When you think of the Polaris, you might not think “chronograph” immediately, but that’s exactly what this watch is. It marries the classic Polaris styling – those angular numerals, clean case design, and bold dial – with the most popular of complications, and to great effect. There’s a wide tachymeter scale around the dial’s edge, a slim bezel, and a pair of totalizers instead of a running seconds register, all making this a really practical chronograph for actual use. The pusher have nice snap to them and the in-house caliber 751 movement inside is a nicely finished workhorse that you can count on. Despite the larger 42mm size, this watch definitely has the feel of a mid-century sports watch through and through. It’s no secret that chronographs have been hot the last couple of years. As such, every watch brand has been working to produce a chronograph that can be competitive in its given price and style category – it’s what consumers and retailers alike are asking for. So, jaeger lecoultre polaris chronograph has obliged and created this watch for us. It’s part of the bigger Polaris collection, and it would be hard to imagine a modern sports watch collection without a chronograph as the anchor. (See Montblanc’s new 1858 collection to see a similar strategy in action). To complement the more rugged steel models, there’s also a rose gold version of this chronograph with a beautiful grey dial that could easily be a dress chronograph for those unafraid of larger watches with suits.The unsung hero of the new Polaris collection is the newly engineered steel bracelet. The mix of polished and brushed links is really subtle, the fit is comfortable (and should be for a variety of wrist sizes), and the clasp is ingenious. It can be adjusted from both sides so you get exactly the right balance on the wrist. The blue dial option is really stylish, but I think I prefer the classic black version myself. There’s something about a black dial chronograph on a stainless steel bracelet that is just so good and for the Polaris it feels like the right choice. I could easily see this watch being the commercial hit of the collection, especially in the United States.
jaeger lecoultre polaris chronograph
