Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 returns in 2025 with a new enamel dial and an 18K pink gold case, and it is as much sculpture as timekeeper. The case, reference Q52824E2, measures 43 mm in diameter and 14.13 mm thick, with a convex bezel, broad bevels and hollowed lug flanks that catch light across polished, satin-brushed and micro‑blasted surfaces. On the wrist, the warmth of pink gold meets a dark blue alligator strap, a classic pairing that lets the dial do the talking.
And it has plenty to say. The central display is a 25.5 mm domed world map viewed from the North Pole, its continents cut from a fine plate of pink gold and filled using champlevé enamel. Nine layers are fired to achieve the gradations, a subtle play of opaque and translucent tones that suggest different landscapes. The continents sit on a skeletonized dome formed by longitude and latitude lines, so they seem to hover. Beneath, the oceans shimmer with translucent blue lacquer over wavy hand‑guilloché, built up to an almost liquid depth through a sequence that totals 17 coats and then polished to a gleam.
Around this miniature globe, the world-time display is crisply organized. The city names sit on a blue opaline ring. Inside it, a fixed 24‑hour ring with applied markers and laser‑engraved numerals provides day and night context. Outside it, the minute track is laser‑engraved on a blue lacquer background. It is ordered and readable, yet the dial is never still.
The reason is Calibre 948, an in‑house automatic movement of 388 components whose party trick remains unique to Jaeger‑LeCoultre: a patented Universal Tourbillon that makes a full rotation in 60 seconds and also completes a 360‑degree orbit of the dial every 24 hours. As the tourbillon travels, the domed map and the city ring rotate in unison, a mechanical allusion to Earth’s rotation and the 24‑hour day. The effect is hypnotic, and for some it will be the point. For others, that constant motion may prove a touch theatrical. Either way, it is memorable.
Despite the complexity, operation is simple. Set the time with the crown and every time zone synchronizes. Land in a new city and advance or retreat the hour hand in one‑hour jumps while minutes and seconds keep running. The movement beats at 4 Hz, stores 48 hours of power and is secured under a sapphire caseback. Water resistance is rated at 5 bar, respectable for an haute horlogerie piece but better considered a confidence buffer than an invitation to swim.
Within Jaeger‑LeCoultre’s portfolio, the Master Grande Tradition line is where the Vallée de Joux manufacture marries complicated watchmaking with its Métiers Rares atelier. When it created Calibre 948, it was the first time a world-time complication had been paired with a flying tourbillon, and this edition leans into that dual identity. The engineering is the headline, yet the dial’s artisanal depth gives the mechanics a worthy stage.
As an object of collecting, the new Calibre 948 has obvious hooks. It is limited to 20 pieces, executed in a precious metal, and it represents a patented take on a classic complication. The projection from the North Pole will please map lovers. The 43 by 14.13 mm proportions are unapologetic, which suits a watch whose city ring and world map literally move with time. It is not a minimal world timer, and that is precisely its character.
The Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 in pink gold is a reminder that universal time can be more than a static ring of cities. Here, the world turns, the tourbillon travels, and the craftwork invites a lingering look. For those who like their horology to be both precise and poetic, this is a compelling axis to orbit.
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