Rod's New JR Is On The Wrist!

[RBrylawski]

For most of us here, can there be anything more exiting than to get a box delivered with a new shiny contained within? Of course there isn't! This is what I came home from work to find sitting on my kitchen counter:

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Ashford packaging is very nice. Included in the box was also a nice fabric tote bag, which is a nice addition! The little plastic sleeve on the left contains a nice soft lint free cleaning cloth, plus the Ashford, 2 year warranty card.

Further unpacking reveals:



I like the vintage retro watch box the JR comes in. It's different and yet functional as one could easily travel with the case, which is something most other watch boxes won't permit.

So, what did I see when I opened the box, huh?



Wow! My immediate reaction was it exceeded my expectations. The blue dial is simply stunning and the sunburst is amazing. I hope the pictures capture just how awesome the dial and bezel is! The watch is heavy 260 grams on the metal bracelet, but seems very nicely balanced.

A little break and a short drive to my watch guy to get the bracelet sized. I know, why don't I yet do this myself? Simple, when one is as OCD as I am, and never gets scratches on any of his watches, the chance I could scratch the watch or bracelet by my own doing isn't worth the worry. My watch guy knows how OCD I am and he would never scratch a watch of mine adjusting the bracelet. For $8 - $10, it's more than worth the expense. Plus he loves watches and I enjoy how excited he gets when I bring something new in.

Here are two wrist shots:



The watch is extremely comfortable. If I had any complaint with the bracelet, it would be that there are no half sized links (it only has whole links), but it worked out well for my 7 1/4" wrist, by just removing two links. And if I were a true diver, which I'm not and won't likely ever become, for a dive watch to not have the ability to accommodate a wet suit by simple adjustment, seems like an omission which leads me to think this watch is really designed to swim in, but not dive in. Again, that's fine for my needs, but if you're a diver, a real diver, consider this if you want the metal bracelet.

The bracelet itself is perfectly burshed and polished between each link. I can't find any mistakes in how it's finished. In fact, while it's not quite as fantastic as the bracelet on my Ebel 1911 BTR, it's pretty darn nice. The only other thing that might have made it just a bit more upscale would have been to have screw pins, as opposed to standard pins. But to me, that's a minor nit, hardly worth mentioning.

From the side of the watch, it too is finished impeccably. I love how the bezel (whcih by the way has the perfect feel and clicks confidently between the 60 clicks) is polished and brushed at each indent. It adds a lot of visual interest. And the modified cushion shape of the watch itself is brushed and polished to perfection as well! The JR on one link and JeanRichard on another is a nice touch. And crown is very nice with JR logo as well.

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I'll end with two more shots. One a car shot from the drive home and two, it is a dive watch after all, so how's the lume? Pretty nice as this picture demonstrates:




All in all, I'm beyond impressed with this JR Aquascope. It's every bit worth the retail price as far as I'm concerned. But for the price I got this for from Ashford, it's an amazing value without any question!