Watch Dandy

It’s hard to overstate the significance of the Polaris collection for Jaeger-LeCoultre. In a world dominated by the round steel sports watch, JLC’s line-up has leaned heavily towards the dressy and rectangular. The Polaris, a fully evolved collection, changed that landscape overnight, and did it in style. One of the strongest offerings is the chronograph. It’s a watch that does a lot of things right, many of which should be immediately apparent. First of all, there’s the size — 42mm is just about right for this sort of sporty classic style, and at 11.9mm high it’s not as top heavy as you might expect. And then there’s the lack of a date window. Sure, it’s not practical, but it’s a move that’s sure to win lots of discerning nods from the watch cognoscenti. The dual register design is strong, and results in a very well-balanced dial, and a remarkably uncluttered one for a chrono. The Polaris DNA is there, too: the ‘12’ and ‘6’, the oversized trapezoid-shaped markers. All present and correct. The combination of rich, summery blue in a range of textures ensures this watch is a looker from all angles, and even moving away from the dial, there’s…

The post HANDS-ON: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph – sporty, steel and oh-so stylish appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Jean-Claude Biver is one of the watch industry’s enduring forces — a charismatic leader who looms, larger than life, over much of the modern history of the Swiss watch industry. So, as you can imagine, it was big — and surprising — news when it was announced a few weeks ago that Mr Biver would be stepping back from his day-to-day responsibilities as President of the LVMH Watch Division (and TAG Heuer CEO) in favour of a new role: Chairman of LVMH Watchmaking Division. What exactly this somewhat ambiguous new title means is the big question. And luckily it’s a question David Chalmers, the man behind Calibre 11, asked in his interview with Jean-Claude Biver, which sees the man looking back at his four-year history in the top seat, as well as to the future. It’s well worth a read, but here’s what Mr Biver thinks is the highlight of his career at TAG Heuer: “I think it was the launch and presentation of the first Swiss-made Connected watch. This I will remember for all my life. It was huge. The buzz we created when we launched the Connected watch in New York was just enormous. We had millions of…

The post RECOMMENDED READING: Jean-Claude Biver looks back at TAG Heuer … and to the future appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Jean-Claude Biver is one of the watch industry’s enduring forces — a charismatic leader who looms, larger than life, over much of the modern history of the Swiss watch industry. So, as you can imagine, it was big — and surprising — news when it was announced a few weeks ago that Mr Biver would be stepping back from his day-to-day responsibilities as President of the LVMH Watch Division (and TAG Heuer CEO) in favour of a new role: Chairman of LVMH Watchmaking Division. What exactly this somewhat ambiguous new title means is the big question. And luckily it’s a question David Chalmers, the man behind Calibre 11, asked in his interview with Jean-Claude Biver, which sees the man looking back at his four-year history in the top seat, as well as to the future. It’s well worth a read, but here’s what Mr Biver thinks is the highlight of his career at TAG Heuer: “I think it was the launch and presentation of the first Swiss-made Connected watch. This I will remember for all my life. It was huge. The buzz we created when we launched the Connected watch in New York was just enormous. We had millions of…

The post RECOMMENDED READING: Jean-Claude Biver looks back at TAG Heuer … and to the future appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.