Would you buy a Key Bridge watch? Maryland jeweler to craft dedicated timepiece using bridge debris

BALTIMORE -- Salvage crews worked for weeks, removing pieces of steel of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the Patapsco River. Now, a local watch maker plans to use some of that metal to create new time pieces.

Alan Tsao is the founder of Tsao Baltimore Watch Company , which creates handcrafted time pieces in Maryland. He says these watches will be unique and unlike anything else in his collection, adding that the time piece will remember and honor this iconic Baltimore symbol.

"It was a huge landmark in Baltimore and just seeing that crumble so easily. It was just a crazy moment," Tsao said.

Tsao remembers waking up in the middle of the night to the news that the bridge collapsed. Weeks after that day, he began receiving messages about how he could preserve parts of the bridge.

"We would get 20-30 emails a week from our customer saying you should make a watch from the Key Bridge," Tsao said.

His friend worked on the salvage effort and cut small sections of metal from the trusses that were recovered.

"Next thing you know, he comes to my doorstep with 200 pounds of steel," Tsao said. "This timepiece will be a part of Baltimore's history, which would be something incredible to be a part of."

Baltimore brands and themes have popped up in Tsao's collection before, including several watches featuring Natty Boh and other Baltimore landmarks.

He's had a love for watches since he was 10 years old and founded his company in 2017.

Right now, the Key Bridge watch is in the design phase. Making these limited-edition watches, Tsao hopes to preserve the history of the bridge, and what it meant to the city.

"It's a piece of Baltimore that's going to be on your wrist. It'll be something way beyond what a timepiece is," Tsao added.

The Key Bridge watch should be available by the end of the year.

Profits from the watch sales will benefit the Key Bridge Emergency Response Fund , helping the victims' families after the tragedy.