JeanRichard Aquascope BNY Mellon Boat Race Edition

The new JeanRichard Aquascope BNY Mellon Boat Race Edition automatic diver is designed to celebrate the next rowing competition between creme de la creme of British educational establishments. Guys from Oxford and Cambridge universities will face each other next April in order to once again test each other’s skills and willpower.

Previously sporting two crowns (one to wind and set the watch and the other, on the left side, to lock the bezel with its traditional diving scale in a preset position), the Aquascope family is gradually modified in order to better match the brand’s new Terrascope line of sporty watches.

Last year, the Aquascope has received the same Caliber JR60 automatic movement. The mechanism is based on a Sellita SW200 blank caliber but features some minor modifications and more interesting finish (you won’t be able to admire it though since the mechanism is hidden behind a solid back cover.)

This year, the limited edition JeanRichard Aquascope BNY Mellon Boat Race lost its second crown. Although dropping the extra crown, the model also lost a part of its originality, I can only welcome the change since now the watch looks a lot more restrained and up to the point.

The remaining crown has also been redesigned. It is no longer set almost flush with the sides of the body that guarded it against occasional shocks. On the contrary, the part is now deliberately large protruding from the right side for at least three millimeters. Still, it is short enough not to bother the timekeeper’s owner with a sporadic bite in the back of the palm.

As for this particular edition, it is not only presented in a well-designed and precisely machined out of a block of stainless steel cushion-shaped body, which is decorated with a nice combination of polished and vertically satin-brushed surfaces. It also sports a number of elements that make this specific model unique.

The first thing that you will probably notice from the very beginning is the arrow-shaped seconds hand. Although some may see similarities with vintage divers, it is, in fact, a brief nod to the main sponsor of the event: a variation of BNY Mellon global investments company’s logo.

The other elements that make this piece stand out from the crowd is, of course, dark (Oxford) and light blue (Cambridge) elements of the dial decorating its bezel flange (Oxford probably won’t like the fact that their colors were used for the bottom half of the minute track, especially given the fact that they won the last competition early this year) and the doubled hour marker at 12 hours.

It is reported that only 160 individually numbered pieces will be sold. The Mellon Boat Race Edition will be available later this month at all JeanRichard authorized dealerships throughout the world.

For this (rather brief at that) review I couldn’t actually wear the timepiece on my own wrist. However, having tried other specimens of the collection, I have to say that members of this family felt comfortable on my rather average wrist. Still, being 44 millimeters wide and just over 13 mm thick, you must realize that these are large timepieces and not everyone will be able to wear one without feeling a bit silly. Just have this in mind while ordering one.

WWR verdict

Originality 4/5
Build quality: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Legibility: 5/5
Value for money: 4.5/5