George Town, Penang
A place where the watch is the priority
Pelita Kala is a watchmaker's workshop in the old part of George Town. The work here is quiet, deliberate and done by hand — the way it has always been done.
Back to Homeour story
How Pelita Kala came to be
The name means roughly lamp of time in Malay — a small light held against the dark, which is how most watchmaking happens. The workshop opened on Lebuh Pantai in 2009 after the founder, Azri Idris, spent several years learning the trade in Kuala Lumpur and a further two working alongside a maker of pocket watches in Switzerland.
The shophouse on Lebuh Pantai was chosen partly for its light and partly for its quiet. George Town's old lanes have a particular quality in the late afternoon that makes the kind of focused work a watch requires feel natural rather than forced. The bench faces a courtyard wall, and the lamp above it is a copy of the ones Azri first worked under.
Over the years the work has settled into three areas: vintage dial and hand care, timing regulation, and quartz servicing. Each was chosen because it represents a question people actually bring to a watchmaker — not a list assembled to look comprehensive. The prices are set to reflect time and materials honestly, without rounding up for brand or sentiment.
Pelita Kala does not offer every service a large service centre might. What it does offer is a clear account of what was examined, what was adjusted, what was left alone and why — in writing, every time.
Mission
To return watches to their owners in a state that is honestly described, with no work done that was not agreed to, and no opportunity missed to explain what a movement actually needs.
Approach
Every piece that comes to the bench is examined before a price is named. The examination is described to the owner in plain language. Work only begins when the scope is agreed. The written record goes home with the watch.
What we value
Patina, original parts, honest assessment, accurate documentation, and the understanding that a watch repaired too thoroughly is sometimes a watch made less itself.
the people
At the bench
Azri Idris
Watchmaker & Founder
Trained in Kuala Lumpur and western Switzerland. Works primarily with mechanical movements, with a particular interest in calibres from the 1950s to 1970s. Reads rate charts as readily as most people read a menu.
Siti Lyana
Quartz & Battery Specialist
Handles all quartz servicing and electrical circuit testing. Joined the workshop in 2015 after several years in consumer electronics repair. Particular attention is paid to correct cell selection and gasket condition on water-resistant cases.
Hafiz Rashid
Client Liaison
The first person most clients speak with. Manages enquiries, explains the assessment process and ensures that the written records leaving the workshop are accurate and readable for people who are not watchmakers.
how we work
Standards at the bench
Photographic record
Every watch is photographed on arrival and again on completion. The images are kept and shared with the owner on request, forming part of the service record.
Timing machine testing
Mechanical movements are measured in six positions. The readings are recorded before any adjustment and again after, so the change is visible rather than claimed.
Written work notes
A short document accompanies every completed watch. It describes what was examined, what was done, what was noted but not addressed, and what the owner may want to consider in the future.
Agreed scope only
No work is carried out beyond what was discussed and agreed. If something further is found during the service, the owner is contacted before any additional steps are taken.
Parts sourcing transparency
When replacement parts are needed, the source and type are identified in the work note. Substitutions are not made without prior discussion.
Client data handling
Contact details are held only for the purpose of the current service and communication about it. They are not retained beyond that period without consent.
expertise
What watchmaking in George Town looks like
Penang has a long association with trade and craft, and the shophouses on Lebuh Pantai have housed workshops of one kind or another for well over a century. Pelita Kala fits that pattern: a small, specific practice in a building with worn floor tiles and high ceilings, doing work that requires patience rather than speed.
Watchmaking in this context means working with movements that were not designed to be replaced — pieces where the value lies in the original calibre, dial and hands, and where the aim of any service is to extend the life of what is there rather than to substitute it. Vintage Seiko, Omega, Citizen and Tudor movements pass through the workshop regularly, alongside more modest everyday pieces that simply need a reliable assessment.
The timing regulation service draws clients from across Penang and occasionally from Kuala Lumpur, partly because a six-position measurement is not widely offered, and partly because the printed chart gives the owner something concrete to refer to if the question of accuracy comes up again in the future.
Quartz servicing is often underestimated. A battery alone does not address a deteriorating gasket or corroded contacts. The health check at Pelita Kala treats the quartz movement as something worth understanding rather than simply powering up, and the honest note about further wear is there for the owner to act on or not, as they choose.
next step
Bring the watch in
The workshop is open most weekdays. An initial look at the piece carries no charge. We describe what we see, and you decide what happens next.
Contact the Workshop