Jaeger-LeCoultre presents a magnificent new artistic interpretation of the Universal Time: Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948, embellished with great finesse by the artisans of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® atelier.

Since the 1930s, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been creating timepieces able to display several time zones simultaneously. From dual-time watches to the Géographique and the remarkable Calibre 948 world timer, La Grande Maison makes time truly universal.

When Jaeger-LeCoultre created the Calibre 948, it was the first time that a world-time complication had ever been united with a flying tourbillon. What’s more, the Universal Tourbillon makes a complete circuit of the dial every 24 hours – the length of a mean solar day.

A true expression of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s technical expertise, the automatic calibre was conceived, developed and entirely produced within the Manufacture. The splendid new aesthetic expression of the world-time complication showcases La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts alongside its technical prowess.

In a subtle allusion to the depth and complexity of time measurement, the dial is made of several parts.

At its centre, in keeping with world-timer tradition, is a map of the world as seen from the North Pole. However, unlike the traditional flattened image, this map floats above the dial bed on a domed skeleton formed by the longitudes and latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

Created by the master artisans of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® (Rare Handcrafts™) atelier, the outline of the continents is cut from a sheet of white gold and decorated with champlevé enamel.

Champlevé – which translates literally as ‘raised field’ – is a noble and ancient enamelling technique that was first practiced almost 2,500 years ago. With great skill, the artisan must first carve out a depression in the raw metal, conforming exactly to the outline of the desired image – in this case, the shapes of the continents seen from the North Pole.

This hollow area is then filled with multiple layers of enamel – fired at very high temperatures after each layer – until it is flush with the original surface. On the completed enamel surfaces, miniature-painted details of the continents’ major landscape features have been painstakingly added, enhancing the work with even greater intrigue and refinement.

For the new Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948, the enamelling of a single dome requires 55 hours of work. Measuring just 25.5mm in diameter, each dial is a remarkable work of art in miniature, requiring almost 70 hours of meticulous work altogether.

Beneath the dome, representing the oceans, the dial bed is a disc of vivid blue translucent lacquer applied over a wavy guilloché pattern that suggests the movement of the sea and the lunar influence on its tides. In circular aperture to one side of the map, the flying tourbillon appears to float weightlessly above the blue oceans, spinning in 60 seconds.

As on all classical world timers, each time zone is represented by the name of a city, arranged in a ring around the central dial. Set outside the city ring are two concentric fixed rings: a 24-hour indicator with applied numerals and rectangular indexes, and a minute track laser-engraved on a ring of blue lacquer that matches the blue oceans. Mimicking the rotation of Earth on its axis, the domed Earth map – together with the Universal Tourbillon and city ring – makes a complete 360-degree revolution in 24 hours, always indicating the right time in each city.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 is very simple to read: the hour marked on the ring adjacent to the city name is the time in that city’s zone. It is equally simple to operate: the time is set with the crown, which synchronises all of the time zones around the world. On arrival at a new destination, local time is set by the same crown, which moves only the hour hand, in one-hour jumps forwards or backwards, allowing the minutes and seconds to continue running accurately.

The Master Grande Tradition case is a perfect complement to the dial. Comprising more than 80 parts, its convex bezel contrasts with broad bevels on the lugs, and the hollowed-out lug sides add dynamic tension. Different surfaces are microblasted, polished and satin-brushed to maximise the play of light.

Technical details

Model: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948
Reference Q52834E1

Case
White gold; sapphire case-back
Dimensions: 43mm x 14.13mm
Water resistance: 5 bar

Movement
Calibre: automatic mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 948
Frequency: 28,800
Power reserve: 48 hours

Functions
Hours/minutes, universal flying tourbillon, world-time display (24 time zones), 24-hour indication

Dial
Blue translucent lacquer over a wavy guilloche pattern; domed skeleton structure decorated with champlevé enamel

Strap
Alligator leather with deployant buckle

Edition
Limited edition of 20 pieces