Lip Watch

Lip  
Chrome 
Late 1930's  
Manual wind  
17 Jewels  
Movement cal T18  
French  
± 38 .x 21 mm 

It is such a fascinating brand. Not only because it is French, and thus, for a change, not Swiss but also because of the extraordinary story behind it; the dedication of the employees, who did everything they could to save the brand from ruin, is particularly remarkable. It is too much to recount in full here, but it is certainly worth looking into.

Fred Lip commissioned André Donat to develop the T18 movement in 1931, officially launched in 1933. The T18 is equipped with a Breguet hairspring, and features a sub-second’s function. LIP stated that more than 400,000 T18s rolled off the production line by 1949, making it the largest mass-produced rectangular-shaped watch in its history.
The movement looks exceptionally good, probably due to the snug fitting cover that keeps it safe from harm. And the best part of the intire watch is the engraving on the dust cover which reads: ‘Don’t touch me - take me to your watchmaker’. Seriously, all watches should be engraved with this message.  

On the inside of the case back is most likely the casemaker's logo, the place name Besançon, Made in France, and a LIP reference number within a frame.
Fred Lip (Frédéric Lipmann) is/was regarded a genius, to others he was considered a madman, but with a great sense of humor. He was without a doubt the visionary leader, of the French brand LIP. The innovations, the legacy was all his doing. The Churchill T18 connection made the movement even more famous, as the French government Charles De Galle presented Winston Churchill with a LIP watch carrying the T18 in 1948.

The dial is a factory original, in an elegant off-white color with raised LIP and Roman numerals in excellent condition, and with its original set of hands. The case is chrome, and despite the inevitable signs of age, it still looks rather splendid. In fact, I'd say it has aged rather better than most of us have any right to expect.

French, rectangular, historically important, slightly eccentric and equipped with a movement that politely tells you to leave it alone…