LIP

Emmanuel Lipmann established a small watchmaking workshop in Besançon in 1867, initially named 'Comptoir Lipmann.' The workshop became 'Société Anonyme d'Horlogerie Lipmann Frères' in 1893, run by Emmanuel's children Ernest, Camille, and Jenny. The company registered the LIP trademark in 1908 after moving into modern, electrified premises. Under Fred Lip's leadership from 1931, the company modernized significantly and introduced revolutionary production methods. LIP achieved remarkable technical milestones: in 1904, the company collaborated with Pierre and Marie Curie to create the first luminous watch hands; in 1933, they launched the iconic T18, which sold over 400,000 units by 1949; and in 1952, LIP unveiled the world's first electric wristwatch, worn by Charles de Gaulle and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The T18 gained international prestige when a gold-plated model was presented to Winston Churchill by the French government in 1948. In 1950, Maurice Herzog summited Annapurna wearing a LIP Himalaya watch, setting a watchmaking altitude record. The company faced crisis in the 1970s with the quartz revolution. In 1973, when management announced mass layoffs, workers occupied the factory in what became France's most famous self-management ('autogestion') movement. Their slogan 'C'est possible: on fabrique, on vend, on se paie!' ('It's possible: we make them, we sell them, we pay ourselves!') became iconic. During this period, creative director Claude Neuschwander commissioned industrial designer Roger Tallon—famous for the TGV train design—to create the revolutionary Mach 2000 collection in 1975, which became a design icon of the era. After various ownership changes, LIP was acquired in 2014 by Société des Montres Bisontines (SMB), returning the brand to its Besançon roots. In 2025, LIP introduced the in-house R26 movement, marking a return to manufacture watchmaking.