Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox
Pioneering diving watches that are getting an anniversary revival
JUST 1714 EXAMPLES of the Jaeger-LeCoultre 1968 Memovox Polaris diver’s watch were made, including prototypes. Noted for its sleek, black unfussy dial (you could argue it has dress watch appeal) and Memovox alarm (a term derived from the Latin words memor for mindful and vox for voice), which is set by a discreet arrow on the inner disc, the vintage JLC timepiece is not only good-looking but is also highly appealing from a technical perspective.
In 1959 JLC’s Memovox Deep Sea was the first dive watch equipped with an alarm, and in 1968 it was still pioneering for a watch alarm to alert a diver in the depths of the ocean. The Memovox Polaris even amplified the pitch of the alarm via 16 holes on its case back. Furthermore, the timepiece’s super compressor case acts as an intuitive sealing system, becoming more watertight the deeper the watch goes, thanks to an in-built spring that allows the back to be pressed further against the case when water pressure increases.
JLC is celebrating the Memovox Polaris’ half century with a new Polaris collection, which also raises the profile of this stealthy collectible – a 1968 model sold at auction for just over $21,000 last spring. The new range includes a three-hand automatic, a chronograph and a chronograph world time, but it will be the models with a ’60s feel – the Polaris Date and the Polaris Memovox (below, limited to 1000) – that will excite vintage watch fans.
Faithful to the original with its three-crown design, the new Polaris Memovox is water resistant to 200m and is fitted with the inhouse 956 calibre with 45-hour power reserve. There are no sound-enhancing perforations because JLC has developed more advanced ways of achieving this, but the reverse does bear the engraving of a stylised diving helmet, the same as the one stamped on the original 1968 model which was hidden inside the case.