I was a busy bunny during SIHH week last month, visiting not only as many brands at the Richemont group’s exhibition but also taking the time to visit brands showcasing new watches all over Geneva. One such brand was JEANRICHARD, who were displaying in Geneva Airport just a few meters away from the SIHH expo hall.

Like most brands that aren’t part of the Richemont group and/or officially part of SIHH, JEANRICHARD are saving their most important new releases for Baselworld in a month’s time. The brand did however present their Nocturnal Adventures collection, which HODINKEE got a first live look at here.

The Nocturnal Adventures collection is JEANRICHARD’s take on blacked-out watches, something that has become quite en vogue among watchmakers of every tier in the last decade. And while the more conservative aficionados cringed at the trend and believed it would be short-lived, brands are still making them and we’re still buying them.

The Nocturnal Adventures collection is comprised of several models in the Terrascope line (I reviewed my own blue Terrascope here) and the more retro-classic 1681 line reviewed here.

One of the strong points of the Terrascope collection is its multi-component case structuried, finished with different surface treatments like vertical satin-brushing and polished edges. This has been preserved in the Nocturnal Adventures versions, though the satin brushing is less prominent due to the black DLC (diamond-like carbon) treatment. This results in a stealthier overall look that is still distinctly a Terrascope. I like that JEANRICHARD didn’t go for an illegible all-black look. Even though the faceted arrow and lance hands are plated with black rhodium, they’re easy enough to read under any lighting condition thanks to the copious amounts of Super-Luminova, as are the lume-tipped applied baton hour markers. Here’s a dark grey dial version.

There’s another version with a black dial fitted with gold hands and markers, and another version with a contrasting frosted creamy-silver dial.

Like I said earlier, sporty watches almost always look good in black. But I wondered if the stealthy yet edgy look would work as well with the more classical 1681 collection?

Unlike the Terrascope where the original surface finishes are retained, the cushion-form 1681 is given a matte black DLC treatment, which actually looks really good in the metal (and carbon).

The leaf hands are also blackened, with less lume than the Terrascopes but remain fairly legible. The dials are also matte finished, making the black polished markers stand out from the rest of the dial. The blackness even extends to the movement, where the in-house JR1000 in-house manufactured caliber is fitted with a black rotor.

In fact, my favorite piece from the Nocturnal Adventures collection hands-down is the 1681 with the frosted creamy-silver dial. I just love that sharp contrast between case and dial and the perfect mix of surfaces.

Stay tuned for a look at the entire Nocturnal Adventures range after I spend more time with the watches at Baselworld next month.

More information on www.jeanrichard.com