Towson Watch Company is an independent American watch brand founded in Maryland in 1998. We design mechanical watches in small numbered runs and sell them directly to their owners.
For images, specifications, loan watches and interviews, contact Spencer Shattuck at spencer.shattuck@towsonwatchco.com or 410-733-2991.
The company in brief
- Founded: 1998, Maryland, by Hartwig Balke and George Thomas.
- Led by: Spencer Shattuck, since 2021.
- What we make: Mechanical wristwatches in numbered editions, most limited to 100 pieces per dial.
- Where it is made: Designed in Maryland. Cases, dials and hands from specialist workshops in Pforzheim, Germany. Swiss movements. Assembled and regulated in Baltimore. STARMARK is assembled by Roland Murphy at RGM in Pennsylvania.
- How we sell: Direct only, through this site and by appointment in Baltimore. No retailers.
- Service: Baltimore Watch Company, Union Collective, 1700 W. 41st Street, Baltimore. Several of its watchmakers trained under our founders.
- Warranty: Two years from the date of purchase.
History
Hartwig Balke, an engineer and watchmaker from Pforzheim, and George Thomas, a master watchmaker and restorer, met in an Annapolis pub and found they shared the same interest in fine mechanical watches. They founded Towson Watch Company in 1998.
In 2000 a Towson chronograph flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-99, worn by astronaut Gerhard Thiele. That watch is the origin of the Mission collection.
On March 10, 2009, George Thomas opened Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, revealing an inscription a watchmaker had engraved inside it in April 1861.
Spencer Shattuck first came to the workshop at thirteen, for a school project. He has led the company since 2021. Read the full history, with sources.
Current watches
- STARMARK. Automatic moonphase with pointer date. Designed by Towson Watch Company. Built with Roland Murphy of RGM. 100 numbered pieces.
- TALBOT. A 33 by 37 mm steel tonneau with a galvanic guilloché dial in salmon or navy. 100 numbered pieces per dial.
- CHOPTANK. Full-calendar chronograph with moonphase in a tonneau case, named for the Choptank River.
- Towson x Benzinger. Hand-guilloché and skeleton work by Jochen Benzinger of Pforzheim.
Images
High-resolution product and workshop photographs are available on request and free to use for editorial coverage with credit to Towson Watch Company.
Coverage
- Smithsonian Magazine: Lincoln's Pocket Watch Reveals Long-Hidden Message
- The Baltimore Sun, 2022
- The Daily Record, 2022
- The Time Bum: Cockpit Moon C1
- The Time Bum: Recruit vs. Cadet
- Watch Advice: American Made, Five Surprising Brands from the USA, 2025
About Towson Watch Company
Towson Watch Company is a Maryland watch brand founded in 1998 by watchmakers Hartwig Balke and George Thomas. It designs each watch in Maryland, works with specialist makers in Pforzheim and Switzerland, and assembles and regulates in Baltimore. Editions are small and numbered, and every watch is sold directly to its owner.