The Best Microbrand Diver of 2022? Wise ADAMASCUS AD8 Review [ AD820A Coffee 904L Steel ] 

One quick correction. It's Wise Timepieces, not Wise Watches. Also if you are interested in 904L steel, they just announced a new dress watch. wisetimepiece.com/collections/adamascus-ad9

After owning this watch for 2 months, I sold my breitling and find it hard to pay thousands for another watch. It's that good! Great value and beautiful!

It is truly refreshing when a watch catches the reviewer off guard for the better. The AD8 seems to have done this with both you and Zaltek. The hour hand reminds me a bit of Longines. Wise has definitely sharpened their game since the Hitman.

Wow! Beautiful watch! Thanks for the review!

Very tempting, totally agree that it has a standout look. It might be a new category for my collection: dressy dive watch. It looks super versatile, and the Escher-like dial looks pretty great to my eyes too.

These are awesome! Impressive pieces!

Really enjoying the new intros with the slide in and sit!

It’s an awesome piece. Love it!👍👍😃😃

Excellent review, love the quote "Divers are the SUV of watches" that is so true! Keep up the great work!

This watch I fell in love with it’s going to be my first automatic diver I’ve been researching for awhile I want a versatile diver It was between this and glycine I’m glad I waited and watch more reviews specifically like this color way

Looks fantastic!

Awesome review!

These are really good looking divers. Another great review, Shane.

It’s an attractive watch, and I like the movement. The 904L, is unique, and I like that it is available at this price point. I look forward to seeing more watches coming out of Thailand. Great review!

"I don't like Mercedes hands...anyway" that just cracked me up lol Great and in depth review with deep insights as always, Shane! This is really good looking watch and I want one, need to start saving a bit for this one! Thank you for the review Shane 👍

What a good looking watch !

Thank you for information. I'll buy. Stay healthy all of you. Greetings from Germany. I like the design too.

I have the Wise Hitman and it's a great watch. I've had my eye on this one and I can see possibly getting one in the future. The steel, I think it's an esthetic choice more than anything.

Great review, I love a diver on leather strap, has that expedition, / adventurer look.

I have a brown one. It’s stainless steel is so shiny. Love it!

Good review. Thank you.

Hi Shane, terrific review. This Wise Adamascus is an intriguing watch. It has some very original styling on the dial, and I love the use if premium steel. I do wis Wise upgraded the movement from Myota to Selita for the $600 or so they are asking for the watch. It would have made the buy rationalation so much easier. I am holding on this one.

Just ordered this exact one last night. Paid $590 after the $20 discount they offered. I already own their Hitman diver which I was thoroughly impressed with. They're two unique watches in my collection due my Hitman having the left side crown and this one having 904L steel. They definitely know what they're doing over there.

*Hot Dog!* (hour hand), I do think you are right!!! This is one of the best microbrand divers of 2022, 2023, 2024.... its a stellar watch and I have one coming, a tour watch from the RR discord. Can't wait to try it on, from everything I've seen this is going to be nearly impossible to beat for a very very long time. The specs for money are redonkulous.

I will wait for the bracelet for sure!

Totally agree with you…..never ever like Mercedes hands….not because of Rolex, just don’t like those shapes no matter what watch they are on…and for this watch, only if it is 38mm> and the width of the bezel at least 1 to 1.5mm narrower then it would be perfect. Oh and it needs a bracelet….period.

Nice piece indeed!

I really like my burgundy dial model, but the straps are a bit short for my preference. Glad to hear there is a bracelet in the works; I am experimenting with options in the meantime.

Yo... That box is the size of a small coffin ! Nice timepiece, great review.

Love the new casual intros Shane :) On looks alone this does nothing for me with the only stand out feature being the 904L steel used for the case , apart from that its a standard micro brand for me

904L is also used by Pompeak. From what I can presume the luster is greater, but the scratch resistance not as good. Great review as usual

I appreciate your take on dressy divers being today’s SUVs- I’m so used to hearing people shit-talk them so it was nice to hear 🙌🏽

They seem to make stunning watches. Best bang for your buck..as it were. Nice vid. Thanks. Kind regards David Rutherford.

I completely agree with your dislike of Mercedes hands.

I really like this watch. I've had mine for about a month now in black. As you aptly pointed out the dial does look busy in certain lighting conditions but most times when you are looking at it you hardly notice it unless you really want to. When I originally was thinking about the watch the hour hand bugged me but since wearing it and looking at it in lume situations I really enjoy it, it has this honeycomb/hexagonal structure to it that fits really well with the dial. The thickness of the case is a major selling point, most of my watches are slightly thicker at about 13mm+ and the sleekness of this watch gives it a dressiness that isn't found in the thicker watches. Surprisingly the straps it comes with are very high quality and the rubber strap especially I am using on other watches to great extent, I'd almost go so far to say that I wish I had purchased another rubber strap at the time. But it give me more opportunity to get another one with my next Wise purchase. Some downsides would be the movement, if a Sellita movement was used I'd cough up the money for it considering all the other positives for the watch. Also the date can be hard to read when it gets into double digits. Either the window should be bigger with bigger font or just remove the date altogether and not offer it or offer as an alternative like they do with their Hitman and second/date window colour variations. Overall I really like the watch and I wear it at home the most due to slimness and size. The other ones I have tend to get in the way when holding children and doing simple chores.

very nice like it a lot .... cheers

They do great watches. I'm waiting for them to do a GMT 🙂 Thanks for the review!

"Any watch by Wise, is wise to watch" (old traditional saying in Thailand... 😜) Great watches, well designed, specs, lume, looks.... (list goes on and on). Plus the box you get is a wonderfull watch case for at least 4 more. But (dang!) mate, when you said todays divers are the SUV of watches i just realised why i'm so and so on them! Especially as SUVs turned out to be, most are "wanna be", not can, these days. Thanks for another great review Shane, be well mate. Cheers

Hello Shane, a very nice diver. I would be inclined to purchase one but it is very similar to my Zelos Mako.....

Shane, you keep racking up one great review after another. I like the case size and shape and especially the thin but not too thin height. But no bracelet and all that high polish would give me pause. If they produce a bracelet it would likely have a lot more polish as well and even when worn as a dressy diver scratches will soon be everywhere.

904 is an interesting choice for a microbrand, but it's neither a deal maker nor a deal breaker. It is more corrosion resistant, and easier to machine and polish... because it's softer-- which means it's LESS scratch resistant than 316, which is already pretty soft. I might care about the corrosion resistance aspect if I were a one-watch guy and wore the thing exclusively for years/salt water environs etc. Otherwise, I'm not sure it justifies any added cost in a microbrand.

This has everything you need nothing you don't 💯

Purchased the red dial and have been impressed by the quality and Lume . I fitted the included straps with an additional beads of rice and it looks great.👌

A very good review - nobody can complain about the value of this watch, how much would you have to spend in the mainstream to get something that good. i’m guessing $2000 with sekio is the minimum spend.

Excellent review, I've never seen you do a poor one.

I really like everything about this fine looking quality watch .. especially the 'different' hands - but that $600 bucks price is an awfully big number of New Zealand dollars.

Really like their watches, very much in the dress diver category, something different for the collection. They have another watch with a meteorite dial, the adamascus ad9 I think it's called, that is very appealing too.

Verry nice review. I may get on of these. Is it just me, or is that 6 o'clock index a bit skewed?

Hi, great review and im really tempted to buy it!!! Quick question though at 05:43, theres the turning of the bezel. Does that serve any practical function?

I like many aspects of this watch. I assume it goes well on a NATO? I would choose the all black version, but that's just me.

Look into Obris Morgan. I’ve owned a lot of micro brands and they’re among the best I’ve had. Again, I’ve hade a lot.

I like the "rootbeer" colour and the 9015 movement is great, date at 6 etc. A question mark remains over 904 steel though. Does it contain more nickel than other steel? We all know that nickel is carcinogenic, so is that a thing? Is the watch gunna kill you?

Really like their designs latley. Curious on the difference between 904L and 316L other than corrosion and polish. For "desk divers" scratch resistance comes to mind. Is 904L better there? Enjoyed the review!

904 still I feel is an odd choice. Has a better look but less scratch resistant. The hour hand is going to split opinion. Agree with it being a desk diver/dress diver, but overall a good looking watch. Great video as usual my friend 🙂.

I get it, they want to showcase the fact that they uses 904L and the quality of their case finishing but did they really have to polish the entire case on a tool watch given its a softer material.

904L steel is actually softer than 316 steel.... i didnt realize rolex uses 904 since 1985! that is probably the reason why my dad's 16200 rolex has so many scratch and knock marks since he uses his watch ( now mine) rather roughly and he killed his mechanical Tissot many many times while his rolex still survived .....somehow .

Peter Kotsa has reviewed a couple of their watches and they are very impressive. The $330 Hitman watches are particularly great value (i.e. same breath as a Komatsu).

Nice watch. Would be more competitive at $450

I like it, but I suspect the dial won't age well... "fussy" dials look cool, but look dated faster.

I wish they made a bracelet for it. I’d be all over it if they did.

Would've been so good to grab a microfiber cloth and clean all the dust! 😁😅 To admire the 904L a bit better of course...cheers 🍻

I’d be surprised if you’d be able to find Shell Cordovan on any watch in that price range.

Dive watch bezels are essential functions for timing stuff. Its the easiest tool to stay on top of work tasks. During formal events they can be useful tools when it is rude to use your phone. I really don't understand people who don't think they belong on a suit.

Like it but for me it’s too expensive for that movement, no bracelet, and a little known brand.

You mentioned the other colorways have better lume on the bezel. That's one thing that would terrify me if I had a channel like this, the prospect of misleading my viewers because I was sent a watch that was different in some respect than what they buy based on my advice. Gives me the willies.

Unfortunately I have Wise Adamascus AD8 AD830A and I wore in 2m of water at Beach and crown failed (even though screwed all way down). It now has condensation on dial and mechanism has suffered moisture damage. I emailed Wise support to inform them of issue and they requested an image of crown to establish if anything was wrong. I told them it wil require a pressure test, however they recommended this wasn't require as all watches go through stringent cross checks before leaving factory. I'm know spending good money after bad money to rectify watch. Steer clear of Wise Time Piece watches as they all all glitzy with no substances!

for this price it should come with a Swiss movement.........nice watch, very good quality, but I would never pay that price for Miyota movement, it is worth $300 tops

Anyone have issues with their shipping? I purchased a hit man full lume 4 weeks ago and my order hasn’t shipped yet. I have emailed them twice with no response. I’m frustrated and I think I’ll file a claim this week if it doesn’t ship or I don’t get a response from Wise.

"I don't like Mecedes hands" * suprised pikachu face *

The problem for us Europeans is that when adding the tax and import duties we end up with about 20% increase to about 720 USD and that is right now the territory of a Certina diver with Powermatic 80 (ETA) and a decent bracelet and the "above its weight" finishing, not to mention the resale value of a well established Swiss brand...

It's a nice looking watch, but what kills it for me is that sanitary pad shaped hour hand.

This watch has been haunting me for months. Something keeps me from pulling the trigger. Not sure what. 🤔

Hmmm ... All 8 models were originally priced well above US$ 800 but are now heavily discounted to around the US$ mark. IMHO another micro brand hoping to make a quick buck but now recognising it's not as easy to distinguish oneself from the untold number of other fish in the sea. And, FWIW, I've seen far more 'amazing' dials.

Hand design is terrible. What shape is the hour hand? Cactus? Also they appear a few mm short. The bezel teeth also appear poorly done.

Give me a shit box but a nice bacelet !

A bit off subject but Hitlers watch is up for sale tomorrow ..Alexander Historical Auctions,,,,The Adolf Hitler N.S.D.A.P. Presentation Huber Gold “Reverso” Watch

Wise has to be sending a lot of free watches because everyone is giving it great reviews. Personally, I don't think a watch made in Thailand is worth that much money.

I found it interesting initially as it seems classical and striking, but by the end of the review I found it over-designed, underdesigned and perplexing for the following reasons: The dial looks busy and evokes textured plastic pads around competition swimming pools. The thick hour hand visually imbalances it and the asymmetry illusion caused by the dial's light dark sections and then shoehorning the already dated skeletonisation trend drives me nuts. All the polish, figurative and literal, adds visual flair which is then undermined by its barebones shrugworthy arial font logo. I'm all for classic and understated logos, but I think this is so bland you can't even class it as a logo. Meanwhile the one on the crown is a mess. I know it's probably meant to be an archangel or something, but it's a stylised version of the female reproductive system. Practically impossible to miss if you remember anything of biology in school. Really odd design decisions with this company. Given absolute power for the day I'd simplify to the centerpiece candle flame/leaf shape and then stylise the font and letter I to incorporate that. A flame of wisdom, or a leaf out of a book and then underscore with a simple stylised open book if it needs further balance and differentiation from the divers text and it'll read better on the crown than this coat of reproductive arms horror show. So, while I like its broadstrokes - case, dimensions, colourway, its finer design details... Interested to see an evolution in their design, because I think it's doing a real disservice to their fit and finishing. As for 904l, I think it is absolutely a gimmick if you look up AZOM for 316l you'll find it is classed as a marine grade steel--though it does note that "it is not resistant to warm seawater". Bad for oil rig aesthetics, fine for a watch if you remember to rinse it. No corrosion on any of my divers despite frequent beach jaunts in Australia.

Its nice but is totally out-specd. by the Albany Ama pearl diver at US 300......

You can go blue in the face trying to convince me that a diver on leather is "dressy" in today's reality (apparently it self-identifies itself as a dress watch), and I will only laugh even harder. Honestly, you try to sell this watch too much.

Ah the myth of 904L steel and Rolex... Sad to see that you fell for it. The only advantage of 904L over 316L is better corrosion resistance, which is useless in normal life, unless your watch is going to dive in the sea for many years every day... But both 316L and 904L are scratch resistant, which is way more important than corrosion in daily usage. In my opinion, a hardening treatment, bringing the surface to >1000Hv is much more decision factor than 316L or 904L... And if you want the best corrosion resistance and scratchproof, then nothing beats Titanium grade 5, also know as Ti 6AL-4V, with hardening treatment like SINN Tegment, and DAMASKO Damest.

Too bad it wasn't 43x50

You’re reviewing is too long , you bore me.

Shane, I really, really loved that WISE Adamascus watch, is gorgeous! I am debating weather getting the Signum Siege (For its lume) or this the Adamascus, I am really debating it. I love field watches, but a Siege as a field watch could get you shot during a battle though, lol. Thanks for the info, friend!