Every now and then you see a watch and it’s love at first sight. That was my first reaction looking at the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 World-Timer in its fresh green enamel variant. A verdant and vibrant interpretation of a haute horological world timer.
It’s difficult to know where to start with this watch so let’s cut right to the calibre at its heart. The calibre 948 first emerged in 2017 as part of the Geophysic line before being reimagined in 2022 as part of the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 World-Timer. It’s what JLC call a Universal Time calibre, meaning that even as the tourbillon rotates on its own axis every 60-seconds, the tourbillon itself is rotating around the centre of the dial once every 24-hours. You’ll see that there is no GMT hand because the tourbillon and all the list of cities attached to the rotating disc serve as the world time indicators.
For the 2024 edition of the watch, the rotating disc that depicts the globe seen from the north pole features an updated aesthetic in rich green enamel. It’s specifically a type of enamel called champlevé, where the artisan carves out a depression in the metal base which is then filled with consecutive layers of enamel to build up a seamless, smooth texture and bold colour.
Each layer of the dial requires firing at extreme temperatures, resulting in high failure rates. The green continents, tourbillon and cities scale are suspended on a pink gold frame that rotates above a blue guilloché backdrop that represents the oceans.
Pink gold is the precious metal of choice here as the 43mm x 14.13mm case is also made from it. Those dimensions make this quite a wide and thick timepiece, but that’s to be expected when combining an haute horological movement with a stunning Metiers d’Art display. Speaking of Metiers, the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 World-Timer is produced by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Metiers Rares Atelier, who specialise in delicate artistic techniques like enamel, lacquer and guilloché.
As you may expect, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 World-Timer is a limited edition of 20 pieces and is price on request. If there’s ever a watch to print out in a poster and put above your bed, it’s this one. A real beauty and a technical stunner.
Price and Specs:
More details at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
