·  Redefining the modern sporty-elegant wristwatch, the Polaris perpetual calendar is powered by the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 868AA

· A gradient-blue lacquer dial provides a visually rich and highly legible display of calendar indications and the moon phases in both hemispheres

· The 42mm case in steel or pink gold features a rapid-change attachment for the interchangeable straps

The historic Polaris name was reintroduced by Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2018 with an entirely new line of watches that harness the Manufacture’s distinguished legacy of diving watches, and translate the spirit of the celebrated 1968 Memovox Polaris into contemporary form. Conceived for everyday adventures, with a combination of robust capabilities, practical functions and a distinctive aesthetic, the Polaris collection has redefined the modern sporty-elegant watch.

The Anomaly of Time – and a New Perpetual Calendar Calibre

The reason for the complexity of our calendar, with its leap years and different number of days in the months, lies in an anomaly between the way we measure civil time and the celestial phenomena on which those measurements are based.

Consequently, for watchmakers, a perpetual calendar is among the most challenging complications to master; a miniature mechanical computer, it must automatically adjust for months of different lengths and even for leap years. Unlike a simple date display, which needs to be adjusted at the end of every month that doesn’t have 31 days, a perpetual calendar will not need any manual correction until 2100 and, after that, only for the centenary years that are not leap years.

Ancient civilisations defined a year as the time it takes for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky, completing a full cycle of seasons. This solar (or “tropical”) year lasted approximately 365.2425 days – and led to the creation of the first calendars. However, a 365-day calendar year is almost six hours shorter than a solar year. The Julian Calendar, introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar, compensated by adding an extra day to February every fourth year. However, this was an over-compensation and in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII eliminated some leap years. According to the Gregorian Calendar, which we use to this day, any year that is divisible by 4, is a leap year; however, if it can also be divided by 100, it is not a leap year (for example 1900, 2100); nevertheless, those centenary years that can be divided by 400, are leap years (2000, 2400).

At the end of the 19th century, LeCoultre & Cie developed its first perpetual calendar pocket watches.

Due to the difficulty of creating such complex mechanisms on the tiny scale of a watch, the complication was still extremely rare when Jaeger-LeCoultre presented its first perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1937. Since then, the Manufacture’s watchmakers have continuously improved the precision and quality of these remarkable mechanisms.

The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 868AA developed for the Polaris Perpetual Calendar has evolved from the well-proven in-house perpetual calendar movement that first appeared in 2013. It has been upgraded in line with the Manufacture’s latest technical innovations and significantly modified, with a retrograde display of Southern Hemisphere moon phases complementing the classical Northern Hemisphere moon-phase display, as well as an increase in power reserve to 70 hours. Supplementing the calendar indications, the rotating inner bezel – a Polaris signature – offers the practical function of measuring elapsed time.

A Visually Rich Display

Lacquered in a deep gradient-blue colour, the dial of the Polaris Perpetual Calendar takes its aesthetic cues from the Polaris Mariner Memovox. The graduated blue suggests the transition from day to night – a subtle reminder of the connection between celestial phenomena and time measurement.

With an emphasis on balance and legibility, the calendar indications are displayed in three sub-dials. The date, month and day indicators are at 9, 12 and 3 o’clock respectively, with the year displayed within the month indicator. A pleasing reminder that calendars had their origins in astronomical phenomena, the moon phases are displayed at 6 o’clock – with a retrograde display for the Southern Hemisphere framing a classical display for its Northern counterpart. Each of the four sub-dials is slightly recessed and finished in different textures, adding visual richness as the light plays across them.

At the centre of the dial, a small security zone indicator shows red between the hours of 20:00 and 04:00 to warn the user not to adjust the time or calendar indications. Skeletonised hands allow greater visibility of the indications and, in keeping with the contemporary Polaris design codes, bold trapezoid-shaped indexes balance the complexity and fine detail of the calendar displays. Luminescent coating on hands and indexes enhances legibility in all light conditions – an essential attribute for a sport watch.

The 42mm cases, in steel or pink gold, feature the key Polaris design codes: taut lines, fine bezels, glass-box crystals, and an eye-catching mix of brushed and polished surfaces. A transparent sapphire crystal case-back and an open-worked pink gold winding rotor reveal the fine decorative finishes on the movement.

Crucially for a timepiece designed for everyday living, the Polaris Perpetual Calendar is easy to operate and adjust. The top crown rotates the inner bezel – both features being Polaris signatures – while the lower crown is for setting the time and winding the watch. Calendar settings are adjusted via a single pusher.

Thanks to a newly developed interchangeable strap system, which is operated by simply pressing on the pushers integrated into the attachment point between the lugs, the Polaris Perpetual Calendar is adaptable for every adventure. Capitalising on its sporty character, the steel model is offered with both a three-link steel bracelet and textured rubber strap, while the elegance of the pink gold model is complemented by a blue rubber strap and, for a more formal look, an alligator strap with a folding buckle. Adding to the options for personalisation is a collection of calfskin straps in a variety of colours.

True to La Grande Maison’s guiding philosophy of marrying tradition and modernity, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar now brings one of horology’s great complications into the world of contemporary sporting elegance.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

POLARIS PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Case: steel or pink gold

Dimensions: 42mm x 11.97mm

Calibre: automatic mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 868AA

Frequency: 28,800

Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar with moon phases in two hemispheres and red security zone, inner rotating bezel

Power reserve: 70 hours

Dial: gradient blue lacquer

Water resistance: 100m

References:

Q9088180 – steel version (interchangeable steel bracelet and rubber strap)

Q9082680 – pink gold version (interchangeable rubber strap and alligator leather strap)

With close to two centuries of horological expertise, Jaeger-LeCoultre stands alone in its command of complicated watchmaking. This includes unparalleled in-house experience in chiming watches, the most prestigious and exalted domain of mechanical savoir-faire. As a matter of fact, La Grande Maison du Sentier has the distinction of being the only manufacture in the world to have over 200 chiming watch calibres in its historical and modern inventory.

In May 2019, following the success of the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Jaeger-LeCoultre debuts a timepiece that once again brings new levels of excellence to its mastery of chiming watches.

The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle features an innovative gong system that resurrects the idealised chime of antique pocket sonneries, paired with an evolutionary case design that transmits timelessness and modernity.

Key points of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle

• A new gong system that replicates the richness and strength of antique sonnerie pocket watches
• Evolutionary case design that redefines the timelessness and modernity of the Master Grande Tradition timepieces
• Heightened focus on customer experience with automatic winding system and intuitive perpetual-calendar setting

A new chime

Innovation in the domain of chiming watches has been one of the foundation stones of mechanical expertise at Jaeger-LeCoultre since 1895, when the company was awarded a patent for the world’s first silent strike regulator. In the 21^st century, Jaeger-LeCoultre channelled its creativity in sonnerie watches towards producing the most energy-efficient and volume-optimised chime possible.

The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle represents the next generation of chime-related innovation at La Grande Maison. Its movement, the automatic calibre 950, unites the two apex values of chime quality that were previously thought to be incompatible — power and beauty. This combination of qualities has largely eluded the best watchmakers in history, the understanding being that one can come only at the cost of the other.

The research and innovation team of Jaeger-LeCoultre have achieved this idealised chime by creating an entirely novel gong configuration, unlike any other. Instead of lying flat in overlapping coils like the most commonly seen minute repeater gongs, the gongs of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle depart radically from convention by incorporating unprecedented height and space. Two gongs, welded together at their base, travel in the same direction around the periphery of the movement, making one near-complete tour before dramatically arching upwards, traversing the entire height of the movement. They then diverge and take a terminal semi-arc around the other side of the movement, stopping just before their ends meet.

By maximising the space occupied by the element that creates sound vibrations — the gongs — the calibre 950 boosts its capacity for sound transmission. Further increasing this capacity is the proximity of the gongs to a larger proportion of the watch case, according to the acoustic principles that instinctively guide us where to position a relatively weak audio source in relation to an resonator (such as when a personal music player is placed in a glass dish to amplify the sound).

Signature chime innovations of Jaeger-LeCoultre, such as the square gong cross-sections and the articulated “trebuchet” hammers, ensure that the gongs are struck with the greatest possible impact and the least interference from hammer recoil. These set the stage for the meticulously engineered acoustic profile of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle chime.

The lower-pitched gong takes a helical path from gong heel to tip. Though irregular in shape, its unidirectional flow allows it to vibrate in a way that creates the harmonic overtones giving fullness and balance to bass notes.

The higher-pitched gong switches direction, effectively folding back on itself like the tines of a tuning fork. This configuration emphasises the fundamental vibration of the gong, producing a purer tone that imparts the clarity and brilliance prized in treble notes.

This new optimised combination of chime volume and acoustic quality marks out new territory for Jaeger-LeCoultre in sonnerie watches, an expansion that is fully supported by the other customer-centric aspects of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle.

Focus on the wearer

Perpetual calendars are among the most practical and useful mechanical complications that can be incorporated into a timepiece. Their ability to display the correct calendar information, taking into consideration the varying lengths of the months — even during leap years — provides everyday convenience for the wearer, especially when combined with an automatic winding system for low-maintenance upkeep when worn regularly.

Traditional-style perpetual calendars are mostly hand-wound, as the prestige of a high complication generally demands that the finely finished movement should be fully visible for admiration. Automatic minute repeaters are even rarer, with occasional exceptions such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Ivy Minute Repeater.

The winding rotor of the calibre 950 is hidden within the movement, positioned between the perpetual calendar and minute repeater mechanisms, in order to a have full view on the mechanism at the back of the watch. The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is thus continuously supplied with energy without the need to obscure a single finely finished component, whether chamfered, satin-finished, decorated with côtes de Genève, or any combination of the above.

Another feature of the watch that puts the needs of the wearer foremost is the intuitive Security zone that appears in a dial aperture near the axis of the hour and minute hands. This indication appears between the hours of 10pm and 1am, when adjusting the time or calendar is not advised due to the possibility of stressing or even damaging the movement. This reminder takes the onus off the wearer to remember when the time and calendar indications can be adjusted.

Despite the multiple complications and the automatic winding system, all of which are known to add bulk to a timepiece, the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is highly compact, with a diameter of 43mm and a height of 13.72mm.

Design evolution

The Master Grande Tradition collection has always been a platform for high watchmaking at Jaeger-LeCoultre, emphasising classic design in order to let the sophisticated mechanisms take centre stage. In the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle, Jaeger-LeCoultre recalibrates the balance of technical prowess against aesthetic refinement to arrive at a new equilibrium of power and beauty.

A new case, comprising more than 80 separate hand-finished parts, was created for the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle. Particular attention was paid to the ergonomics of the case, from the deeply convex bezel and broad bevels on the lugs to the smoothly tapered minute repeater slide.

Parts are alternately polished, satin-finished or sandblasted, the latter being highly challenging to execute on the exterior segments of a watch. The extremely porous surface of a sandblasted component causes it to easily pick up oils from even the slightest contact with human skin, leaving a mark that can be seen as unsightly (though easily removed) blemish. In its finishing and Métiers Rares ateliers, Jaeger-LeCoultre has perfected the technique of applying a sandblasted finish that is resistant to such oil transfer.

The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle comes in two dial variations, a neoclassical silver-grained dial and a deep blue translucent guilloche enamel dial that is produced by hand in the Atelier des Métiers Rares.

A dial of solid white gold is first decorated with guillochage on century-old rose engines, each round of guilloché work repeated several times in order to achieve the correct depth of engraving. The perpetual calendar counters are then precision laser-welded onto the dial, before the remaining spaces are filled with translucent enamel in another multi-stage process. The enamel is then polished, resulting in the final dial of shimmering vitreous blue that changes in hue with the light and angle.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is the result of 149 years of experience in sonnerie timepieces, combined with an unparalleled patrimony in mechanical innovation and the most exalted levels of miniature decorative arts. With this latest masterpiece, La Grande Maison du Sentier recommits itself to furthering the frontiers of 21st-century watchmaking.

Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle

Dimensions: 43 mm

Thickness: 13.72 mm

Calibre: 950 – Automatic

Case: White gold

Water resistance: 5 bar

Functions: Hours/Minutes, Minute repeater, Perpetual calendar (Day, Date, Month, Moon phase, Year)

Power reserve: 38 hours

Dial: Blue guilloché enamel / Silver grained

Case-back: Open

Reference: Q52334E1 (Limited to 30 pieces), Q5233420 (Limited to 30 pieces)