A (Not So) Strange Connection

Benedict Cumberbatch’s love for diving and watches meshes well with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest release

FOR SIXTY YEARS Jaeger-LeCoultre has strengthened its diving heritage, which began with the release of the Deep Sea Alarm in 1959, before the Polaris arrived six years later. The maison has recently expanded its Polaris collection with two new models: the Polaris Mariner Memovox and Polaris Mariner Date.

To celebrate these new timepieces, the Swiss brand collaborated with actor Benedict Cumberbatch on the short film In A Breath. An ardent friend of the manufacture, Cumberbatch talks about the inspiration behind the project and his appreciation for fine watchmaking in this exclusive interview.

What was the impetus for In A Breath?

It was the idea of what time would mean in a context where things are slowing down. And diving involves a very interesting form of the use of time because within the experience, something odd shifts. If you’ve ever been underwater, you might realise that you move into a way of experiencing time that makes it stretch and feel longer.

It was also about the importance of taking a moment to breathe ‒ calming yourself, being in a meditative state and absorbing the present, rather than worrying about an uncertain future or being distracted by thoughts of the past. Even if it’s breathing for the sake of appreciating this involuntary thing that we do, without needing to control it ‒ just observance.

What features and functions of the new Polaris Mariner Memovox do you like best and find to be the most impressive?

For me, it was the rotating bezel with the diving scale. It’s important to avoid underestimating or overestimating the amount of time spent underwater while scuba diving. I tend to brush up against things, so having that bezel that only rotates in one direction helps with reassurance in that regard, by safeguarding the chance of misinformation. The lumed hands also make it very easy to read the watch in the dark while submerged.

I also love the fact that you can see the movement on the back of the watch. I am a geek and I love to see the kind of near-organic mechanisms that Jaeger-LeCoultre produce within these watches. And although it obviously doesn’t have something like a tourbillon, it’s still an impressive bit of engineering.

Tell us about your relationship with Jaeger-LeCoultre. Do you have any special memories with the brand?

It was during Dr Strange and around the time when Jaeger-LeCoultre approached me to be its ambassador. I was interested, but I wanted to understand what a watch is and how it’s made. I didn’t want it to be just a relationship with a luxury brand where I’m cutting a ribbon and saying nice things about it.

So I visited the manufacture in the Vallée de Joux and was blown away by these extraordinary craftsmen and women, doing everything from the most detailed enamelling to the intricate hand assemblage of the movements. It’s like seeing a beating heart but magnified on to a screen, in all its complexity made large to the human eye.

Are there parallels and contrasts to draw between acting and watchmaking?

Definitely. It takes time ‒ a long time ‒ to rehearse a play and to do the background research on any kind of engagement. There’s artistry in acting, just as there is in watchmaking. It’s obviously not down to the sort of near perfectionism of watchmaking. There’s definitely room to be a little more messy and free [in acting], I suppose. AM