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HALF-SKELLY is a disciplined take on skeletonization, revealing only what a seasoned eye is meant to see. The hand-wound Unitas 6498 is selectively opened to showcase its architecture: deep-relief engraving at two o’clock, and a fully exposed small-seconds train framed by a frosted sterling-silver sub-dial at six—mirroring the outer chapter ring. The dial itself is the black, hand-guilloché base plate, cut on a traditional rose engine. Skeletonized cathedral hands, white-painted for contrast, sweep cleanly above. A single ruby jewel glows at seven, and at four o’clock, the “T W C” calligraphy is carved directly from the base plate, a maker’s mark integrated into the movement—not applied on top. Housed in a 42 mm polished stainless-steel case with a domed sapphire crystal and screw-down exhibition back, each watch reveals Benzinger’s rhodium-plated bridges, blued screws, and guilloché ratchet wheels. Regulated in five positions to ±10 s/day and backed by a 36-hour power reserve, every HALF-SKELLY is hand-finished between Pforzheim and Maryland and produced in quantities of approximately 25 pieces per year—delivering substance over spectacle for those who understand the difference.
HALF-SKELLY is a disciplined take on skeletonization, revealing only what a seasoned eye is meant to see. The hand-wound Unitas 6498 is selectively opened to showcase its architecture: deep-relief engraving at two o’clock, and a fully exposed small-seconds train framed by a frosted sterling-silver sub-dial at six—mirroring the outer chapter ring. The dial itself is the black, hand-guilloché base plate, cut on a traditional rose engine. Skeletonized cathedral hands, white-painted for contrast, sweep cleanly above. A single ruby jewel glows at seven, and at four o’clock, the “T W C” calligraphy is carved directly from the base plate, a maker’s mark integrated into the movement—not applied on top. Housed in a 42 mm polished stainless-steel case with a domed sapphire crystal and screw-down exhibition back, each watch reveals Benzinger’s rhodium-plated bridges, blued screws, and guilloché ratchet wheels. Regulated in five positions to ±10 s/day and backed by a 36-hour power reserve, every HALF-SKELLY is hand-finished between Pforzheim and Maryland and produced in quantities of approximately 25 pieces per year—delivering substance over spectacle for those who understand the difference.
Black Gold & Guilloché
The HALF-SKELLY’s base plate is electroplated in ruthenium—creating a dark, mirror-like finish that deepens the guilloché. Each cut from Benzinger’s rose engine catches light beneath the blackened surface, revealing craft through contrast.
Ruthenium is a rare, platinum-group metal used in high-end watchmaking and jewelry, especially for electroplating. When applied to gold via electroplating, it creates a dark, metallic finish—what’s often called black gold. This finish isn’t painted or oxidized; it’s a bonded surface layer achieved by submerging the gold part in a ruthenium solution and running an electric current through it.
Black Gold & Guilloché
The HALF-SKELLY’s base plate is electroplated in ruthenium—creating a dark, mirror-like finish that deepens the guilloché. Each cut from Benzinger’s rose engine catches light beneath the blackened surface, revealing craft through contrast.
Ruthenium is a rare, platinum-group metal used in high-end watchmaking and jewelry, especially for electroplating. When applied to gold via electroplating, it creates a dark, metallic finish—what’s often called black gold. This finish isn’t painted or oxidized; it’s a bonded surface layer achieved by submerging the gold part in a ruthenium solution and running an electric current through it.
In 2014, while restoring Abraham Lincoln’s gold pocket watch for the Smithsonian, Towson Watch Company co-founder George Thomas uncovered something no one expected: a secret message. Etched into the inside of the case-back by watchmaker Jonathan Dillon in 1861, the inscription had gone unnoticed for over a century—hidden in plain sight, waiting for the right hands to find it.
That philosophy—that watches are living pieces of craft, hiding meaning in their construction—defines the HALF-SKELLY.
Unlike Lincoln’s hidden inscription, the HALF-SKELLY’s mark is intentional. At four o’clock, Towson Watch Company’s initials are woven into the black guilloché dial itself—subtle, skeletonized, and placed on the reverse side of the 6498 movement. Crafted in collaboration with Jochen Benzinger, one of Germany’s finest masters of guilloché and skeletonization, this detail isn’t decoration—it’s a signature. A whisper from the watchmaker to the collector. Not for the crowd. For those who know where to look.
Edition: Limited Production since 2020
Explore the Collection: Towson Watch Company × Jochen Benzinger "Skeleton Series"
In 2014, while restoring Abraham Lincoln’s gold pocket watch for the Smithsonian, Towson Watch Company co-founder George Thomas uncovered something no one expected: a secret message. Etched into the inside of the case-back by watchmaker Jonathan Dillon in 1861, the inscription had gone unnoticed for over a century—hidden in plain sight, waiting for the right hands to find it.
That philosophy—that watches are living pieces of craft, hiding meaning in their construction—defines the HALF-SKELLY.
Unlike Lincoln’s hidden inscription, the HALF-SKELLY’s mark is intentional. At four o’clock, Towson Watch Company’s initials are woven into the black guilloché dial itself—subtle, skeletonized, and placed on the reverse side of the 6498 movement. Crafted in collaboration with Jochen Benzinger, one of Germany’s finest masters of guilloché and skeletonization, this detail isn’t decoration—it’s a signature. A whisper from the watchmaker to the collector. Not for the crowd. For those who know where to look.
Edition: Limited Production since 2020
Explore the Collection: Towson Watch Company × Jochen Benzinger "Skeleton Series"
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