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 41 mm Blue 18k
Reference 97778OR.51
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Collection
- Polaris
- Model
- Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 41 mm Blue 18k
- Reference number
- 97778OR.51
- Year / era
- 1968 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 50 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 38E — In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1968 – 1981
- Limited-edition quantity
- 50 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 41 mm Blue 18k sits within Jaeger-LeCoultre's Polaris line, introduced in 1968. It carries the house codes established since 1833 — 18k white gold case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house automatic micro-rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
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.