Thus far we’ve mostly looked at watch brands created by enthusiasts—long-term nerds, collectors, and even those who work in retail—but we have yet to discuss a brand created by “experts.” By this I mean those whose job it is to talk about watches everyday, to write reviews, record videos, and organize watch related events. In other words, human beings who have seen many watches, handled models from luxurious and entry-level brands alike, and of all genres. Since this is also my job, I’d say that such people, by the very nature of their occupation, know what they like and can more easily articulate their horological preferences than those who are not as fortunate as we are. This is due to the fact that we have many hands-on experiences that most people don’t. (I do consider myself extremely lucky.) 

And by writing this review, I’m admitting to being the opposite of what a professional watch journalist should be: punctual and communicative. The brand we’re going to discuss today lent me this model a few months back and I have utterly failed to write about it earlier. (My sincerest apologies!) So what are we going to take a look at today? Well, the second model from ADPT, an off-shoot of the popular online watch magazine Worn & Wound, which stands for “All Day, Purpose, and Terrain.” Clearly, the brand is into multi-purpose watches that can both be an “everyday” and “GADA” timepiece. (We don’t all agree on what the latter actually means.) And ADPT managed to achieve this without requiring you to mortgage your house. 

Specifications 

Since I am being transparent, I would like to admit something else: I didn’t know I could like color this much! Generally, when it comes to dials, I lean towards black, gray, or any shades in the middle, something you most likely have realized perusing through my reviews. The ADPT Series 1 Dual-Time is anything but monochromatic and, knowing the folks who designed it—including how their limited edition collaborations generally turn out—I’m not surprised to see green, blue, and pink cohabitating on the dial and hands. But before we get into the looks of the Series 1, let’s discuss its specifications. First things first, the ADPT is easy to wear on my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist and is thus for two main reasons: compact dimensions—38mm x 44mm x 13.6mm—and lightweight materials—brushed titanium. As you might know, titanium is lighter than stainless steel.

In addition to its Mainspring-approved size, the Series 1 comes with 200 meters of water resistance (screw-down crown and case-back,) a flat piece of sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating, loads of lume on the applied hour markers and hands, as well as a Seiko NH34 GMT caliber which beats at 21,600 BPH (3Hz) and has 41 hours of power reserve. That’s a lot of good stuff which indeed makes the Series 1 Dual-Time a versatile watch, and a proper tool watch for that matter. The team which designed this piece—in collaboration with BOLDR—thought about all of the smallest of mechanical details: a 120-click unidirectional bezel, a grippy crown placed at the four o’clock (to aid with wearing comfort,) as well as a US-made RAF-style single-pass strap. 

All of this horological goodness can be had for the reasonable sum of $425 USD which does show that the ADPT Series 1 Dual-Time was conceived by folks with lots of experience under their journalistic belt. 

Design

Visually, there is a lot going on here which we will now cover in detail. Starting with the dial colors I mentioned earlier that work well together and make the Dual-Time rather legible and cool to look at. The GMT functionality is indicated by way of a baby blue fourth hand which is paired with a discreet GMT scale printed in a similar color on the raised minute track. On the latter we also find twelve dots which I assume are to be used in conjunction with the cardinal points present on the bezel. Speaking of which, we also find a fully-graduated 60-minute count-up scale and the bezel was bisected to distinguish daytime hours from nighttime hours on the 24-hour scale. There is indeed quite a lot already taking place on the bezel. 

But the dial is the star of the show here given its unusual design and, again, the unique color scheme ADPT opted for. The applied hour markers pop from the green waffle textured dial thanks to being endowed by blue-ish surrounds (a color we also find on the date disc,) while the hour markers at the cardinal points stand out by their powder pink tones and for being in the shape of rounded triangles at the 3, 9, and 12 and a small dot at the 6, below the framed date aperture. We further find the same pink color on the lumed element of the seconds hand. There are indeed many colors being juxtaposed one near the other in a coherent way that is.

The hour and minute hands are nothing short of being unusual as well. From afar, they seem to be almost of the same length, however one can distinguish the hour hand from the minute one by the fact that the former has a shorter, wider main section and a longer needle-style tip compared to the latter. And both hands received a half-polished treatment which adds subtle light plays at certain angles. These bold colors and textures, as well as the multi-step dial construction with its raised central cross pattern, live above a modern and angular case designed by microbrand BOLDR. From what I could read on ADPT’s website, the two brands worked closely on the design of this series. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that ADPT, a brand created by the main crew over at Worn & Wound, created a unique looking, robust, and attainable multi-purpose tool watch. One that can be used to dive, to travel, and to find one’s way in the midst of the Amazon forest thanks to its compass feature. (I watched a brief video explaining how a watch can be used as a compass and I found it to be quite neat.) And the price of this piece—$425 USD—is something I need to linger on a little longer because one could have expected, rightfully so I would say, that experts in the world of horology who created one of the leading online watch magazine could have been tempted to charge much more for their horological creation. 

Indeed, it’s common to see watch journalists collaborate with higher-end brands such as Longines, Oris, and Tissot to create limited edition models that retail for double what their non-special variant retails for, just because it’s a watch that was born from a collaboration. And the ADPT Series 1 Dual-Time is also a timepiece that was created in collaboration with a brand—BOLDR—but one which is known for offering affordable, robust, and unique tool watches. The teams therefore re-used tried and tested case designs and endowed them with W&W’s unique flair for color plays. I appreciate the way in which both entities approached this collaboration so that they could indeed create a watch for the enthusiasts. 

Conclusion 

Coming in at $425 USD, the ADPT Series 1 Dual-Time exists within a small segment of the micro/independent watch market where competition for attainable NH34-powered tool watches is fierce. Without naming any brands in particular, I know of a few models that have similar specs that can be acquired for a similar price. However, what they lack, perhaps, is the fun factor the ADPT comes with. As corny as this might sound, I’ve never seen anything quite like it before and that in itself is a good reason for you to take a closer look at this collection which also comes in a aqua blue-themed color variant. 

Thanks for reading.