Review: Nomad Titanium Band gives your watch a sophisticated look without breaking the bank
Nomad’s metal strap is made with premium materials, costs less than half as much as Apple’s comparable in-house band and gives your Apple Watch a very desirable, sophisticated look.
Metal bands in general
My experience with link bracelets for Apple Watch has so far been a mixed bag. I’ve owned Apple’s link bracelet, which is pricey, as well as several third-party link bands that weren’t very reliable nor as good-looking as the first-party solution.
The new Titanium Band from accessory maker Nomad, announced last month, is as comfortable to wear as Apple’s link bracelet. The metal strap and an accompanying sizing tool ship in elegant matte black box. It’s nice that they include a baggy that protects the metal bracelet from dings and scratches when it’s not being used.
The sizing experience
Armed with patience, I’ve found the metal strap to be easy to adjust and install.
The Titanium Band arrives at maximum size so most people will probably need to remove a few links for a perfect fit. The accessory ships with a special tool included in the box for removing or adding links which are held together with hidden pins. You also get several extra pins in the box along with a cloth pouch to store the tool and any leftover pieces.
To tighten or loosen the fit, simply remove or add some of the links, which takes just a few minutes. In order to make your life easier, the band has arrows indicating the direction in which the pin is to be pushed outward. To remove a link, first adjust the round platform on the bottom of the link removal tool to align the needle with the link pin hole.
Next, rest your band to be level on the round platform and ensure that the pin you want to remove is lined up with the needle, with the arrows pointing towards the slit and away from the needle. Simply turn the side wheel clockwise to move the needle into the link pin hole. Continue turning the wheel until the needle is pushed all the way in.
The pin should be sticking slightly out through the slit on the other side. Now turn the wheel counterclockwise to remove the needle from the link hole and push it out of the side of the link. You can now pick up the link bracelet and pull the pin out with your fingers.
To install the strap, you must slide the lugs on each end into position at the same time because this metal strap is a single piece, not a two-piece design like most other watch straps.
The wearing experience
I’ve had no issues with the band in my weeklong hands-on time with it.
There are no gaps between the links, which is why the accessory fits mosts wrists snugly without any hair on your arm being pulled or trapped between the links, which significantly improves the wearing experience over Apple’s hair-pulling metal band.
My review unit arrived in Space Gray that looks stylish paired with my Space Gray watch—black finish with a special PVD treatment give it a gorgeous lustre. The band is made of titanium, yielding much higher corrosion resistance than other stainless steel alloys.
Titanium sports a strength-to-density ratio that’s the highest of any metallic element and is also biologically inert so people who tend to develop reactions such as skin irritation, inflammation of the skin tissue or rash when wearing metal bands can safely wear this strap.
Summing it all up
I’ve worn the band in all kinds of situations, be it working out in the gym, driving, biking, working at my computer—I’ve even slept while wearing it—and have no major complaints.
This titanium strap upgrades the look of your watch making it more modern and sophisticated, especially if you rock the Space Gray watch + band combo. It’s significantly lighter than Apple’s metal strap made out of stainless steel and stronger than any metal band out there.
If you’d like to give your watch a luxurious upgrade, you can’t go wrong by considering the new Titanium Band from Nomad. At $180, it’s a fraction of the price of the $349 Link Bracelet from Apple (and, Nomad doesn’t charge you an extra $100 if you want it in Space Black).
To learn more about this product, visit the Nomad website.
Pros and cons
Here’s what we liked and disliked about this product
Pros
- Affordable price
- Leverages the qualities of high-grade titanium
- No pricing discrimination on the Space Black version
- Precision craftsmanship, doesn’t pull your hair
Cons
- No cons whatsoever
The strap is compatible with all Apple Watch editions and sizes.
Pricing and availability
Nomad’s Titanium Band is priced at $179.95 in your choice of Silver or Black to match your watch case. By comparison, the 42mm Link Bracelet from Apple is priced at $349 for a Silver finish and $449 for Space Black.
You can get your Titanium Band direct from Nomad.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2019/02/25/review-nomad-titanium-band-for-apple-watch/
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