E859 Jaeger-Lecoultre Polaris

From the very start, the Polaris was a dive watch quite unlike any other. If any watchmaker knowns how to make a fashionably late entrance, it’s la grande maison, JLC. Diving watches with their extreme water resistance and externally rotating bezel were all the rage by the second half of the 1950s. In 1959, Lecoultre entered the fray with a differentiating design. Instead of using a rotating bezel to read time, their divers included a mechanical alarm function to tell a diver when to head up. While this Rube Goldberg approach made its debut in the Deep Sea Alarm ref. E857, it became a true dive watch with its successor in 1963, when the first prototypes of this 200-meter ref. E859, known as the Polaris, were born.

But it wasn’t until a bit later, 1965, that production began. In fact, JLC have this a bit wrong on their own website. ‘To quote, In 1968, a new era was born with the launch of the Memovox Polaris, a watch housed in an unconventional large case, whose alarm function elevated the piece as an iconic diving watch.’ Beautifully written, except 500 watches were made in ’65, 9 in ’67, and with the lion’s share in ’68. There was a controversial calypso-hand model made in ’70 in 55 examples, but we don’t like to talk about that (worth a google, but not the best look). This example is one from that tiny run of 9 in ’67, engraved on back. There are only 1714 in total anyway (including the fifty prototypes), but as one of just an estimated 9 ’67 productions and with a dial this well-preserved, it’s quite the rare bird. Or perhaps I should say rare fish.

The details are fantastic too. Its 41mm compressor case from Piquerez is unique in that it has 16 holes in order to allow the alarm noise to penetrate underwater. Its caseback has a post attached that runs up into the movement, which a hammer strikes, a sort of gong make to the entire back resonate at depth. Neat, right? Dials could be signed as Jaeger-LeCoultre or LeCoultre, the latter of which was for the US market. This is a European watch, with one of the best dials you’ll find. The bezel-less construction makes that dial look like an aquarium really, one of the more unique constructions. It’s a cult watch that is easily overlooked, as they’re pretty uncommon to find in the market. But that’s exactly what we’re here for.

This example is the best I’ve seen in years, truly. Many have been relumed. Many have water damage. Many are polished. Many have replaced crowns. This one, though, has none of that nonsense. It’s original beautifully tanned matching tritium, a deep textured dial that’s still perfectly black, and sharp case with cross hatched crown. Every detail is to be envied, except perhaps the price, although really it’s quite reasonable compared to many recent listings. It comes from a well-regarded Parisian retailer, only available on IG for now.