Movement record · Switzerland
Landeron 48
Partially verifiedA cam-and-lever (shuttle) chronograph rather than a column wheel, designed for simpler and cheaper manufacture and adjustment, and supplied in very large numbers across the mid-century chronograph trade.
Technical specifications
- Diameter
- Approx. 29.8 mm
- Height
- Approx. 5.8 mm
- Jewels
- 17 typical
- Frequency
- 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- Approx. 40 hours
- Winding
- Hand wind
- Setting
- Pull-out crown
- Escapement
- Swiss lever
- Balance
- Monometallic balance on later production
- Complications
- Chronograph with 45-minute register, Subsidiary seconds
Identification features
- Cam (shuttle) instead of a column wheel under the chronograph bridge
- Landeron marking on the movement on many examples
- Register capacity commonly 45 minutes rather than 30
- The movement is marked with the Landeron logo and the number 48 under the balance wheel.
- Unlike some two-button designs, the stop function shares the reset button.
Known variants
- Landeron 51
- Landeron 148 and related later cam chronographs
Servicing notes
Simpler to set up than a column-wheel chronograph but still specialist work; worn cam and lever surfaces are the usual source of poor pusher feel.
General guidance only. Antique movements should be serviced by a qualified watchmaker.
Historical significance
The calibre that made the chronograph affordable, and the reason a large proportion of surviving mid-century chronographs are cam-operated.
Introduced in 1937, the Landeron 48 was a refined cam-actuated chronograph that transitioned from the three-button setup of its predecessor, the Cal. 47, to a two-button configuration. The calibre was supplied to numerous prominent watch brands including Breitling and Cyma.
The added history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Ranfft DB - Landeron Calibers, ranfft.org, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Landeron [Watch Wiki], watch-wiki.net, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Landeron 48, reference.grail-watch.com, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Landeron 48 - Watch Movements Archive, watch-movements-archive.com, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Swiss ébauche trade catalogues
- Production dates are approximate; the calibre family overlapped heavily with its successors.
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.