Hot Take: The Vero × ADPT Workhorse Limited Edition

Let’s face it, collaborations are very popular in the watch world. Brands ranging from micros to historical Swiss household names join forces with clothing companies, organizers of vintage car races, or real-life adventurers. Each watch born from these collaborations is unique, but when our good friends at ADPT (a subsidiary of Worn & Wound) and Vero (an American independent brand) do a collab? My, oh my, we are in for a treat!

ADPT makes colorful and playful all-purpose watches and Vero distinctive tool watches. The two entities decided to create the ultimate summer watch that pairs a unique color scheme with robust specifications. This winning combo results in a watch like none I’ve ever seen before. Let’s take a look before they sell out!

The Vero × ADPT Workhorse is ready for summer

Vero made its first appearance on Fratello last year when Thor reviewed the first iteration of the Workhorse. By all means, it is a solid tool watch that combines a quartz chronograph movement with a distinct case design. The first version had a strong military vibe due to having a matte black dial and an olive-green case and strap. When I saw the announcement of the Vero × ADPT Workhorse collaboration, I immediately knew it would ditch the military color scheme. However, I didn’t expect the explosion of colors that came through the press shots. There’s an interesting mix of aqua blue, white, yellow, and red that truly looks unique. Of course, to fully appreciate the fresh color palette, this should be the kind of watch you are looking for anyway.

The Cerakoted case shroud (more on that later) features an aqua-blue color randomly punctuated by white speckles. It’s as if someone threw white paint onto the case in a purposefully nonuniform fashion. The result is each case looks unique as each one comes with a unique pattern. The same blue can be found on the dial and the running-seconds sub-register at 9 o’clock, while the hour and minute hands are painted in brighter blue to contrast with and match the dial. Lastly, the internal rotating bezel shows an alternation of red and blue accents, and the seconds hand as well as the bumpers holding the Cerakoted shroud in place are painted in bright yellow. 

I do appreciate the effort that the teams at Vero and ADPT put in to match the props in the photoshoot to the summery colors of this Workhorse. 

Vero × ADPT Workhorse: specs, availability, and pricing

At its core, the Vero × ADPT Workhorse is, as its name indicates, a workhorse of a watch. This is a fact that is fascinating to me since the bright and poppy colors could indicate otherwise. It’s as if the Workhorse is a mean machine in disguise, pretending to be cool and chill while, in reality, it could knock you down. The Cerakoted case, for example, is a bit deceiving given its color treatment. Cerakote is a military-grade coating that’s particularly efficient at absorbing shocks and resisting scratches. But here, the sandblasted finish looks playful thanks to the aqua-blue color and the specks of white. The case, by the way, takes a 20mm strap and measures 44.5mm wide, 49.5mm long, and 15.5mm thick. While this may sound quite large, don’t dismiss it too quickly. I reviewed the first Workhorse too, and it fit my 16cm (6.25”) wrist surprisingly well.

The Vero × ADPT Workhorse is also a multi-purpose tool watch. It is powered by the Miyota 6S21 quartz chronograph movement and features a 60-minute totalizer at 3 o’clock. The inner bidirectional bezel is activated by the crown at 2 o’clock and can measure up to 60 minutes. The Workhorse is basically a chronograph diver, something also possible thanks to the 120m depth rating. To complete the package, the crystal is sapphire, and the Workhorse comes on a white nylon strap with a Velcro closure.

The Vero × ADPT Workhorse is limited to 100 pieces and is available starting today, June 8th, at noon Eastern Daylight Time (6:00 PM Central European Summer Time) exclusively at the Windup Watch Shop. It retails for US$499. Shipping is estimated for the end of July, just in time for the second part of the summer!