Jaeger-LeCoultre’s hidden gem: The Polaris
3 min read
The 1950s and 60s were known as the golden period of diving watches, almost every brand came out with one, each competing to be the best. One that definitely stood out at the time and does till this day is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox.
First seen in 1968 and unconventional from the get go, the dial sprawls across 42mm with Arabic numerals and hour indexes covered in tritium that ensure visibility in the depth of the ocean. But what truly set this timepiece apart from its many contemporaries is the ‘memvox’ function, a self-winding alarm caliber that gives the diver an audible warning to come back to the surface. This was possible with the caliber 825 featuring 241 components with a 60 hour power reserve, an anti-shock system, a second barrel for an alarm, hour-minute, second, date and alarm time display, all truly ahead of the curve for the time.
While the inside of the heritage wonder was a true trailblazer, it's the case itself that also played a vital role in making this watch one-of-a-kind. Water resistant upto 30-bar, the caseback also featured a compressor that comprised on three layers and they only coagulated further as the watch descended in the ocean—which means its at its tightest at 300 meters below sea level. To top it all, the caseback also featured 16 holes which ensured a loud resound of the alarm, this today is used as a tactic in numerous watches especially minute-repeaters.
One of the most non-diver-looking watches at the time, this series saw a re-issue many decades later in 2018. Received by audiences with mixed reviews, the watch as of today has a polarizing view which mostly tilts in its favor. Expanding into an ever-evolving series of watches, the Polaris today has a plethora of options that keep in mind the adventures of today including a chronograph, perpetual calendar, worldtimer, date, automatic and so many more.
“The world is moving very fast and our involvement with it is constantly changing, from one day to the next. Whether I’m running or reading or sitting still and contemplating the world, the Polaris Perpetual Calendar really is a watch that fits in with all scenarios and will give me the essential information I need every day” says Benedict Cumberbatch for the new Polaris Perpetual Calendar.
Out of the 2022 bouquet of Polaris releases, the one that caught everyone’s eye including ours is the Polaris Date in deep green which you can read all about here.
