Today the Maison della Vallée de Joux presented the new green Polaris Date, an unprecedented variation with the most sought-after color tone of recent years.
Today we are lucky enough to let you discover it in a special preview on our wrist on IWS! Meanwhile, on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, there is the live presentation at the JLC Boutique
The history and inspiration of the Polaris
The Polaris is that somewhat hidden Jaeger-LeCoultre icon still waiting to be discovered. Although the Reverso is the best known sporty-elegant watch, when the “Memovox Polaris” was born in 1968, a new chapter was opened for the brand, returning only in 2018 with the “Polaris Date” collection.
In the 1950s, diving watches were among the most sought after and various brands, including JLC, studied how to make one of their timepieces the perfect companion for the underwater world. The answer was found in 1959 with the Deep Sea Alarm and finally in 1968, the definitive version of the Polaris of the time.
If you want to learn more about the history of the watch, you can do it on our article “Polaris: Il Re dei Diver“.
The new Green Polaris Date of 2022
The new Green Polaris Date has now been presented in a new colourway with a shaded green dial, reminiscent of the ‘khaki’ hue that has been so coveted in recent years. The first modern watch to bear this name returned to the collection in 2018, in a version with a black dial and matching strap, before being declined in blue in 2019.
What immediately catches the eye upon seeing this watch are the classic two crowns at 2 and 4 o’clock. The one placed in the upper part is used to adjust the internal ring, useful for divers to calculate decompression times during dives. The one below, on the other hand, is a normal crown that allows you to adjust the hours, minutes and date.
The indexes and hands are coated in cream-colored Super-LumiNova, which gives it that slightly vintage effect that some aficionados particularly like. Whether you like vintage watches or not, this luminescence coloring goes particularly well with green.
There are different finishes: the color is a smoky green, which goes from lacquered on the outside, to grained in the middle and soleil in the center. As you can see from our shots, in the dark the dial shines with a very intense fluorescent green.
Water resistance is guaranteed up to 20 ATM, or 200 meters, thanks to the screw-down crown at 4 o’clock (the crown at 2, on the other hand, can be used without being unscrewed). This means that you will be able to do any snorkeling activity at modest depths, but without going into the deeper abysses (which is unlikely).
The Caliber 899 placed inside is self-winding and beats with a 70-hour power reserve. It features an oscillating weight with the JLC logo and a Côtes de Genève finish.
The feelings on the wrist
The case, thanks to its lugs that develop arched downwards, sits perfectly on the wrist despite its 42mm diameter. The green rubber strap in turn allows for that enveloping feeling and a perfectly secure watch on the wrist. On the other hand, it measures 13.92mm thick, which we can consider perfectly in line with all modern diver’s watches made in watchmaking. The presence of the bezel inside the watch allows you to gain a few millimeters.
What struck me most are the shades of the color of the dial, which vary for each type of light: in full sun we will have a green that tends to brown, while it is enough to move from direct light to have a military green, in the shade instead we will have a color tending to the classic black of the first Polaris Date of 2018, it’s like having 3 watches in 1! (My wrist is about 17-18)
The rubber strap is equipped with a quick-switch, which will allow you to interchange it with a leather or rubber strap of different colors.
Price and availability
The reference of the new Polaris Date Verde is Q906863J and has a retail price of € 10.100, the first 100 pieces will be destined only for the online boutique on the site Jaeger-LeCoultre.
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