The lip saga

LIP Manufacture Movement Collection featuring the LIP R26 Caliber

Driven by the conviction to restore the esteemed reputation of France's oldest watchmaking brand still in operation, LIP's Management has made the strategic decision to commence production of the in-house LIP R26 movement. Following three years of meticulous development undertaken in collaboration with the SupMicroTech engineering school of Besançon, this self-winding mechanical movement, with 70% of its cost price originating from France and more specifically the Besançon region, now equips an initial range of timepieces crafted to meet the needs of discerning users, whether on land, at sea, or in the air.

recreation of a watchmaking icon

In this strategy of telling its rich history through the recreation of some of its iconic watch references, in 2024 LIP launches the famous T18 with a hand-wound mechanical caliber featuring the essential ribs of the original movement that Swiss brands so often copied in the 1930s. Inspired by the model presented to Sir Winston Churchill, the 180 numbered limited-edition pieces sold out in just a few hours, proving the public's enthusiasm for this historic French brand.

Big TV Titanium

Born in 1974, Big TV was created by designers with no connection to watchmaking. In 2023, after extensive reworking in LIP's offices in Besançon, this emblematic model will return to the brand, entirely made in titanium.

Rallye Automatic Chronograph

Committed to offering timepieces with strong emotional potential and high mechanical value, LIP is launching the “Rallye Chronographe Automatique” in 2021. This meticulously finished, well-motorized chronograph instrument is the flagship of the company's values. It is a sign of the company's commitment to renewing its success by touching the hearts of discerning enthusiasts.

Creation of the Mythic

In 2003, in keeping with the founding values that have made the company so strong, LIP revived its tradition of technicality and avant-garde. That year, the brand launched the Mythic, a watch with an original reading mode that broke with classic codes and propelled the French watchmaking company to the heart of the new watchmaking movement, thanks to a fundamentally disruptive time display using three rotating discs.

bill clinton

The iconic General de Gaulle watch, known by its acronym GDG, was presented to US President Bill Clinton in 1997. The media regularly photographed him with his LIP "Presidents' Watch" on his wrist.

The adventure of design

With the arrival in 1975 of Claude Neuschwander, former director of Publicis and the company's creative communications director, LIP began to turn the corner on design after the period of self-management. To revitalize the brand, he commissioned Roger Tallon, then the most fashionable designer of the day, to create a new style of timepiece. The result was the revolutionary Mach 2000.

It’s possible, we make it, we sell it, we pay ourselves

In 1973, like all Swiss and French watchmaking companies, LIP faced economic difficulties linked to the arrival of quartz and the public's infatuation with this new technology. Refusing to see their workforce dismantled, the factory's workers organized themselves to form the very first self-managed factory.

The legendary Nautic-Ski

To celebrate the company's centenary in style, LIP launched the Nautic-Ski watch in 1967. The first French reference water-resistant to 200 meters, it also featured a revolutionary internal rotating bezel for measuring diving times. Thanks to all its qualities of precision and robustness, it was immediately acclaimed by the public and adopted by the greatest sailors of the time, including Eric Tabarly.

The first electric watch in the world is a LIP!

At the cutting edge of technology and ahead of the competition, LIP presents the world's first electric wristwatch on March 19, 1952. The brand registered a patent for this "electronic" movement, which marked a real technological turning point in the industry. General de Gaulle, aware of the significance of this invention, wears it on his wrist to demonstrate France's know-how and capacity for innovation. A small detail: Fred Lip designed highly legible indexes and hands for the GDG to compensate for the declining eyesight of the man who was the leader of Free France and a brilliant statesman.

World record: The LIP HIMALAYA on the roof of the world!

It was with a LIP Himalaya watch featuring the R23 caliber that Maurice Herzog achieved the feat of reaching the summit of Annapurna in 1950, at an altitude of over 8,000 meters. Thanks to this legendary mountaineer, LIP set a new world watchmaking record.

Winston Churchill

In 1948, the French government chose an 18-carat gold-plated LIP T18 as a gift to Sir Winston Churchill, in gratitude for services rendered to France during the Second World War.

Jean Mermoz’s Croix du Sud

Involved in the development of the technologies of the time, LIP manufactures on-board instruments for aviation, including the famous "Type 10" on-board watch, which in 1935 equipped the "La Croix du Sud" aircraft piloted by Jean Mermoz, one of the pioneers of l'Aéropostale.

Creation of the T18

In 1933, the rectangular shaped watch named after the new caliber T18 (T for the Tonneau shape and 18, for the width of the caliber counted in millimeters rather than lines) was launched. Aesthetically pleasing, precise and robust, it was a huge success, becoming the most mass-produced rectangular-shaped reference with over 400,000 units sold by 1949.

LIP S.A. Watchmaking

In 1931, the company changed its name to LIP SA d'Horlogerie. On the initiative of the enterprising and optimistic Fred Lip, internal shareholding was encouraged. Before anyone else, he modernized the company and encouraged tours of the premises to show the public the high level of technical skill required to make a LIP watch. That same year, shortly after his return from the USA, Fred Lip asked the watchmaking engineer André Donat to develop a revolutionary movement that could be mass-produced.

Launch of SAM

In 1929, the brand, already famous for its logo consisting of the three letters LIP, still used today, launched a sub-brand called SAM.

Revolutionizing advertising

In 1919, the company launched a truly revolutionary advertising campaign to reach a wider public. This new mode of communication marked a turning point in the commercial approach to the trade and helped establish LIP's reputation in the hearts of the French.

LIP becomes a brand

In 1908, after moving into its new ultra-modern, heated and electrified premises - a rarity at the time - the company registered the LIP trademark.

The phosphorescent dials of Pierre and Marie Curie

In 1904, Ernest asked Pierre and Marie Curie to create a material that would enable owners of LIP watches to tell the time in the dark. The first hands visible at night were created... and at the time, they were also radioactive.

From the small workshop to the company

The small workshop became the Société anonyme d'horlogerie Lipmann Frères in 1893. The company continued to expand, thanks to the combined talents of Ernest, Camille and Jenny, the founder's three children.

Creation of the first workshop

In 1867, Emmanuel Lipmann set up a small watchmaking workshop in Besançon. Hard worker and visionary, he introduces different innovative instruments for his time, and made a name for himself with the quality of the time-measuring instruments he produced.