Memovox

A few things every Memovox collector eventually learns. First, the Polaris name is a source of confusion: the vintage E859 is the original Polaris, and JLC revived the name for an entire modern collection in 2018, so "Polaris Memovox" can mean a 1968 diver worth $25,000 or a current-catalog 42mm watch. Know which one you are talking about. Second, the triple caseback on the E859 is the tell. That pierced outer layer is what let the alarm ring underwater, and a Polaris missing its correct caseback stack is a fundamentally compromised watch. Third, the bumper-versus-rotor distinction on early automatics is a real value fork: the K815 bumper of 1956 was the world's first automatic alarm, and enthusiasts prize it, but the smoother K825 rotor is the one most 1960s Memovox owners actually have. Fourth, the alarm is a mechanical stress point, and a Memovox that has never been serviced almost always needs attention on the alarm train before it rings properly. None of this is a reason to avoid the watch. It is the reason a correct, honest, ringing Memovox commands the premium it does, and it is why, when one lands on our bench at 47th Street, the first thing we do is wind the alarm crown and listen.