Deftly balancing contemporary elegance with a sporting spirit, Jaeger-LeCoultre reinterprets the Polaris Date in a more compact 40 mm case, enhancing wearability while retaining every element of its purposeful and dynamic design.
Polaris: The elegance of Jaeger-LeCoultre in modern sporting style
A sporting heritage born in the 1960s: In 1968, JaegerLeCoultre ushered in a new era with the launch of the Memovox Polaris, a watch distinguished by its unconventional large case, which established it as an icon of diving watch design. A bold statement of intent from the Maison’s watchmakers, it expressed a spirit of bold ambition that continues to define the Polaris collection today. When Jaeger-LeCoultre revived the historic Polaris name in 2018, it reimagined the modern sporting watch through an entirely new collection of timepieces designed for a dynamic modern lifestyle. Deftly balancing the practical functions and robust capabilities of a sports watch with JaegerLeCoultre’s distinctively elegant and timeless aesthetic, the Polaris collection pays direct homage to the Maison’s eponymous diving watches of the late 1960s.
Powered by high-performance calibres and distinguished by instantly recognisable design codes, the Polaris timepieces embody the adventurous character of their predecessors while reinterpreting their vintage appeal through a distinctly contemporary lens. The result is a collection of versatile modern classics.
New compact proportions enhance versatility
Precision in every detail: As tastes and lifestyles evolve, Jaeger-LeCoultre revisits the anchor model of the Polaris collection – the Polaris Date – introducing it in a more compact, 40 mm steel case. As well as reducing the diameter of the steel case, the Maison has slimmed it down to a thickness of 12.9 mm, preserving the ideal proportions of its bold and purposeful design while enhancing comfort, wearability and versatility. The Polaris Date is presented on a blue canvas strap, fitted with a double-folding buckle.
The Polaris collection’s distinctive aesthetic is anchored by its cases, which are distinguished by taut lines, glass-box crystals complemented by narrow bezels, a dynamic mix of brushed and polished surfaces, and dual crowns. Positioned off-centre, the second crown adjusts the internal rotating bezel, enabling a countdown of preset elapsed time – a practical function derived from the diving watch ancestry of the Polaris collections. The steel case is water-resistant to 20 bar.
Performance inside and out: The sapphire crystal case-back reveals the finely finished automatic movement, Calibre 899. Exemplifying the pragmatic character of the Polaris collection, it combines mechanical elegance with high performance and offers a power reserve of 70 hours – highly practical for life on the move. Like the movement of every Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece, it was designed, produced and assembled entirely under the Maison’s own roof.
A signature dial
The dial of the new Polaris Date retains all the signatures that distinguish the collection. A distinctive architecture based on concentric circles; assertively designed Arabic numerals and elongated trapezoid indexes; and skeletonised hands – with all indications coated in Super-LumiNova® for optimum legibility in low light conditions.
The lacquering of the dials is a lengthy and exacting process. After the grained and sunray finish are crafted, 7 layers of coloured lacquer and 35 layers of translucent lacquer are successively applied and finally meticulously polished by hand to create the mesmerizing double gradient dial with profound depth.
The new, more compact dimensions of Polaris Date elevate its confident modernity and relaxed elegance while underlining its sporty and purposeful character, anchoring it as a contemporary classic perfectly suited to life’s everyday adventures.
