A small workshop that takes its time with every piece.
We opened on Lebuh Bishop because George Town deserved a bench that answered to craft rather than to volume. That has not changed.
← Back to HomeHow Ticklore came to be on Lebuh Bishop
Ticklore began with a single watchmaker and a set of tools accumulated over more than a decade of bench work. The name came from a private reference — a ticklore being an informal term among old-school repairers for the body of accumulated knowledge that only comes from handling hundreds of different movements over time. It is not a qualification you earn in a classroom.
The workshop opened in George Town because this city has always had a particular relationship with things that are made to last. The shophouses on Lebuh Bishop have seen tailors, printers and goldsmiths. A watchmaker fits the street's logic well.
We keep the client list short enough that every incoming piece gets considered properly. There is a waiting period, and we make no apology for it. A movement that has been opened and hurried through is more likely to be opened again within two years.
Our scope covers three areas: crystal and crown work for watches that have taken visible damage to their exterior; self-winding movement overhauls for everyday mechanical watches that have begun to lose reliability; and long-form heritage projects for pieces that need more than a single discipline applied to them.
Every path starts with a written assessment. Before tools touch the case, the owner knows what we propose to do, how long it will take, and what the cost will be. If the assessment reveals that the piece needs work outside our current scope, we say so directly and do not take the job.
The workshop is not a quick-fix counter. It is a small room where watches are treated as objects worth understanding before they are touched. That is what Ticklore means to us, and it is what we aim to offer every client who walks through the door on Lebuh Bishop.
Who works at the bench
Khoo Leong
Trained in movement overhaul and regulation with over fourteen years on the bench. Handles all self-winding calibre work and leads the heritage project assessments.
Siti Radziah
Specialises in case work — crystal fitting, crown and tube replacement, and case cleaning. Manages the resistance re-testing station and keeps the intake schedule.
Tan Wei
Coordinates the documentation side of heritage projects — assessment reports, stage photography, written agreements and the archival record folders that accompany each completed piece.
How we run the bench
Written scope before all work
Every job starts with a written description of the proposed work, the timeline and the price. Nothing goes to the bench until the owner has read and confirmed that document.
Parts measured, not estimated
Crystal apertures are measured with a micrometer before parts are ordered. Mainsprings are matched to calibre specifications. We do not use approximate-fit components.
Timing machine verification
Every overhauled movement is tested on the timing machine across six positions before it is reassembled. Results are recorded and included in the service documentation.
Manufacturer-grade lubricants
We use Moebius watch lubricants at the grades specified for each movement type. Lubrication points are addressed individually, not with a blanket application.
Archival documentation
Heritage projects are accompanied by an archival folder containing the assessment report, stage photographs, signed work agreements and the final regulation figures. The folder stays with the watch.
Client data handled with care
Contact details and watch records are stored securely and not shared with third parties. Enquiry records are kept only as long as needed for the workshop relationship.
What we believe about watch repair
A mechanical watch is not a disposable object. The movements in the watches that come through our door on Lebuh Bishop were designed to be serviced — opened, cleaned, lubricated and regulated on a schedule that extends their useful life well beyond any electronic alternative. Ticklore exists to carry out that service properly.
Proper bench work requires two things that are not always commercially convenient: time and transparency. Time, because a mainspring needs to run for several days after installation before the watchmaker knows that the power reserve is where it should be. Transparency, because the owner of the watch should understand what was found, what was done and what the limitations of the work are.
George Town's position as a Unesco World Heritage city means it attracts people who care about objects with histories. Many of the watches we see have been worn by more than one generation. A grandfather's dress watch, a father's diver from his working years, a grandmother's small rectangular piece from the 1960s — these are not objects that benefit from a fast turnaround at the lowest possible price. They benefit from attention and from a written record that travels with them.
We carry that view into every enquiry and every piece that reaches the bench. Whether the job is a straightforward crystal replacement or a sixteen-week heritage project, the standard of care and the written communication do not change.
Bring your piece to the bench
The initial conversation costs nothing. We will look at the watch and tell you honestly what we see.
Send an Enquiry