A Workshop Built on Written Records.
Pendulia operates from a single bench in Georgetown, Penang. Mechanical work. No assumptions. Every diagnosis committed to paper.
← Back to HomepageThe Pendulia Workshop
Pendulia opened on Jalan Burma in Georgetown in 2011, occupying a shophouse unit that had previously served as a tailor's workroom. The original fit-out was spare: a single bench, a witschi timing machine, and an ultrasonic cleaner. That arrangement has not changed in any material way.
The workshop's name comes from pendulum — the regulating element common to longcase clocks and, by extension, to the escapement mechanisms at the heart of most mechanical movements. It was chosen deliberately: a pendulum is a measuring instrument before it is anything else.
The founding principle was that a watch owner deserves a written account of what the watchmaker finds and what was done. At the time, this was not standard practice at independent workshops in the region. It remains the defining characteristic of the workshop's output. Every bench job produces a condition note. Every service produces a signed record of parts replaced and timing rates achieved. These documents belong to the customer.
Over the years the service range has narrowed rather than expanded. Automatic three-hand calibres without complications are handled in-house. Movements with additional complications are assessed and quoted but referred. Dial restoration work is carried out through a conservation specialist with whom the workshop has maintained a working relationship since 2014. The decision to work within defined scope was deliberate.
The workshop does not carry stock for sale. It does not offer authentication certificates. It services, documents, and returns. That is the full extent of what Pendulia does.
Workshop Principles
Documentation First
A condition report precedes all work. The customer receives it regardless of whether the job proceeds.
Defined Scope
The workshop operates within competencies it can stand behind. Work outside those competencies is declined or referred.
Customer Decides
No work proceeds beyond assessment without written customer approval. The customer reads the report, then decides.
Transparent Costs
Pricing is stated in writing before work begins. Inspection fees apply against subsequent services.
The People at the Bench
Lim Kheng Wai
Trained in movement servicing in Zurich between 2004 and 2007. Returned to Penang and founded Pendulia in 2011. Handles all in-house movement assessments and complete service work.
Rashidah Sulaiman
Manages customer intake, written condition documentation, and liaison with the dial restoration specialist. Joined the workshop in 2016.
Tan Hock Beng
Responsible for ultrasonic cleaning, case preparation, and initial timing checks. Has worked at the bench since 2019 following apprenticeship in Kuala Lumpur.
Workshop Standards & Protocols
Witschi Timing Measurement
All movement assessments include electronic timing measurement in multiple positions. Results are recorded numerically in the written diagnosis.
Ultrasonic Cleaning Protocol
Disassembled movement components pass through ultrasonic cleaning before any lubrication is applied. Cleaning solutions are changed on a defined schedule.
Period-Correct Lubrication
Lubricants are selected by calibre age and train location. Quantities are applied by instrument, not by hand.
Static Pressure Check
Reassembled cases undergo a static pressure check before return. Results are noted in the service record.
Written Customer Record
Every intake produces a signed condition note. Every service produces a parts-replaced and timing summary. Copies are retained by both parties.
Customer Data Handling
Contact details collected at intake are used solely for job communication. They are not shared with third parties or used for marketing.
Mechanical Watchmaking in Georgetown, Penang
Georgetown has a working tradition of craft workshops occupying Peranakan shophouses along its older commercial streets. Pendulia fits this pattern: a small-footprint, specialist operation that draws customers from across Penang and, occasionally, from the peninsula and Singapore.
The watchmaking discipline practised here is narrow by design. Automatic three-hand movements — ETA, Miyota, Sellita, Rolex in-house calibres, and others with accessible technical documentation — are the primary scope. The watchmaker's training in Switzerland established a particular method: disassemble, measure, record, clean, lubricate by specification, reassemble, measure again, record again.
Penang's climate presents specific considerations for mechanical movements. Humidity levels that exceed those of a temperate workshop environment accelerate oxidation in lubricants and can affect timing rates over time. Owners of mechanical watches in this region benefit from scheduled service intervals shorter than those sometimes suggested by manufacturers calibrating for European conditions.
What the Workshop Stands For
The workshop does not advertise turnaround speed. A complete movement service takes the time it takes. Ultrasonic cleaning cycles run to specification. Lubrication points are addressed individually. Five-position regulation requires observation over time.
The customer receives a report that documents what was found in the condition the watch arrived in, what was replaced, and what timing rates were achieved before the watch left the bench. This record has value beyond the service itself. It forms part of the ownership history of the piece.
Pendulia's pricing reflects the cost of doing the work properly. Inspection fees are credited against subsequent service. The aim is that a customer who reads the diagnosis report understands the work involved before agreeing to it — and that a customer who declines to proceed leaves with more information about their watch than they arrived with.
Bring Your Watch to the Bench.
Send the calibre reference and a brief description of what you are observing. The workshop responds within one business day.
Request Bench Slot