“Memovox” is a derivative of the Latin words "memoria" and "vox" which means; “memory” and “voice” or as you might have put one and one together; an alarm.

In 1959 Jaeger-LeCoultre made a lasting mark on diving history by launching the very first diver's watch to be equipped with an alarm that served to remind the diver that it was time to re-surface. Six years later, the Memovox Polaris was born from this new diving watch concept as a technological breakthrough.

Reference E859 debuted in 1965, in a run that is believed to have made roughly 1714 pieces, as an expansion of those earlier dive watches. The oversized (42mm) watch was water resistant to 200 meters. The most impressive piece of engineering was the case back, which comprised three layers. The inner steel layer featured the EPSA (famous case maker Ervin Piquerez S.A.) compression sealing. The second one; a brass core, was the resonator for the alarm. Finally, a third outer layer shielded the resonator from a diver’s wetsuit, allowing the alarm to ring clearly when the watch was on the wrist. Additionally, the production models featured 16 holes in this outer layer so the sound could exit. In case you are wondering, the alarm was indeed for underwater use and allowed divers to hear and feel it.

The one we have on offer for you today dates back to 1968 and is fitted with a large black dial which has turned to a beautiful tropical, brown hue over the course of time. With the tritium indices and Arabic numerals having turned to a creamy color complementing this beauty perfectly.