Latest Review
September 29, 2022 
Today, we’re excited to announce the beginning of the next chapter for ADPT. ADPT (All Day, Purpose, and Terrain – pronounced “adapt”) was initially created with a simple, but challenging goal: to develop American-made nylon watch straps. A process that took three years, in 2017 the ADPT Straps were born. A labor of love, and patience, they are still, to this day, the only American-made nylon watch straps that are readily available.
Over the years since, we’ve added many colors, a single pass version (for those who prefer less bulk), and our unique canvas and neoprene EDC Watch Pouches and Folds to the collection. As we’ve grown the brand the future of what we wanted ADPT to be crystallized. Not just a watch strap and accessories brand, but a contemporary outdoors lifestyle brand focused around what we know best, watches, but with room for the other things we’re passionate about too, like EDC and related gear.
As you can plainly see, today, we’re launching the first watches with ADPT on the dial, as well as a collaboration with our close EDC buddies, Cantonment. Let’s start with the watch, simply titled the ADPT Series 1 Watch.
Over a year in the making, the ADPT Series 1 Watch started with the simple notion of making modern sports watches that were inspired by the fun, colorful, and functional outdoor gear we love, while keeping the ethos of “All Day, Purpose, and Terrain” to heart. We wanted it to be multipurpose, easy to wear, well-built, unique, and, ideally, affordable. So, as a starting place, we teamed up with our friends at BOLDR Supply Co., which is proudly displayed on the case back, to build our watch on their proven field watch format (think of this as kind of like the Bell & Ross by Sinn watches).
Made out of titanium, and featuring 200m of water resistance, sapphire crystals, and the ability to use Seiko NH35 automatic movements, the 38mm BOLDR case mixed the right specs, with a funky, contemporary design. A perfect canvas to create a series of watches that spoke to the ADPT brand. What resulted is a series of four (to start) watches meant to work well with your lifestyle, whether that takes you on trails, underwater, to festivals, to museums, to the office, or just to your couch for popcorn and a movie. A series of watches that put color and texture forward for something a bit different from the pack.
The dial of the ADPT Series 1 Watch is built up in layers to create a bold layout with both graphic and textural elements. The base surface, which contributes the most color to the dial, features a grid pattern stamped into it, adding a little light play from every angle. The next level up serves as both a chapter ring and a crosshair, connecting the edge of the dial with the center. Rendered in a contrasting color, it balances out the dial, eating up extra space while guiding the eye through the layout. Around the edge of the dial, you will also find the minutes and seconds index printed on this layer. Additionally, it frames the date window at six, incorporating the window into the dial construction.
On top of both surfaces are applied, lume-filled markers for maximum visibility, all in coordinated colors. In each quadrant, on the lower surface, are round markers, set slightly in from the edge. At three, nine, and twelve, are triangular markers pointing inwards. The highest layer, they push the eye down the arms of the crosshair and through the layout. The lowest level, then, is the date disk, technically beneath the dial. Each version features a color-coordinated date wheel with custom type, as well as unique stacked numerals from 20 – 31 to maximize space and visibility.
Moving above the dial, first are the hour, minute, and seconds hands. The hour and minutes are both oversized syringe-style hands. A classic shape, they allow for substantial lume fill and a needle point for great readability in any light. For the ADPT Series 1 Watch, we’ve played with how they are painted and finished to create multicolored hands that really pop. The seconds hands then feature slender stems with pill-shaped lumed tips for legibility, contrasting a rectangular counterweight.
Lastly, we have the bezel. An addition to the BOLDR field platform, we felt it added the extra functionality an ADPT watch really needed. Made of titanium with an anodized aluminum insert, as it allowed for the greatest flexibility in color as well as metallic sheen we associate with outdoor gear, it features a 12-hr index for travel and timing excursions, with some minute gradations for shorter intervals, all fully lume filled. At the cardinal positions are pill-shaped markers, playing off of the cross-hair construction within. Bi-directional and friction fit (no clicks), it allows for the most flexibility and ease of use.
At four is a screw-down crown with the ADPT “A” logo on its side, and on the flip side is a titanium case back featuring the All Day, Purpose, and Terrain patch graphic. Naturally, all four versions of the ADPT Series 1 Watches come mounted to custom ADPT US-Made Nylon Mil-Straps, and are packed in EDC Watch Pouches for safe travels.
For the four initial versions of the ADPT Series 1 Watch we have a variety of flavors from bold and bright, to sleek and stylish. First, we have Petrol, a combination made of primarily soothing blues with subtle undertones of green. Accents in yellow, white, gray, and pink give the dial vibrancy, while the bezel combines a darker teal tone with a rich red. This version features a brushed titanium case, and comes mounted to a Paprika strap with a Thalo blue keeper.
Next up is Carbon, a layering of grays, blacks, and blues. The darkest and perhaps most classic of the series, it’s not lacking in personality or punch. Cerulean blue accents pop off of the black and medium gray dial surfaces, while fog gray adds a low-key contrast to the date and hands. A pink-tipped seconds hand adds an unexpected warm tone. The bezel and crown are matte PVD black over titanium, contrasting the otherwise unplated, brushed surfaces. The bezel insert pulls the black in from the edge, and breaks it with a vibrant blue section for the first 15 minutes. Carbon comes mounted to a Navy Blue strap with an Admiralty Gray keeper.
For those who seek earth tones, Harvest is the combination. Mixing greens with khakis, oranges, and a little gray, it’s an autumnal landscape distilled into a watch. An olive green frame stands off of the gridded sand base while cloudy-sky-gray applied markers aid in telling the time. Matching the dial, the sand date disk stands out with its unique use of orange type. A dark forest green and rust bezel insert tie the bright dial in with the gun metal PVD titanium case. Harvest features a Coyote strap with a Forest Green keeper.
Last, and most definitely far from least, is Terra, a vibrant mix of volcanic orange tones with blue, white, and gray. Bright and unexpected, the dial combines two oranges for a subtle but noticeable contrast, with shocks of blue and white breaking up the warm surfaces. The bezel shifts tonality with an energetic cyan combined with earthy gray. We kept the titanium unplated and brushed for a brighter look. Playing off of the warmth from the dial, Terra is held on with a Rust strap featuring a Sage gray keeper.
The ADPT Series 1 Watches are available for pre-order today, shipping by end of October. They cost $449 each and are not limited editions, but are made in small batches, so limited in availability. Pick one, two, or maybe all four up today at ADPTGoods.com
Don’t go! Or, go and come back, because we’re not done yet! In addition to the watches, we’re stoked to launch a collaboration with our good friends over at Cantonment. A growing EDC brand, their signature product is the Kerchief and Woggle-Toggle set. Each set contains two beautifully printed kerchiefs with themed graphics and reinforced slots at the corners, and a nylon “woggle”, which is a small strip of nylon with a stud on one end and a hole on the other. By combining the woggle with the kerchiefs, you open them up to a world of possible uses. Whether you wear one around your neck to catch sweat on a hike, attach it to your belt loop to wipe the grease from your hands in the garage, or use it as a makeshift bag for foraging mushrooms and berries, you’ll find a use for the Cantonment kerchiefs.
Needless to say, they fit in perfectly with the concept behind our ADPT brand, so collaborating was an obvious decision. For the ADPT Set Mark 1, we created two unique illustrations inspired by vintage patches and postcards. The first is called “ADPT Vista” and it’s based on the flat ADPT patch we’ve been using since the brand’s launch. Instead of a flat drawing, it opens up into a view of a city on a shore, surrounded by a mountain range. This kerchief is a calming green with a teal fringe.
The second kerchief features another new illustration called “Mt. ADPT” which takes the “A” from our ADPT logo and turns it into a craggy mountain in a landscape inspired by American deserts. This illustration utilizes linear elements for shadow, light, and texture, drawing from woodcuts and other illustrative crafts. Rendered in deep teal, it features an ox-blood fringe for contrast. Lastly, the woggle that accompanies the kerchiefs is Mai Tai colored, based on our original ADPT strap tone.
The Cantonment x ADPT Kerchief set is available now for $40. These are limited, so don’t wait!
Ok, one more thing. We’ve also added two new colors to both our ADPT US-Made Mil-Strap and Single Pass collections: Straw and Denim. Straw is a pale khaki that looks great with blues, blacks and aging lume. Denim is a soft blue with a touch of green. Cool and relaxing, it’s the kind of strap you’ll put on and never take off. Both are available today in 18, 20, and 22mm sizes.
