Test-Drive: New RAF NATO-style Watch Bands

We invited watch designer Alan Tsao (founder of  TSAO Baltimore) over to our shop to “test-drive” and review our latest strap design. He took our straps to the streets for a day in Historical Ellicott City grabbing a coffee, biking from his morning meeting, and joining some friends for lunch. Here is his perspective.

Alan is the founder of Tsao Baltimore, a new Baltimore based Luxury watch company. They focus on luxury designs, premium quality, and affordability. His first design will be launching soon on Kickstarter with a starting price of $250! Alan’s goals were to create a high-quality luxury watch at a very fair and affordable price.

CHECK OUT TSAO BALTIMORE HERE

How would you sum up your personal style?

That’s a tough question… I’m normally a business casual kind of guy. Button-down, dress pants, and a nice pair of wing-tip shoes. However, I do enjoy nice casual slacks, a plain t-shirt, or a casual button-down, with my leather chukkas! Can’t go wrong with leather Chukkas!

What were your initial thoughts about the RAF NATOs?

I love the New RAF NATOs style Watch Bands! They are incredibly comfortable and convenient. It just takes a few seconds to change the straps and with all the awesome colors you have, I plan on changing them pretty often. I can instantly see and feel the quality of each strap.

I feel like I can do anything, as long as I have the New RAF NATO-style Watch Bands strap on.

I like the variety of colors, the slight shine, and of course the quick-release feature. The thickness of the watch is also great, it’s definitely a very sturdy strap that will last for a really long time.

Personally, I never have had quick-release pins on my NATO… I do really enjoy this feature because I can just change my straps whenever I want without having to bring along my strap tool. My current NATO’s are in the classic style so these are definitely an upgrade with the quick release.

There is definitely much potential! The straps can go well casually or with a nice suit. During the 4th of July, I paired the navy and red strap together, and received a ton of compliments! I’ll probably mix and match the straps ever so often, but when I want the watch to pop, my go-to strap color is Red.

Special thanks to Bean Hollow for letting us photograph in their space, and to TSAO Baltimore for spending the morning with us to participate in this test drive.

Interested in purchasing a TSAO Baltimore? Preorder on their Kickstarter!