They say three’s a charm, and fans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s popular Polaris will be delighted by the latest additions to the distinct family of watches, first born in the 1960s and revamped in 2018 as a contemporary example of an elegant luxury sports watch. In addition to the all-new Polaris Geographic, the Grande Maison is launching a new version of the Polaris Date with an ocean gray dial and a new iteration of the Polaris Perpetual Calendar in pink gold with a gradient green lacquered dial. All newcomers boast glass-box crystals, narrow bezels and a mix of polished and brushed surfaces. The dials feature Arabic numerals and skeletonized hands that are coated with Super-luminova for legibility in low light conditions. Different decorative finishes – opaline, graining, sunray-brushing and snailing – enhance the readability of the different functions and add stunning details to the dials.
Polaris Geographic
Aptly named “Geographic”, the world time function has become a signature complication of the Swiss manufacture. Rather than simply displaying the hour of a second time zone, the ingenious mechanism also provides a 24-hour day/night indication and, in an aperture at the bottom of the dial, displays the name of a city corresponding to each of the 24 major time zones, with those observing daylight saving time clearly marked. When a city is selected, the corresponding time is automatically displayed. Thanks to a stop-second function, this second time zone is accurate to the hour, minute and second.
The Polaris Geographic also introduces a new color to the watch family: ocean gray. This shade is reminiscent of the ocean on a cloudy day. The color is applied in a double gradient and finished with 35 layers of lacquer. The displays are arranged in a pleasingly asymmetrical layout, with the second time zone in a sub-dial at 6 o’clock and the power reserve indicator in the upper left-hand sector of the dial. Orange accents draw the eye to key information points, contrasting with the dark background.
The stainless steel case is water-resistant to 100 meters. It measures 42 mm in diameter and 11.54 mm thick. Its exhibition caseback reveals the finely finished automatic caliber 939 movement, which has a power reserve of 70 hours.
Jaeger-LeCoultre provides a pair of interchangeable black textured rubber and blue-gray canvas straps for the Polaris Geographic. It retails for $16,100.
Polaris Date
Launched in 2018, the Polaris Date is the epitome of sporty elegance and unmistakable style. Water-resistant to 200 meters, the 42mm steel case features two crowns, one to set the time and the other to rotate the signature inner diving bezel. On this three-hand plus date layout, the different finishes – sunray brushed in the center and grained on the hour scale – really come into their own on the new ocean gray gradient dial.
Powered by the new generation of the automatic Caliber 899 with a 70-hour power reserve, the watch is equipped with a black rubber strap.
Pricing for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date is marked at $11,000.
Polaris Perpetual Calendar
Last but not least, the Polaris Perpetual Calendar gets an update in the form of a green gradient dial. The subtle shade is very elegant and looks great with the 42mm pink gold case. First launched in 2022 in stainless steel with a blue dial, this haute-horlogerie complication displays the correct date until 2100, automatically adapting to the different lengths of the months and even to leap years.
With an emphasis on symmetry and legibility, three slightly recessed sub-dials display the date, day and month, accompanied by a moon-phase display at 6 o’clock that indicates the age of the moon as well as its phases in both hemispheres. This amazing mechanical long-term memory is orchestrated by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 868, an automatic movement with a power reserve of up to 70 hours. Its magnificent details are brought to life through the exhibition case back.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar comes with a green rubber strap and a black alligator leather strap.
Pricing is marked at $52,200.
To learn more, visit Jaeger-LeCoultre, here.