With its new JeanRichard Aquascope Diver Monocoque, the Swiss brand successfully bridges the stylistic gap between its original Aquascope and the newer Highlands collections. Besides the refreshed dial, the 2013 version of the Aquascope Monocoque has also received the same self-winding movement that powers the new limited edition Highlands CDC Carbon that was released last month.
While the watch still comes in a cushion-shaped, black PVD-coated stainless steel case 44.5 millimeters in diameter and almost 12 millimeters thick (an impressively slender body for a watch rated for 30ATM of water resistance), it features a radically updated dial.
If you compare the new version with the 2010 JR Aquascope, you will immediately notice that the timekeeper has finally lost its Rolex-style round hour markers in favor of Arabic numerals. Although the new layout looks busier than the old one, the watch itself now looks more distinctive and is also more in line with their successful Highlands series.
I am not as happy with the new font family chosen for the “AQUASCOPE” and “AUTOMATIC 300M” inscriptions, though. Probably inspired by Porsche Design, the sans serif-type font looks radically different from the type used for the brand’s logo. Not that I am obsessed with fonts, but it hurts my eyes to see such a typographic mess on an almost perfect dial.
According to specifications, the watch is now powered by the same Caliber JR60 automatic movement that animates the aforementioned Highlands CDC Carbon. It looks like this is going to be the new workhorse movement for the Swiss-based brand. Although previously I had an impression that it was an in-house movement for the brand that refused to buy ebauches from third-party manufacturers, I now stand corrected and acknowledge that the mechanism is actually a redecorated and fine-tuned version of a Sellita blank movement (the well-known SW200).
Actually, the choice of caliber is more practical (at least, for an average customer) than an in-house since, in a small town, it is going to be a tad easier to find a repairer or a serviceman that has adequate experience with the engine, although I would probably prefer the extra hassle with a unique mechanism than to buy a watch that features the same boring ETA 2824-2 as thousands of different watches from hundreds of different brands from Germany, United States, Switzerland, and even Russia. Still, so far the mechanism enjoys a good reputation as a reliable and robust mechanism able to keep good time if served properly at proper intervals, so, again, it is surely more practical for all intents and purposes.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find information as per its recommended minimum price.
Photos: JeanRichard
JeanRichard Aquascope Diver Monocoque specification
Movement: Automatic, Caliber JR60 (based on Sellita SW200,) in-house, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 21
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 42 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Case and Crown: Stainless steel, black PVD
Bezel: Aluminum
Shape: Cushion
Bezel shape: Round
Size: 44.50 mm
Case height: 11.80 mm
Dial: Black
Numerals: Arabic, luminous
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Steel, luminous
Water resistance: 300 meters
Strap: Black rubber strap with steel black PVD folding buckle
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Solid, sand-blasted, engraved