Paying tribute to its tradition in the field of diving watches and relying on more than a century of experience in the field of chiming watches, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the Polaris Mariner collection. Since its launch 70 years ago, the Memovox has become one of the benchmarks for wristwatch calibres with chime. In the 1950s, diving was considered a risky and difficult military activity. The only instrument available for diving was the watch, so there was a strong need for professional diving timepieces. In 1959, Jaeger-LeCoultre responded to these demands with a unique solution: a self-winding Memovox movement that emitted a sound signal to warn when to surface. This model was followed in 1968 by the Memovox Polaris, equipped with an internal rotating bezel and chime, as well as a three-layered case back for better sound propagation. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner collection draws on this tradition, with two new models combining technical specifications that perfectly comply with ISO 6425 standards with the collection's sporty aesthetic. The two models are the Polaris Mariner Memovox and the Polaris Mariner Date. The 42 mm steel cases feature the key codes typical of the collection, such as the sapphire crystal 'glass box' and the mix of brushed and polished surfaces. In keeping with the functionality of high-performance diving watches, the cases of these Polaris Mariner watches are water-resistant to 300 metres. Characterised by their intense blue shaded colour, the dials also remain true to the contemporary Polaris aesthetic, with their three concentric circles finished in different textures and with trapezoid and Arabic numeral indices. The hands, indices and numerals are filled with SuperLumiNova to ensure maximum legibility in low-light conditions. In addition, the Polaris Mariner Memovox pays direct homage to early Jaeger-LeCoultre diving timepieces, with their robust functionality and unmistakable aesthetics. The self-winding movement, Calibre 956, is also directly descended from the first automatic calibres with chime. Launched in 2008, it has been completely reworked for this new generation of striking watches. The Polaris Mariner Date, for its part, offers the classic functions of a dive watch with hours, minutes, seconds, a unidirectional inner bezel and an instantaneous date display. The double-crown configuration is typical of Super Compressor type dive watch cases, with the upper crown operating the inner bezel and the lower crown used to set the time and date. It uses the 899 calibre, which is constantly updated to incorporate the latest technologies and improve its performance. The new generation version that powers the Polaris Mariner Date is equipped with some technical advances that guarantee a 70-hour power reserve.
