Towson Watch Company was founded at the beginning of the new millennium by Hartwig Balke & George Thomas. Two freshly retired foreign engineers who moved to America to sail the coast and further pursue their passion for horology and craftsmanship.
George Thomas met Hartwig Balke in an Irish pub in Annapolis. Over sailors’ small talk they uncovered a shared obsession with horology and began taking on projects together. In 1998 they founded Towson Watch Company, building what became one of America’s noteworthy watch brands.
As a team, Thomas is the certified master horologist who regulates movements and assembles Towson watches; Balke, a product designer and engineer, drives design and technical requirements. Most Towson watches are designed by Balke, but each carries Thomas’s influence.
There are few craftsmen left in the world like George Thomas—capable of making a complete watch from scratch, part by part. He has made four tourbillon watches—three in the NAWCC museum in Pennsylvania—plus a carousel watch, also in the museum. He restored the world’s smallest watch made in 1860 for the Czar of Russia, and the world’s oldest known signed and dated watch from 1530.
George Thomas was born in Prague in 1930 and grew up in Prague, Vienna, and Zurich, where he trained as a watchmaker and engineer. In 1951 he moved to San Francisco to work in the plastics and chemical industries while restoring watches on the side. Along the way, he invented a process for molding sawdust into outdoor dishes called “Stonewood,” and his machining ability and hand-work earned him a reputation as one of America’s most trustworthy watchmakers.
His workshop mixes century-old craft with modern precision. Traditional hand tools sit beside a computer-controlled lathe—watchmaking here is a blend of timeless methods and contemporary machinery. Computer-controlled equipment adds speed and accuracy, while skilled artisans still fine-tune and assemble components into precise timepieces. Towson Watch Company runs two workshops equipped with both modern and traditional tools: one at our Timonium office, and one at Hartwig Balke’s residence in Towson.
Hartwig Balke is a German-born engineer and designer. For much of his career, he worked on oil-rig blowout prevention and dust filtration systems. In 1989 he moved to the United States to open a subsidiary of a German host manufacturer—another company in the oil industry. The move required proximity to an active seaport, landing him in Baltimore.
Drawing on German expertise and manufacturing relationships, Balke built his first chronograph with George Thomas in 1999–2000. It was worn in outer space during the first mission of the new millennium—STS-99—and it launched the TWC brand’s signature Mission, Chesapeake, and Masters collections. Hartwig has since been mentoring apprentices in the TWC workshops, passing down techniques, rare tools, and high standards for the craft.
Drawing on his German manufacturing relationships, Hartwig Balke built his first wrist chronograph with George Thomas in 1999–2000. The watch was worn in space during STS‑99—the first mission of the new millennium—and the series remained in space for several months; today, they’re on display in horological museums across the country. That commissioned project launched Towson Watch Company’s Mission Collection and set the tone for a catalog built on design longevity.
In 2021, George Thomas began mentoring the next generation of American watchmakers, while Hartwig continued as lead watchmaker. Hartwig mentors apprentices in the TWC workshop, passing down techniques, rare tools, and uncompromising standards.
“I started life as a watchmaker in 1948, 58 years ago. Hartwig started out as an engineer. We work together well because he essentially does the design and engineering work that I can’t do. But I’ve had a lot of experience doing restoration of antique watches for museums. These are 200 to 300 year-old timepieces. We have both ends of the technical spectrum covered, from current engineering to an understanding of watchmaking 500 years ago.”
- George Thomas
