The devilishly handsome JLC Polaris dive watch has a reworked Cal 956 movement. The Swiss brand says the alarm movement, which is visible via a see-thru caseback, has been slimmed down – in fact, it’s 15% slimmer than previous iterations.

That gives the JLC a rare look amongst dive watches, in truth you could argue it’s more of a dress watch, especially with the unique bell-like alarm and 42mm case – which is fairly modest compare to big-ass 45mm-50mm dive watches.

At 15K retail you could also say it’s kinda pricey for a dive watch that can manage 300m. Many an Indie brand watch can match that spec for £500. Many Swiss watches can offer 300m diving for under £1500.

Yes, there is that JLC cachet, the aura of a truly ancient house of horology behind the brand name. We aren’t knocking that heritage, or in-house expertise when it comes to servicing and the longevity of a 28,800vph auto movement can be measured in decades. Yep, you can pass this onto your grandchildren, or the cats’ home, whatever. The Polaris Mariner has alot going for it as a grail watch.

Your NWC mag scribe would love a JLC – Reverso maybe, or a classic bumper automatic. As slick as this reworking of the Polaris Mariner is, it is simply too expensive for what it does. The fascination for me with JLC is that vintage, 30s mix of art deco retro and complication for its own sake.