Paying homage to its distinguished diving watch legacy and drawing upon more than a century of expertise in chiming watches, the Grande Maison introduces Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner – adding two new high-performance timepieces to the sporty-elegant Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection.
Thanks to the Manufacture’s expertise in striking movements, the Memovox has become the reference in wristwatch alarm calibres since it was introduced 70 years ago – employed in watches designed for both urban lifestyles and underwater sports.
Back in the fifties, scuba diving was a risky and challenging military activity. The only tool available for diving was the watch, which created a strong demand for professional diving timepieces. In 1959, Jaeger-LeCoultre responded with a unique solution, a self-winding Memovox movement, which provided an aural warning that it was time to return to the surface. This was followed in 1968 by the Memovox Polaris, with an internal rotating bezel as well as the alarm, and a triple-layer case-back for better sound transmission.
A new generation with a transparent sapphire case-back
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner draws on this diving watch heritage, presenting two new models that unite fully ISO 6425-compliant specifications with the sporty aesthetic of the contemporary Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Date.
The 42mm cases feature the key design codes of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris cases with their taut lines, glass-box crystals, and dynamic mix of brushed and polished surfaces. In keeping with their purpose as a high-performance diving watches, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner cases are water-resistant to 300 metres (30 bar). Furthermore, the crown used to set the notched inner-bezel is screwed-down to avoid any unintentional movement, with the addition of an orange security band to warn divers when it is not fully screwed down.
Distinguished by their rich gradient-blue colour, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner dials also remain true to the contemporary Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris aesthetic, comprising three concentric circles finished in different textures and featuring bold trapezoid-shaped indexes and three Arabic numerals. The central disc of the dials is sunray-brushed, complementing the subtle graining of the middle ring and the opaline finish of the outer ring, which serves as the unidirectional rotating bezel.
The hands, indexes and numerals are filled with SuperLumiNova® to ensure excellent legibility in low light, as required of all diving watches. However, Jaeger-LeCoultre has gone a step further, maximising divers’ safety by using different colours to distinguish the hour and minute hands. The running seconds hand is tipped in orange for daylight visibility, with a central luminescent section to avoid any possibility of confusion with the other hands.
JAEGER-LECOULTRE POLARIS MARINER MEMOVOX
Celebrating THE SOUND MAKER™, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox pays direct homage to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first diving watches, with their robust capabilities and distinctive aesthetic. The self-winding movement, Calibre 956, is also a direct descendant of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first automatic alarm watch calibres. Introduced in 2008, it has been comprehensively revised by the Manufacture’s engineers for this latest generation of alarm watches. Previously, Memovox watches had a closed case-back, to which the gong was attached; however, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox has a transparent sapphire case-back, allowing the wearer to watch the hammer in action. This demanded a complete redesign of the striking mechanism, with the gong now attached to the case side. The open-worked heavy metal rotor ensures an unobstructed view of the strike-works, its Côtes de Genève decoration matching the fine finishing on the movement plates. One important element remains unchanged, however: the signature “school bell” sound of the alarm, which lends such charm to the Memovox.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox retains the signature three-crown configuration of the earliest Memovox diving watches. The top crown controls the alarm, turning the central disc of the dial so that the triangular pointer lines up with the desired alarm time; the central crown operates the inner dive bezel and the lowest crown sets the time.
JAEGER-LECOULTRE POLARIS MARINER DATE
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Date offers the classic diving-watch functions of hours and minutes, with a running time indicator (seconds hand) and unidirectional inner bezel, and the addition of an instantly-jumping date display. The dual-crown configuration is typical of super compressor-type diving watch cases, with the upper crown for operating the inner bezel and the lower one for setting the time and date.
Since Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Calibre 899, its engineers have constantly updated it to incorporate the latest performance-enhancing technology. The new-generation version powering the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Date is fitted with some technical improvements to guarantee a power reserve of 70 hours.
True to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s guiding philosophy of uniting innovation and tradition, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner timepieces pay homage to the Maison’s past, while adding two entirely new high-performance diving watches to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection.