By Meor Amri Meor Ayob
Of all types of watch casings that have ever been produced, my personal favorite is the pillow case. It reminds me of some iconic designs by Gerald Genta.
The Jeanrichard Aeroscope 3 Hands and the Chestnut 1681 are examples of beauty. Beauty that comes not from the materials or the intricate designs but pure by the simple shape of the casing.
The Jeanrichard Aeroscope 3 Hands and the Chestnut 1681 looks similar. Both have three hands and a date window at 3 o’clock but are designed with different purpose in mind.
As the name suggest, the Aeroscope caters for the aeronautical community where strength and lightness are primary goals pursued rigorously by the industry. To this end, the use of titanium as the base material for lightness and DLC (or Diamond like Carbon) coating for added hardening of the surface to be scratch-resistant have been adopted by Jeanrichard for this model. Coupled with the JR60 self-winding movement, the main spring stores enough energy to operate for 38 hours. Unfortunately, this movement cannot be viewed as the case-back is a solid screw-down plate.
Meanwhile, the Chestnut 1681 is to cater for semi-adventurous souls that love waking along river banks and be one with nature. The use of a chestnut coloured coating PVD on a stainless steel base reflects the nature-theme that Jeanrichard was aiming for. Another difference is the style of the crown. Where the Aeroscope uses a tubular-type crown, the Chestnut uses a diamond-shape crown. Coupled with the newer JR1000 self-winding movement, the main spring stores enough energy to operate for 48 hours. This movement can be viewed in all its glory via a sapphire display case-back.
Below is a table of specifications for the two models.
| Aeroscope 3 Hands |
Case option
Movement JR60, self-winding
Dials
Finishing
Black rubber strap with black PVD-coated titanium folding buckle |
| Chestnut 1681 |
Case option
Manufactured JR1000 movement, self-winding 
Dial: Black matt
Black rubber strap with black PVD-coated stainless steel folding buckle |
The Chestnut 1681 is a single model design whereas fans of the Aeroscope 3 Hands have a choice of two difference case material finishing and 5 different dial options to choose from.
I actually like to commend Jeanrichard for making the designs simple. Nowadays, there is a tendency to include as many complications as possible into a watch as a way of trying to prove one’s engineering capabilities. Unfortunately, that approach kills the very essence of what a watch is supposed to do. In writing, there is this concept called “KISS” – Keep It Short & Simple. This concept is also apt for watchmakers. Jeanrichard is definitely a follower of this concept!
If given a choice, I would prefer the Aeroscope 3 Hands sandblasted titanium case with green dial. With my 7.5 inch wrist, this 44 mm beauty would look extremely nice on it. The uncluttered dial would be easy to see. This is what a practical watch is all about. For more info, please visit jeanrichard.com
Meor Amri Meor Ayob – Contributing Editor
Meor Amri is a passionate watch collector from Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Having bitten by the horology bug in 2010, he has written extensively about the watch scene and has assembled a large collection of watches (excessively!!) on his own free time. Read his articles here.
His blogs on the same subject are: Eastern Watch & Western Watch
