time
Watchmaking is not a field where speed is the primary measure of quality. A complication overhaul that skips the switching sequence re-timing will look finished and will likely run — for a while. The difference only shows when the chronograph reset stalls at a familiar angle, or the calendar skips a date in January. At Klepsydra, the schedule for each service is set to allow the work to be done in order, without shortcuts.
The same patience applies to assessment. A six-position rate measurement takes time because the movement needs to settle in each position before the figure stabilises. Rushing it produces a number that looks like a reading but isn't. Our assessment reports state what was observed across the full measurement period, not a single snapshot.
Crystal fitting requires matching profile as well as diameter. A replacement crystal that sits flush but carries a different curve than the original will change how light falls across the dial and how the watch feels in hand. We source correct-profile stock, and where the reference is obsolete we machine to pattern. The result should be indistinguishable from the original unless you know where to look.
Penang's tropical climate is harder on watch lubricants than the conditions many pieces were designed for. High humidity accelerates the breakdown of certain greases used in keyless work and calendar mechanisms. We factor this into our assessment notes, so owners understand why a watch serviced elsewhere to a European schedule may need more frequent attention in this region.
Next Step
Bring Your Piece In
Describe what you have and what you've noticed. We will advise on the right service scope before any work begins.
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