• Introducing the Polaris Geographic – a signature Jaeger-LeCoultre complication that reinterprets travel time
• The Polaris Date features a gradient dial in a newly created ocean grey lacquer
• The Polaris Perpetual Calendar is presented in pink gold with a new gradient green lacquer dial

Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to enrich the Polaris collection in 2024. New to Polaris, the Maison’s signature Geographic travel time complication is reinterpreted for this elegant, sporty collection, while two existing models – Polaris Date and Polaris Perpetual Calendar – are offered with new dial colours.

Polaris: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s spirit of elegance interpreted in contemporary sporting style

When Jaeger-LeCoultre revived the historic Polaris name in 2018, it redefined the modern sporty-elegant watch with an entirely new line of timepieces conceived for everyday adventures. Deftly balancing the practical functions and robust capabilities of a sports watch with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s distinctively elegant and timeless aesthetic, the Polaris collection pays direct homage to the Maison’s eponymous diving watches of the 1960s.

With their high-performing calibres and distinctive style, the watches of the Polaris collection capture the sporting spirit of their predecessors, reinterpreting their vintage appeal in elegant and confidently contemporary style to create highly versatile, modern classics.

The Polaris collection’s strong design codes are anchored in cases distinguished by off-centred crowns, taut lines, glass-box crystals, narrow bezels and a dynamic mix of brushed and polished surfaces. The distinctive dial architecture is complemented by skeletonised hands, assertively designed Arabic numerals and elongated trapezoid indexes. All elements are coated in SuperLuminova for optimum legibility in low light conditions. Complex in construction, the Polaris dial is enhanced by gradient colour and the use of different decorative finishes – opaline, graining, sunray-brushing and snailing, according to the model – beneath a coating of rich and shiny lacquer. The colour is graduated from light to dark, adding great visual depth and dynamism to the dials.

Lacquering is a lengthy and exacting process, with each layer of coating being manually applied. It begins with the application of up to four layers of colour, then one or two layers of black, to create the gradient. The challenge lies in perfectly controlling both the shade and the gradient, so that the dial sections match perfectly. This is followed by 30 coats of translucent lacquer, to add depth and richness. The process is completed by polishing the components to a perfect finish.

Introducing the Polaris Geographic – a signature complication that reinvents travel time

Continuing the tradition of adding useful auxiliary functions to the Polaris collection, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces the Polaris Geographic. La Grande Maison’s unique interpretation of the travel watch, the Geographic has become a signature complication of the Manufacture.

Rather than indicating only the hour of a second time zone, the Geographic complication also provides a 24-hour Night and Day indicator and, in an aperture at the bottom of the dial, displays the name of a city relating to each of the 24 major time zones, with those that observe daylight savings clearly marked. This gives travellers the option of setting the second time according to location (by turning the crown at 10 o’clock), rather than needing to calculate the time difference; when a city is chosen, the corresponding time is automatically displayed. Thanks to a stop-seconds feature, this second time zone is accurate to the hour, minute and second.

The lacquer dial features a new colour – ocean-grey.  Evocative with an air of mystery, calling to mind the colour of the sea on a cloudy day, it is applied in a double gradient finish that adds visual depth and dynamism, and is coated with 35 layers of lacquer. The displays are arranged in a pleasingly asymmetric layout, with the second time zone in a sub-dial at 6 o’clock and the power reserve indicator in the upper left sector of the dial. Orange accents draw the eye to key information points, contrasting with the ocean-grey and adding a lively touch to the overall composition.

The sapphire crystal case-back reveals the finely finished automatic movement, Calibre 939. A quintessential example of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s approach to watchmaking, which combines mechanical elegance with high performance, it offers a power reserve of 70 hours. Like all of the Maison’s calibres, the movement was designed, produced, finished and assembled within its own Manufacture in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux.

Underlining the versatility of this confident and refined expression of a highly useful complication, the new Polaris Geographic is presented with an interchangeable folding buckle and a pair of interchangeable straps – textured black rubber and blue-grey canvas – that enable a change in style and attitude in a matter of moments.

New colours add fresh allure to distinctive lacquered dials

The Polaris collection is further enriched as two models are offered with new dial colours – created with the Polaris collection specifically in mind. The Polaris Date is presented with a gradient ocean-grey dial that elevates the confident modernity of its design to a new level and the Polaris Perpetual Calendar is offered in pink gold with an elegant and visually striking gradient green dial that perfectly complements the richness and warmth of the case metal. Both dials feature the Polaris signatures of three different surface textures, and double-gradient colour finished with 35 layers of lacquer to create visual richness and depth. Subtle orange highlights add a note of sporty dynamism.

Introduced in 2018, the year that the contemporary Polaris collection was launched, the Polaris Date is the epitome of sporty elegance, its link to the design of the Maison’s classic 1960s diving watches very evident in the uncomplicated modernity of the dial, as well as the signature double crown. One crown is used for adjusting the time, the other for rotating the inner bezel. Visible through the sapphire case-back, the new-generation automatic Calibre 899, entirely created in-house, offers a 70-hour power reserve – highly practical for today’s active lifestyles. The Polaris Date is presented on a textured rubber strap that is easily interchangeable with a metal bracelet of other straps from the Polaris range. The 42mm steel case is water-resistant to 20 bar.

The Polaris Perpetual Calendar, introduced to the collection in 2022, features one of horology’s most complex, useful and greatly prized complications. A miniature mechanical computer, the perpetual calendar always shows the correct date, automatically adjusting for the different duration of months and even for leap years. It needs no manual correction until 2100, and, after that, only on centenaries that are not also leap years. The automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 868, offering a power reserve of 70 hours, was designed, produced and assembled within the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre.

With an emphasis on symmetry and legibility, three slightly recessed sub-dials display the date, day and month, balanced by a moon-phase display at 6 o’clock, which features the age of the moon as well as its phases in both Hemispheres – a pleasing reminder that calendars had their origins in astronomical phenomena. The 42mm pink gold case features an interchangeable strap system enabling rapid changes between the two straps presented with the Polaris Perpetual Calendar – black alligator for a more dressy mood and textured dark green rubber for a more sporty style.

The new additions to the Polaris line amplify the relaxed and contemporary elegance of the collection, while underlining its sporty and purposeful character, anchoring it ever more strongly as a modern classic perfectly suited to life’s everyday adventures.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

POLARIS GEOGRAPHIC

Case: Steel

Dimensions: 42 mm diameter x 11.54 mm thick

Calibre: Automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 939

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, second time-zone, power reserve, 24 time-zones, night and day display

Power Reserve: 70 hours

Dial: Gradient ocean-grey lacquer

Water resistance: 10 bar

Strap: Black rubber and blue-grey canvas

Reference: Q9078640

POLARIS DATE

Case: Steel

Dimensions: 42 mm diameter x 13.92 mm thick

Calibre: Automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 899

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, inner rotating bezel

Power Reserve: 70 hours

Dial: Gradient ocean-grey lacquer

Water resistance: 20 bar

Strap: Black rubber

Reference: Q9068650

POLARIS PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Case: Pink Gold 750/1000 (18 carats)

Dimensions: 42 mm diameter x 11.97 mm thick

Calibre: Automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 868

Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar (day, date, month, year), moon phases in both Hemispheres and age of the moon, adjustment security zone, inner rotating bezel

Power Reserve: 70 hours

Dial: Gradient green lacquer

Water resistance: 10 bar

Strap: Green rubber, black alligator leather

Reference: Q908263J

A signature model of Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Memovox Polaris has been a mainstay of uniquely utilitarian watchmaking since its introduction in 1968. Diving watches are a staple of any sports watch collection, but few have maintained as consistent a following over the decades as the Memovox Polaris.

Launched in 2018, the Polaris Date drew inspiration from the 1968 Memovox Polaris, one of the most popular Polaris models of all time, demonstrating the durable appeal of this design, with its subtle vintage touches through the vanilla luminescent coating. In 2022, the Polaris Date is now available with a gradient deep green dial.

A lacquered, double-gradient dial with multiple textured finishes allows the Polaris Date to prioritise legibility without the slightest compromise in aesthetics. A balanced mix of opaline, grained and sunrayed surfaces clearly defines each key dial segment, from the mobile inner bezel ring to the minute track. The colour gradient ranges from light olive to verdant rainforest, taking on different shades according to the angle of reflected light. A coat of translucent lacquer brings mesmerising depth to the dial, allowing the vanilla-tinted dial indexes to stand out with perfect clarity.

At the core of the Polaris collection is its high levels of performance in extreme environments. The mobile inner bezel, controlled by the crown at the 2 o’clock position, is a key feature of a true diver’s watch, permitting the wearer to measure timing offsets or countdowns with great precision. The Polaris Date features a transparent case-back, while being water resistant to 200m, making it equally at home in an urban cityscape or the pelagic depths of the ocean.

Measuring 42mm in diameter, the case of the Polaris Date remains subtle, thanks to its satin-finished surfaces, with polished chamfers on the case lugs and narrow bezel. This allows the dial to take centre focus, showcased by the glass-box crystal that recalls the Plexiglas dial crystals of mid-century timepieces.

For maximum versatility in wear, the Polaris Date comes with a green rubber strap that is equipped with a quick-change system. Within seconds, the strap can easily be swapped with a wide range of Jaeger-LeCoultre bracelets and straps with perfect compatibility.

The new green dial of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date represents the all-terrain nature of the timepiece, emphasised by its rugged, matt-finished case construction. Its heritage shines through in the vanilla-hued Super-LumiNova® indexes, suggestive of a well-aged aesthetic. Within the 42mm steel case beats the latest-generation Calibre 899, with 70 hours of power reserve. Now, more than ever, the Polaris is the elegant sports watch for a life of adventure.

The Polaris Date is a Boutique Edition and will be available exclusively from Jaeger-LeCoultre e-commerce for a month.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

POLARIS DATE

Dimensions: 42mm x 13.92mm

Calibre: automatic mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 899AB

Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, rotating inner bezel

Power reserve: 70 hours

Frequency: 28,800

Dial: gradient green lacquer with opaline, grained and sunrayed finishes

Case: stainless steel

Case-back: open

Water resistance: 200m

Strap: interchangeable green rubber strap

Reference: Q906863J - Boutique Edition