Est. 2009, Ipoh
A Workshop
Built on Patience
Tockwell came into being out of a belief that watchmaking deserves the same unhurried respect that fine watches themselves embody.
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Where Tockwell Began
Tockwell was founded in 2009 by Harith Zulkifli, a watchmaker who had spent the better part of a decade training under established practitioners in Switzerland before returning to Ipoh with the intention of opening a small, careful workshop. The name — a play on "tock," the second beat of a clock — was chosen to reflect the idea that precision and rhythm are not the same thing as speed.
From the beginning, the workshop took only as many pieces as it could attend to properly. There was no desire to scale into a production environment. The value, from Harith's perspective, lay precisely in the relationship between the watchmaker and the individual watch — something that cannot survive industrial throughput.
Over the years, Tockwell has built a quiet reputation among collectors, inheritors of family timepieces, and working professionals who appreciate the difference between a watch serviced and a watch understood. Our clients travel from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and further afield — not because we are the only option, but because the experience here is different in character from what a high-street workshop offers.
Today, Tockwell remains a small team. That is deliberate. We believe that the quality of attention a workshop can offer is inversely proportional to the volume it processes. We would rather serve fewer people well than many people adequately.
15+
Years in continuous practice in Ipoh
800+
Timepieces returned to their owners in sound condition
3
Distinct levels of care, each with its own pace and scope
"The best service a watchmaker can offer is the one that makes itself unnecessary for as long as possible."
— Harith Zulkifli, founder
The People
Those Behind the Bench
Harith Zulkifli
Founder & Master Watchmaker
Swiss-trained with formal certification from the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. Harith oversees all Movement Rebuild and Devotional Restoration work personally, and remains the final authority on every piece that leaves the workshop.
Roslina Nair
Senior Watchmaker
Roslina joined Tockwell in 2014 after several years with a respected Penang jeweller. She specialises in quartz movement service and electronic diagnostics, and handles the majority of Routine Care Visit work with a characteristic thoroughness.
Chong Fook Wei
Workshop Coordinator
Fook Wei manages client communication, documentation, and the day-to-day rhythm of the workshop. He ensures that every piece in our care is properly recorded, and that owners are kept informed throughout the service period.
How We Work
Standards We Uphold
These are not aspirations — they describe our actual operating practice, maintained consistently across every piece we receive.
Ultrasonic Component Cleaning
Every movement disassembly is followed by professional ultrasonic cleaning of all components, removing decades of accumulated debris and degraded lubricant without abrading surfaces.
Six-Position Timing
All mechanical movements are timed across six positions using a timing machine, with adjustments made until the movement performs within acceptable tolerances in daily wear orientations.
Water Resistance Verification
Where a watch claims a water resistance rating, we test it with a pressure gauge after resealing to confirm that the gasket system performs to its specified level.
Client Consent at Every Step
No additional work — however minor — is carried out without the owner's prior knowledge and agreement. This is a fundamental operating principle, not a courtesy.
Written Service Records
A written record accompanies every piece through our workshop — detailing findings, work performed, components replaced, and timing results. A copy is provided to the owner on collection.
Secure Workshop Environment
Pieces in our care are held in a secure, climate-managed workshop environment. Access is restricted to workshop personnel, and no piece is left unaccounted for at any stage of service.
Watchmaking in Ipoh with a Different Pace
Tockwell operates in Ipoh, Perak, at a pace suited to the nature of the craft rather than the demands of commercial volume. Watchmaking, when practised with care, requires time — time to observe, to consider, to compare, and to adjust. The finest horological institutions in the world measure their work in days and weeks, not hours. We take the same view.
Our expertise spans Swiss lever escapements, Japanese automatic movements, manual-wind pocket watches, and a range of battery-powered quartz movements from both mass-market and prestige manufacturers. We are equipped for case and bracelet work alongside movement service, and maintain a supply of commonly required components for domestic and Japanese manufacture.
Clients who come to us often arrive with watches that have passed through other hands without satisfaction. The reasons vary — rushed service, unclear communication, parts substituted without consultation, or simply a sense that the watch was not genuinely understood by the person who worked on it. We take that as context rather than as a reason for criticism of others. Our focus is simply on doing the work as well as it can be done, and on being honest with the people who trust us with something that matters to them.
A Conversation Is Always Welcome
Whether you have a specific question or simply want to discuss your watch before committing to anything, we are here and unhurried.
Get in Touch