Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Jaeger-LeCoultre · Polaris
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 39 mm Black Grade
Reference 18055OR.18
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Collection
- Polaris
- Model
- Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 39 mm Black Grade
- Reference number
- 18055OR.18
- Year / era
- 1956 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 22F — In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1956 – 1970
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 39 mm Black Grade sits within Jaeger-LeCoultre's Polaris line, introduced in 1956. It carries the house codes established since 1833 — grade 5 titanium case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic with 22k gold rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1833
- Founder
- Antoine LeCoultre
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Reverso, Master Control, Master Ultra Thin, Polaris, Duometre, Rendez-Vous, Atmos
- Signature technologies
- Composite and ceramic case materials · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Notable watches
- Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 43 mm Meteorite Stainless (1989) · Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 42 mm Black Ceramic (1982) · Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 39 mm Ice Quartz (1961) · Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 39 mm Blue 18k (1971)
Brand history
Jaeger-LeCoultre has spent more than 193 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Reverso, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Antoine LeCoultre established Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1833, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1833
Antoine LeCoultre founds Jaeger-LeCoultre in Switzerland.
1873
Jaeger-LeCoultre earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Jaeger-LeCoultre to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Jaeger-LeCoultre enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to produce Reverso, Master Control, Master Ultra Thin and other icons in limited numbers.