Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced an all-new collection, called Polaris, at SIHH 2018, with each of the new models bearing the direct aesthetic influence of the now-classic Memovox Polaris, a mechanical alarm-equipped dive watch launched in 1968. During the salon in Geneva, I had the opportunity to speak about how a 1960s classic becomes a 21st-century collection with the man who spearheaded the modern Polaris’s design and development, Jaeger-LeCoultre Product Design Director Lionel Favre.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Product Design Director Lionel Favre
MB:    What made you want to become a designer, specifically a designer of watches"

LF:      I started in jewelry design, and worked for several brands including Chopard, where I was Head of Design. Personally I preferred to make my own designs ? taking a pen to paper is a pleasure for me. And now that I have some experience [with watch design] I found it very interesting to develop an entire collection. MB:    You prefer using pens and pencils to using a computer"

LF:      Yes, definitely. It?s very important in our design department that we start our designs by hand because this is the best way to go deep into the subject. When you have sketched the beginning of an idea, you can start on the computer. But you need to start with the blank paper and take the pen.
MB:    What sets Jaeger LeCoultre apart as a brand in terms of how you approach the design, compared to other brands that you?ve worked with&qu...