The Vintage-Inspired Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date (live from SIHH 2018)
Right from the start of the SIHH 2018, we made sure that the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 2018 Collection was already covered here, on MONOCHROME. Indeed, it represents one of the main novelties of the Show and, mainly, an extremely important collection for JLC, as their only true sports range of watches. And while the Memovox will certainly be the most desirable of them all, we chose to show you another (very close) model, that we consider here the cornerstone of the collection, as non-limited, relatively affordable but still vintage-inspired. You name it, the Jaeger LeCoultre Polaris Date.
Two nights ago, I fulfilled one of my most bromantic dreams when I shared a steak dinner with the new IWC ambassador, Bradley Cooper. Me, the guy from all those great movies, a bottle of Malbec and some delicious eye fillet. Perfect. The fact that there were at least 500 other people dining, and that my table was several hundred metres from Brad’s was irrelevant. And as to that point that few, in fact no words were spoken between us? Mere details. On paper, it was steak night with Coops, and Aloe Blacc kindly turned up to sing to us. Who is Bradley Cooper to me, really? Well, several sight-challenged people have commented that, after they’ve imbibed several litres of wine, I look a little bit like him. So to people who really want to get on my good side, he’s my doppelgänger. But, jokes and very optimistic squinting aside, Bradley Cooper is the guy that’s been making me want a Big Pilot since I was in short pants. Cooper has been a big fan, and big wearer of the Big Pilot for a very long time and is often spotted wearing his, both on and off the screen. Most recently our professional spotter Andy Green saw what…
After a warm reception to the forward-thinking Freak-based Ulysse Nardin Innovision 2 at SIHH in 2017, the highly anticipated production variant — dubbed the Freak Vision — took centre-stage at the brand’s ocean-themed booth at SIHH. Of the original 10 patents (four issued, six pending) that found their way into the concept watch, three have been integrated into this new production piece, including the recently launched anchor escapement design, large-diameter silicium oscillator, and ultra-efficient “grinder” self-winding system. Cased in a brushed platinum with a blued bezel and case flanks (with a titanium bezel), the 45mm beast wears surprisingly comfortably given its sizeable dimensions, and manages to be the most understated iteration of the Ulysse Nardin Freak I’ve ever seen. The original Freak from 2001 marked the brand’s first foray into silicium component development, and they continue to be a leader in the category. Now, 17 years past the creation of the first Freak, this latest example feels very much like the turning of a page into the next chapter of boundary-pushing Ulysse Nardin creations. While its carousel tourbillon movement setup — where effectively the entire movement acts as a giant tourbillon, with its large boat-shaped bridge structure doubling as a minute hand…
