Introducing Jaeger-LeCoultre Refreshes The Polaris Line With A New Geographic And Two New Lacquer Dials (Live Pics)

Just a short time ago, at Watches and Wonders, Jaeger-LeCoultre showed off their biggest novelties for the year – or so we thought. The Duometre line is certainly technically impressive, but it's a slightly niche collection that might struggle to find a place on the general consumers' wrists. And while you might think "well, for JLC, that's the role of the Reverso or maybe the Master Control," they're here to remind you how good the Polaris is. Let's take a look at the new Polaris Geographic.

There are three new JLC Polaris watches out today, each featuring new dials, but the biggest premiere is the new Geographic with the newest version of the Caliber 939 movement (similar to what was found in the 2020 Master Control Geographic). That means there are 70 hours of power reserve while giving you an easily-set second-time zone at 6 o'clock (set by a crown at 10 o'clock, with a city referenced on the dial), AM/PM indicator, and power reserve around 10 o'clock on the dial. It also eliminates the date subdial for a clean look that fits well on the new gradient ocean-grey lacquer dial with a central sunburst finish. You also get a view of the  movement through the back of the 42mm by 11.54mm case while retaining 100m of water resistance. It's a really nice-looking package and an interesting take on a dual time-meets-world time watch. The price is $16,100.

The green dial version of the Polaris Date is probably one of my favorite watches of the JLC lineup, but now, joining a black dial and blue dial variant in the collection, we have the same ocean-grey lacquer dial in the Polaris Date, also with central sunburst finish. This one skips the faux-patinaed lume on the black and green dials and sticks to a blue-grey color with white Superluminova indexes, a "12, six, nine" dial layout, date at 3 o'clock, and an inner rotating bezel. The stainless steel case still measures 42mm by 13.92mm thick, with that thickness helping with an extra boost of water resistance to 200m. The watch uses the Caliber 899 movement with 70 hours of power reserve, with a sticker price of $11,100.

Finally, the 18k pink gold version of the Polaris Perpetual Calendar also gets a new dial in gradient green lacquer. The case is nearly as small as the Geographic model at 42mm by 11.97mm, with 100m of water resistance and that same inner rotating bezel (which you can see points to one o'clock in the picture below. The dial has a bubbly and three-dimensional quality. The movement is the Calibre 868 which features a red "security zone" on the dial to remind you not to make date changes between eight PM and four AM. The movement has 70 hours of power reserve and the watch runs $52,500.

The Polaris Geographic hasn't been updated since its release in 2018, and that was a limited edition of 250 pieces, so it's long overdue for a makeover. The new version looks a little less "world time" without a complete bezel going all the way around the dial, but the simplification of the design, both by removing the date and changing the city display, goes a long way to make the watch a more cohesive design.

While no one can beat James Stacey for the title of Hodinkee's "King of GMTs," I have a love of dual timezone watches. Give me a sporty one, a classic one, a dress one, and every other style and I'd be happy to just keep buying a GMT or world time over and over. Heck, that could be a cool way to build a collection, frankly. 

The Polaris Geographic is one of the bolder, sportier options on the market, and the new lacquer dial does a lot for the good looks, with a mix of gradient and texture. The 42mm case size, with a relatively thin 11.54mm thickness is great for a modern watch and keeps the relatively busy dial legible.

The new dial color and lacquer texture looks even nicer on the new Polaris Date, which is in keeping with the previous releases and updated design language going back to 2019. While five-year-old designs can start to feel a bit dated, this one still feels relatively modern, which shows what a good design (plus small upgrades) can do. 

The new dial for the 18k rose gold Polaris Perpetual Calendar is stunning as well, but more than anything it reminds me how much I like the green Polaris Date. I wonder how great this would look in a steel case, where I'd be more tempted to try to put the 100m of water resistance to use. I hadn't much thought about the idea of a "sports perpetual calendar" until I saw this watch in person. The Royal Oak perpetual calendars aren't water resistant enough to be considered truly sporty, and the Overseas perpetual calendar isn't much better but is only in precious metal. The Polaris QP comes in steel (though not with this dial) and with its 42mm by just under 12mm dimensions, 100m of WR, and at half the price of the other options, it wears well enough that I think there's an argument to be made that this is the best value for a sport QP on the market.

Brand: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Model: Polaris Geographic, Polaris Date, Polaris Perpetual Calendar
Reference Number: Q9078640 (Geo), Q9068650 (Date), Q908263J (QP)

Diameter: 42mm (all models)
Thickness: 11.54mm (Geo), 13.92mm (Date), 11.97mm (QP)
Case Material: Steel (Geo), Steel (Date), 18k pink gold (QP)
Dial Color: Gradient ocean-grey lacquer (Geo and Date), Gradient green lacquer (QP)
Lume: SuperLuminova
Water Resistance: 100m (Geo), 200m (Date), 100m (QP)
Strap/Bracelet: Black rubber and blue-grey canvas (Geo), Gradient ocean-grey lacquer (Date), Green rubber, black alligator leather (QP)

Caliber: JLC 939 (Geo), JLC 899 (Date), JLC 868 (QP)
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, second time-zone, power reserve, 24 time-zones, night and day display (Geo); Hours, minutes, seconds, date, inner rotating bezel (Date); Hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar, moon phases in both Hemispheres and age of the moon, adjustment security zone, inner rotating bezel (QP)
Power Reserve: 70 hours for all
Winding: Automatic
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: Polaris Geographic: $16,100, Polaris Date $11,100, Polaris Perpetual Calendar $52,500
Availability: Immediately
Limited Edition: No

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