Jaeger-LeCoultre has released a new addition to the popular Polaris collection. The new Polaris Perpetual Calendar watch in steel has robust capabilities, plenty of sporting spirit and perpetual calendar features that assist as a daily companion for the wrist.
About the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Watch
With distinctive elegance and a sporting spirit, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris watch has always been known as the senLe Sentier-based company’s modern sports watch, designed for everyday adventurers but with a sophisticated and confident design. Everyday adventure-seekers have long been drawn to the Polaris watch, mainly for its functional yet elegant design comprising the instantly recognisable trapezoid-shaped hour markers and Arabic numerals, an inner rotating bezel and a streamlined case. The Polaris collection is also renowned for its innovative Memovox feature. In addition to plenty of Super-LumiNova material upon its multi-textured dial, finished in grained and sunray effects – the Polaris watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre can control functions like the Memovox, the inner bezel and time via its crown. At the back of each watch, a beautiful manufactured movement is put on display through a sapphire crystal glass exhibition feature.
History of the Polaris Watch
The history of the Polaris watch is deeply rooted in the success of the Memovox feature. It came about as a result of the sheer demand for a professional diving instrument with a reliable movement during a time when scuba diving was exceptionally risky. Jaeger-LeCoultre responded to this need with the self-winding Memovox calibre. The alarm movement was equipped with an audible sound that gave the diver a warning when it was time to return to the surface after a dive. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Polaris watch followed this innovation in the year 1968. The first Polaris models were treated with luminescent tritium to ensure the very best legibility under deep and daring underwater depths. The Polaris was a diving legend that featured a 300-meter water resistance, an off-centre crown and an innovative compressor caseback comprising three layers and 16 holes to ensure better sound transmission whilst underwater. The Memovox Polaris watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre was also powered by the Calibre 825, with a total of 241 individual components and a 60-hour power reserve. Its anti-shock system protected the movement from damage along with its second barrel for an alarm, an alarm time display, a date, and hours, minutes and seconds functions.
The New Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar Steel Watch
The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar watch in steel presents the time and its many calendrical features on a lacquered deep blue gradient dial. The four-counter display is accompanied by plenty of Super-LumiNova applied to its bold indexes and Arabic numerals. To add visual richness to the dial Jaeger-LeCoultre experts have decided to embellish each of the four counters in different finishes. There are also subtle bursts of orange added to the opaline inner bezel, nodding to the watch’s sporty heritage. Remaining true to the original 42mm diameter of its ancestors, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar Steel watch is a confident size on the wrist and features a box sapphire crystal glass front, along with a sapphire-backed case to grant a clear view of the movement working within. Through here, the open-worked winding rotor of the movement can be seen, crafted from 18ct rose gold with fine decorative finishes. The top crown on the watch rotates the inner bezel, whilst the lower crown handles the winding and general time setting. The rounded polished bezel of the watch is thin and discreet, whereas the tapering lugs and triangular chamfers give the timepiece an athletic appeal.
The aforementioned movement powering the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar Steel watch is the new in-house calibre 868AA, which takes into account the different days within each month and automatically adjusts them, not to mention leap years. It means that the watch requires no manual adjustment from the wearer. It features the date sub-scale at 9 o’clock, the months at 12 o’clock, and the days of the week at the 3 o’clock location. At the 6 o’clock point is the moon phase display with a mix of classical elements for the northern hemisphere and a retrograde display for the southern. As mentioned, the perpetual calendar function of the new Polaris watch need not be amended by the wearer manually, at least not until the year 2100. The new in-house calibre 868AA is manufactured and assembled under one roof in the company’s watchmaking facility in the Vallee de Joux. Having undergone the manufacturer’s strict “1,000 Hour Control” testing, it far exceeds official chronometry tests and offers an impressive 70-hour power reserve.
There is a range of strap options to choose from when it comes to the new Polaris Perpetual Calendar Steel from Jaeger-LeCoultre. The watch comes fitted on a stainless steel bracelet and accompanied by an additional blue rubber band, yet there is also a large range of interchangeable straps that can transform the look of the watch simply and quickly to suit a particular event or adventure.
