Jaeger-Lecoultre sneaky releases for Watches & Wonders 2026: Reverso 42mm & polaris 40mm

Hello watch lovers around the world. I hope you're all doing well. Today we're continuing our boutique crawl to check out all the latest from Watches and Wonders 2026 and today we're heading back to JLC. While the master control chronometer was stealing the show and the headlines JLC sneakily released a Polaris in 40mm and made a return of the 42mm Reverso which in my opinion is the perfect size. I'm actually more excited for these releases than the master control. Don't get me wrong the master control is beautiful but for me the Reverso is my favourite. So come join me and let's check out these latest releases. First up is the Polaris in 40mm. Some background on JLC's diver. Launched back in the 1960s which is known as the golden age of diving. With its main selling points being its super compressor case and mechanical alarm designed for professional diving. It featured an inner rotating bezel and alarm to signal when to resurface. The collection was brought back into the catalogue in 2018 in the 42mm case and fast forward to today we finally have the much requested downsized 40mm variation. The new Polaris comes in at a case size of 40mm, a thickness of 12.9mm, lug to lug of 47mm and a lug width of 20mm. So overall the case size has shrunk by two millimeters and the thickness has been reduced by a whole millimeter compared to 42mm older sibling. The watch is powered by the in-house JLC Calibre 899 featuring 70 hours of power reserve and 200 meters of water resistance. The watch features an open case back to view the beautiful movement. The dial has a lacquered sunburst finish. It's a definite head turner and the dial has three levels of different finishing. It has an opaline bezel, grained index circle and a sunray brush center. JLC says the different finishing helps to easily identify the different areas of the watch. The inner bezel has orange highlights complemented with an orange tip on the seconds hand with the skeletonized hours and minute hands filled with superluminova tips. The side profile is fully brushed with two push and pull crowns. The crown at two o'clock operates the bezel. It doesn't need to be unscrewed to be used meaning you can use it while you're underwater and it seems quite stable so I wouldn't worry that bumping it might move the timer. The watch is fitted with a color matching fabric strap and the strap has quick release spring bars and is secured on the wrist with resistance butterfly clasp. And here it is on the wrist. For reference my wrist size is 16.5 centimeters and I think it looks pretty sweet. The reduced case size and thickness makes this watch much wearable for the smaller wrist folk such as myself. The blue dial's finishing is stunning and it's a feast on the senses. It would be nice if they had a rubber strap option like the I really dig the fully integrated rubber strap look. Moving on to the next piece the Reverso Tribute Duo Face. This size was formerly known as the medium until they discontinued it a few years back and they replaced it with a new 40 millimeter medium. This watch features a white and blue dial and I gotta say I'm stoked that they finally brought this size back. I always found the new 40 millimeter medium a bit too small and the standard 45 millimeter being a bit too large. So the 42 millimeter is the sweet spot for me. I think I'll skip the history of the Reverso. If you don't know it by now could you even consider yourself a watch lover? Measurements wise the Reverso comes in at 42.9 by 25.5. It has a thickness of 9.2 and a lug width of 19 millimeters. It is powered by a manual winding movement that has 42 hours of power reserve and 30 meters of water resistance. The case features two faces the silver gray and the blue dial and I have to say that the blue dial is really stunning. It's almost light blue in color. The white dial has an opaline finish with a railroad minute track, trapezoidal applied indexes, dolphin hands and small seconds at six o'clock. It looks really clean and classy. Flip the case over and we are greeted with the beautiful blue dial. It has a nice sunray finish that changes to different shades of blue based on the lighting. It has a day and night indicator at six o'clock and the second time zone can easily be set by trigger on the inner top of the case. The side profile is sleek at nine millimeters. It has a push and pull crown that is not fully centered. It kind of triggers my OCD. The Reverso has one of the best winding actions that I've experienced. You can actually hear the gears grinding when you wind it. I highly recommend that you experience it for yourself. It's fitted with a black leather strap but it also comes with an additional black canvas strap. This watch also has quick release spring bars and it's secured on the wrist with the same butterfly clasp as the Polaris. Due to the newness of the watch I was unable to close the strap to preserve the leather. It really brought my balancing skills to the test and on the wrist I think it's the perfect size for Reverso. A nice balance of dress watch proportions while at the same time having some wrist presence and I really think the tribute face is all class and the blue dial is no slouch either giving the watch a more casual look. Long-time watchers on my channel may remember that I've been on the lookout to replace my Reverso Classic with a tribute face. I was kind of devastated when they discontinued the 42 millimeter but now it's back so I'm having trouble deciding which one looks better. Asking some opinions from the watch community, out of the two, which is your preference? I have to admit I'm a real big fan of this tribute face but I also think I prefer a mono face for the thinness and historical accuracy but I got my Reverso back in 2021 at retail for half the price that this one is going for and it's pretty much the same watch just with a different face so if I parted with mine I would probably have to fork out another $8,000 to get this one. Financially it doesn't make sense but sometimes what the heart wants doesn't make sense. What do you guys think? So what are my thoughts on the new Polaris? Well I always found the watch to be attractive but at 42 millimeters it always put me off. Now with the all-new case size it's a lot more comfortable on the wrist. I think it will appeal to a lot more people and it looks a lot different from all those generic looking dive watches out there which is another plus but I think it will benefit with a bracelet and rubber strap option. As for the Reverso, I'm extremely happy they finally brought back the 42 millimeter case size. I think a lot of people will find it hits the sweet spot between the three sizes. This watch is pretty much two-in-one. A dressy elegant white face with a leather strap and a casual blue dial on the canvas strap and on the wrist I think it looks great. My only hope is they continue with this size and release other variations and designs like a mono face or maybe even a gold on mesh but the price is a tough pill to swallow especially for existing Reverso owners who got them for so much less not long ago. But overall very solid releases from JLC. It's good to see that they are catering to different wrist sizes. Thanks for watching my hands-on with the new Reverso and Polaris. So what are your thoughts on these new pieces? I would love to hear it. As always if you enjoy my content and you want to stay up to date with the latest watch releases please like and subscribe. Until next time, happy watch collecting.