Throughout its history, Jaeger-LeCoultre has excelled in crafting complications, including timepieces capable of displaying multiple time zones simultaneously for nearly a century. The Calibre 948 stands as a uniquely artistic expression of universal time, blending a world time display with a flying tourbillon that completes a circuit of the dial in 24 hours—symbolizing Earth’s rotation and its orbit around the Sun. In 2024, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces a new interpretation of the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948, featuring a green enamel dial that celebrates the colors of nature and highlights the skills of the Manufacture’s in-house Métiers Rares™ atelier. This exquisite piece is housed in an 18-carat pink gold case and is limited to just 20 pieces.
The Precision of the World’s Time Zones
The concept of time zones has its roots in astronomy, with Earth’s 24-hour day determined by its rotation. However, standardized time zones are a relatively recent development, driven by the need for synchronized timing in the 19th century, particularly for railway travel. Prior to this, each city set its own time based on the sun’s position. The International Meridian Conference in 1884 established Greenwich Observatory in London (longitude 0°) as the reference point for global time calculation, leading to the creation of 24 major time zones, each defined by 15 degrees of longitude. This standardization introduced terms like Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), ante meridian (am), and post meridian (pm).
The Métiers Rares™ Atelier: Mastery of Ancestral Crafts
Creating the complex and richly colored dial of the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 requires over 70 hours of meticulous work by the master artisans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares™ atelier, combining enamelling, guillochage, and lacquering techniques.
Champlevé, meaning “raised field,” is an ancient enamelling technique where depressions are carved into the metal surface and filled with layers of enamel, fired at high temperatures after each layer. The enameller uses both opaque and translucent enamels to create varying shades, suggesting the different landscapes of the continents. The dial of the Calibre 948 involves 10 layers of enamel, requiring over 20 hours for enamelling alone.
Lacquering is a labor-intensive process involving the manual application of multiple layers of coating. It starts with a clear varnish, followed by a color layer, and up to 15 coats of translucent lacquer to add depth and richness, each requiring precise drying. The final step involves polishing the disc to a perfect finish, enhancing the color’s richness.
A World of Time Expressed Through Artistic Precision
The multi-layered dial of the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948, measuring just 25.5mm in diameter, is a miniature masterpiece. At the center is a map of the world viewed from the North Pole, cut from 18ct gold and decorated with champlevé enamel. Unlike traditional flattened maps, this one floats above the dial on a domed pink gold skeleton representing the Northern Hemisphere’s longitudes and latitudes, created with laser-cutting precision. This structure adds depth and lightness to the dial, subtly alluding to the complexity of time measurement.
The dial plate beneath the dome, representing the oceans, is decorated with blue-green translucent lacquer over a wavy guilloché pattern, suggesting sea movement. Surrounding the central dial, a green opaline ring displays city names for each time zone. Two concentric fixed rings outside the city ring indicate 24 hours and the minute track, with laser-engraved numerals and a dark green lacquer background complementing the map and ocean colors. The flying tourbillon, appearing to float above the oceans, spins in 60 seconds and completes a 360-degree revolution of the dial in 24 hours, with the domed map and city ring turning in unison to indicate the correct time in each city.
An Elegant Case for an Exceptional Calibre
The Calibre 948, uniting a world-time complication with a flying tourbillon for the first time, is a testament to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s technical expertise. This Universal Tourbillon, patented by Jaeger-LeCoultre, completes a circuit of the dial every 24 hours, mirroring a mean solar day’s length. Consisting of 388 components, the automatic movement is designed for simplicity in operation: setting the time with the crown synchronizes all world time zones, and adjusting local time on arrival at a new destination involves moving the hour hand in one-hour jumps, without affecting the minutes and seconds.
The Master Grande Tradition case, composed of over 40 parts, features pure lines and refined proportions, with a convex bezel, broad bevels on the lugs, and hollowed-out lug sides. Different surfaces are microblasted, polished, and satin-brushed to maximize light play. The warmth of the pink gold is complemented by a dark green alligator strap matching the dial.
With its magnificent green dial, the new Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 exemplifies Jaeger-LeCoultre’s dedication to combining artistic creativity and sophisticated mechanics, balancing innovation with a deep respect for tradition.
For more information, please visit Jaeger-LeCoultre.com.