Let’s be clear: I’m not talking about my actual first watch. Can you imagine a watch journalist waiting for his 30th birthday before shelling out for his first timepiece? I know that, metaphorically speaking, it’s always the shoemakers who have no shoes, but let’s be reasonable. It was, however, the first time I’d bought a watch for myself. My colleagues may roll their eyes over how long it took me, but I’m very happy with my first purchase. So, what is the experience like, for a watch journalist buying his first timepiece?
Quite simply, it’s a nightmare. Given how many different watches we look at over the course of the day, it’s easy to fall in love several times each month. “I love that new shade of that dial!” “I’m obsessed with this new vintage finish!” or “that movement is sublime!” – this is all part of the background noise when you work at a publishing house that specialises in watches. If you add the fact that we’re always waiting to see the next launches before taking the plunge, months – even years – can go by. In this milieu, monogamy is sorely tested. The temptation is so strong that some journalists even wear more than one watch at a time – after all, we do have two wrists. But they pay the price. I’ll come clean and admit that I have been known, in the past, to judge. I must apologise to my editor-in-chief Suzanne Wong, who has been the target of some merciless teasing from my direction (she put up with it graciously, like a big sister with her annoying little brother). Mea culpa. I now know what it’s like to want to wear more than one watch at the same time. Sometimes I wish I were an octopus with eight tentacles, so that I could wear all my watches at the same time. I can’t tell you how much time I’d save every morning.
In any case, the newest member of my collection is apparently the perfect watch for me – the people who know me best would tell you the same thing if you asked. It’s the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date Green. The descendant of the famous Memovox Polaris dive watch of 1968, the new Polaris welcomed a new colour in spring 2022. And if you do the sums, you’ll see that it took me a year to pull the trigger, for the reasons I’ve already mentioned. The Polaris collection is JLC’s sporty line, and the new green dial goes from khaki at one end of the spectrum to black at the other. The finishes perfectly complement the way the light plays across all the different shades on the dial. If you want to know more, you can watch our video.
The day I finally decided to take the plunge, we mounted an expedition from the WorldTempus office. Accompanied by my team, including my Editorial Director Sophie Furley (aka my “office mum”), I walked purposefully to the JLC Geneva boutique, where I had made an appointment. In the industry, buying a watch is a family event! Warm welcome, impeccable service – my experience in the shop was enhanced by the lightning-fast arrival of my timepiece. Although I’d been warned the waiting list was two to three months, my Polaris arrived within three days! My relationships with people at the brand probably worked in my favour – at least that’s what I like to think. Other people at the brand were surprised I’d managed to get my hands on one, given the high demand.
Nevertheless, the Polaris Date Green is on my wrist as I write these lines and, as my first watch purchase, it will always have a special place in my heart, alongside the wise advice offered by Suzanne and Sophie over the last few years. Life is a voyage of exploration, filled with a long list of first times, and this is another one I can cross off my list. All that’s left for me now is to set off on a new adventure.
