It was only the other week when Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the Master Grande Tradition World-Timer, that I thought about the fact that JLC haven’t produced a multi-time zone watch in a while. In the current collection there’s only the Grande Tradition (which is extremely exclusive) and a handful of Master Control references. It’s about time then for a new one in the form of the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Geographic. At the same time, they’ve also released some additional colourways for existing Polaris models.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Geographic
The Geographic is, to all intents and purposes, a worldtimer. It features a second time zone sundial at 6 o’clock that overlaps a 24-hour day/night indicator, allowing you to keep track of multiple time zones at the same time. At the very bottom of the dial is an aperture that shows a prominent city from each of the world’s 24 time zones, and by rotating this scale with the crown at 10 o’clock, the second time zone dial will automatically adjust itself to display the time in that city. It’s a little more elaborate that your standard GMT-based worldtimer.
Aesthetically, it follows the same style as last year’s Polaris Chronographs with its concentric fumé rings. Here they’re presented in ocean-grey lacquer, which is a new colour for the Polaris. It’s really nice, sitting in that transitional space between grey and blue, like slate. Adding points of emphasis are the red accents on the triangle markers, power reserve indicator and seconds hand.
The dial is housed in a 42mm steel case with the broad, brushed lugs and polished facets that help to give the Polaris its bold, sporty appearance. Enhancing that sportiness is the rubber strap, although I do wonder if it might look nicer on a steel bracelet. The case also protects the movement, which is the Calibre 939 with 70-hour power reserve, stunningly crafted. Although that does result in a price tag of £14,800.
Price and Specs:
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date & Perpetual Calendar
Alongside the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Geographic, JLC have launched a pair of existing Polaris watches in fresh colourways. The first of which is a Polaris Perpetual Calendar in pink gold with a gradient green lacquer dial. It feels very autumnal with the pinks and faded greens, although I suppose you could also flip that to being like the gentle bloom of new growth for spring. In short, a watch you can wear all year round, which is kind of the whole point of a perpetual calendar. It’s priced at £47,800.
The second addition is for the standard time and date model in the same ocean grey as the Geographic. Since the colour is new, it makes sense to add it to an existing edition alongside the new model to capture more of the hype. If you like the colour but aren’t planning the travel the world, you don’t have to buy the world timer model. It’s also a touch more affordable at £10,200, although that’s still very much a JLC price.
More details at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
