Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils its new Polaris collection for 2018
Last week, Jaeger-LeCoultre hosted an exclusive cocktail evening at their Greenbelt 5 boutique to launch its new Polaris sports watch collection. Present during the evening was Gregoire Frecon, Business Development Director of South East Asia and Oceania who met and welcomed the brand’s VIP guests and media friends.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s iconic Memovox Polaris was first introduced as a single-model watch exactly 50 years ago in 1968, and since then this is the only time a complete collection has been made for Polaris. The sporty Polaris collection is a tribute to the original Memovox Polaris with design elements drawing from the original watch. The launch of the Polaris collection coincides with the 185 year anniversary of the brand that was established in the Swiss Vallée de Joux.
Since its creation in 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre still holds on to the inventive spirit by its founder Antoine LeCoultre, the artisans of the Manufacture combining their talents and expertise to create collections which have been at the forefront of watchmaking both technically and artistically. The brand has been known for its Reverso, Master and Rendez-Vous collections and also for its Atmos clock, which is powered even with the slightest change in temperature and atmospheric pressure, and can run for days without human intervention. By adding the Polaris to the lineup, the Grande Maison offers a fresh new addition that is in touch with today’s action-filled and fast-paced world of sports and leisure.
The Polaris collection was revealed at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, starting with the Polaris Geographic WT which is the most exclusive one in the collec- tion. It is limited to 250 pieces and is only exclusively available at Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques. Other models in the collection are the three-hand automatic, a chronograph and a chronograph world time model plus two other retro-inspired vintage themed Polaris Date and Polaris Memovox models.
The well-proportioned 42 mm case of the Polaris Geographic WT houses the Calibre 936A/1 in-house movement which is a mechanical self-winding calibre featuring a geograph- ic function, ideal for both travelers and men of action. The Polaris Geographic WT (for World Time) allows the wearer to discover the world through the 24 time zones instantly visible on a flange, which can be adjusted by the crown at 10 o’clock position. For cities switching between standard and daylight saving time according to seasons, a white asterisk correctly indicates the time with this one-hour difference.
The Polaris Automatic is the introduction model of the collec- tion. The most striking feature of the watch is its two crowns, one for time setting and one for the inner rotating bezel. The inner rotating bezel keeps track of the elapsed dive time and is activated by the crown instead of the usual rotating outer bezel. The dual-crown layout is unique to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic also comes on a three-link bracelet that is all new for 2018.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s affinity to motorsports and classic cars makes the 42mm Polaris Chronograph is the sportiest of the new collection. The chronograph is also perhaps the most practical complications in watchmaking. With Jaeger’s history in producing dashboard instruments, this model is naturally linked to car aficionados with a penchant for history and sports cars. Equipped with a tachymeter bezel, the tachymeter scale allows the wearer to determine your speed over a fixed distance, perfect for days at the track or to check the speed on the highway. Its pushers have been redesigned for a better grip, and the thin bezel helps to open the dial for maximumreadability.
Two other chronograph models are included in the collection, the Chronograph in Rose Gold and Chronograph WT. The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph is the only current model available in precious metal and in this case it is the rose gold case with an anthracite dial and an oscillating weight in rose gold. The Polaris Chronograph WTon the other hand, comes in a 44 mm titanium case. It not only features the two chronograph pushers, but it has an additional crown at 10 o’clock to control the rotating city disc, which you can set to the city you are in, and immediately see the time in 23 other cities around the world.
The other two models have a stronger retro-inspired theme, with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date, the link to the original Polaris from 1968 is more evident and like the original, this watch uses the same design codes, a vanilla colored Super-LumiNova triangle index along with trapezoidal indices mixed with four Arabic numbers, a railway track for the minutes and features a date at three o’clock. This is a serious sports dive watch and despite its classy elegant looks, it is tough enough to be water resistant to 200 meters.
The more exclusive Polaris Memovox is also a dive watch and was issued in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces. This model features the special alarm function made famous by the 1968 Memovox Polaris watch. This exclusive 50th anniversary timepiece has an iconic three-crown design, one for setting the alarm, one for the inner rotating bezel and one for setting the time. Just like the simpler Polaris Date, its vintage cues on the dial call to mind the 1968 original timepiece.
Using the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 956, it features the striking mechanism with a gong, along with the central seconds and instant-jump date-change system. This caliber is a direct descendant of the first automatic alarm watch movement created by Jaeger-LeCoultre in the 1950s. Constantly improved, it still represents the ultimate in accuracy, robustness and reliability. This is a rare example of a movement that has been in production for more than 60 years after its creation, continuously updated and modernized. It also comes with a rubber strap and also water resistant up to 200 meters.