Why the Terrascope? A Response

So in fact, it would appear that someone actually reads this stuff!  A comment from a connection on Linkedin called me out (rightly so) for simply saying that I thought the Terrascope could be a watch of the year candidate, but didn't really bother to say why.  Sir, you are in the right, so allow me to reply:

First and foremost, I think that the Terrascope is an intriguing design and one that finally relieves us from the limitations that the former JEANRICHARD collections have provided.  It is neither a dress watch or a dive watch - but something somehow in between. 

Courtesy of JEANRICHARD

Is the design the MOST CUTTING EDGE you've ever seen?  Of course not, and that is the point actually.  Like a lot of people out there, I had been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride when it came to JEANRICHARD.  On the one hand, there would be an interesting piece here or there, but too often than not you would see either "GP Light" - meaning a watch that bore striking resemblances to Girard-Perregaux, but contained a non-"in house" movement.  Or the other extreme end of the spectrum - an extremely expensive, semi-complicated watch that would be in the collection for a year or so, then consigned to the grey market where it would continue to drop in price until it was gone and that "would be that".

Courtesy of JEANRICHARD

I think that more than anything, JEANRICHARD lacked a consistent line-up.  The moves were starting to be made, and Highlands was certainly a step in the right direction.  Having tested one of them a few years ago, I can say that yes, it is a great watch.  But the brand needed something more.  And I feel quite strongly that the Terrascope is that something more.  It is a departure from the previous "set-play".  It is a risk of sorts, because rather than just re-configure something existing, this is something completely new.  And for me at least, this finally hits ALL of the buttons for a watch that I would buy and wear every day, on every occasion.

Courtesy of JEANRICHARD

This is a watch I could wear in just about any circumstance.  Living as I do in Santa Barbara, I wouldn't feel the need to change watches to go to the beach - it is water resistant to 100 meters - far deeper than I would ever go.  As it looks very smart, I would not hesitate to wear it on a formal outing.  And lastly - because I am in fact 44 years old, and no longer as young and spry as I once was - I appreciate that it is clear, legible and easy to read.  It is not ostentatious, it is dignified.  And it does come with an in-house movement.  And finally, it is priced at a level that a former English teacher can afford!

One of the things I wrote about a week ago was the difference between "FAIR" and "RATIONAL" pricing.  I think that finally, JEANRICHARD has recognized the need to offer a solid, well made (and dare I say it) archival watch and price it RATIONALLY.  This is a watch that could stay in a family for many generations - it is not "of the moment".  It is modern, but not disposable in terms of design.  This is the watch that I know I have been waiting for.

And if the buzz I hear from others out there is anything to go by, I am not alone.