Since Benedict Cumberbatch wore the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox for the making of the short film In a Breath, it has become one of his favourite pieces. Wearing the watch on many different occasions over the past year, the actor and longstanding Friend of La Grande Maison has come to appreciate its great versatility – both as a casually elegant everyday timepiece and as a high-performing dive watch.
“It is slim for a diving watch which I really like – and it’s a very stylish thing: I can just wear it at home with a jumper as well as with a wetsuit,” he says. “Because it’s so understated and elegant, I can wear it for everything – in the sea or on a bicycle, at a photo-shoot or just chilling out.”
Being fitted with the Memovox alarm movement lends an additional, unique charm to this particular Polaris Mariner model, he adds: “The alarm is perfect, especially compared to a digital alarm, as it’s a lot softer and quieter – and if you’re wearing it gives a very gentle vibration, which I really like.”
Benedict also appreciates how Jaeger-LeCoultre’s designers have risen to the challenge of combining elegance, functionality and high performance in the watch: “It’s light, it’s incredibly durable and I like that you can actually see the mechanism at the back through the glass – which is quite rare in a dive watch. It’s the geek in me - I love to see the mechanisms,” he remarks. “It functions at a 300-metre depth, which is well beyond most recreational and commercial dives, and it must have taken a lot of effort to have something that is resistant to that much pressure and that much depth still visible with the transparent back. It’s a mightily impressive bit of engineering and yet it’s still incredibly sleek for a diving watch.”
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox will truly shine as a great timepiece for all occasions, all year round. “Unlike many dive watches, it doesn’t feel overbearing on the wrist if you’re wearing it casually, as well as for its purpose – diving,” says Benedict. “It’s a beautiful object, a classic look – really timeless.”
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox
The robust capabilities and distinctive aesthetic of the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox pay direct homage to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first diving watches. Functionality has been enhanced, to be fully compliant with ISO 6425 diving specifications and water-resistant to 300 metres (30 bar), while the concentric rings of the gradient blue dial create a sporty and distinctively contemporary aesthetic. The self-winding movement, Calibre 956, is a direct descendant of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first automatic alarm watch calibres. With a new peripheral gong designed to allow for a transparent sapphire case-back, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox retains the signature “school bell” sound that lends such charm to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s alarm watches.