he Le Castellet motor-racing circuitin the south of France was the backdrop for the unveiling, by Lip, of the R26 movement that debuts in the new Type 14, Annapurna and Nautic 666 collections, representing themes of air, land and sea, that were also presented at the legendary track. A long way, perhaps, from the brand’s historic home in Besançon, where it was founded in 1867, but very much a symbol of its French heart, as Lip welcomed journalists and retailers in its new capacity of official timekeeper for the French Historic Grand Prix.

For the past decade, Lip has come under the wing of the Bérard family, who have re-established the brand in France’s Franche-Comté region (read our article). The newly launched movement can be seen as a crowning moment in this return of production to Besançon.

A 1952 article in Europa Star, with photos of Fred Lip (top left) and the Lip factory in Besançon.

©Archives Europa Star

At its height, in the 1960s, Lip employed up to 1,500 people. Now with a 100-strong workforce, it is still the French watch industry’s biggest employer.

Lip is official timekeeper for the French Historic Grand Prix, raced on the Le Castellet circuit where the brand launched its R26 movement, which equips three new collections. It also unveiled a Rallye Méca-Quartz Chronograph in the Grand Prix colours.Lip is official timekeeper for the French Historic Grand Prix, raced on the Le Castellet circuit where the brand launched its R26 movement, which equips three new collections. It also unveiled a Rallye Méca-Quartz Chronograph in the Grand Prix colours.

The R26 — R for round and 26 for 26mm (11½ lignes, for a 5.92mm height) — was three years in development. Seventy per cent of the manufacturing cost of this automatic movement originates in the Besançon region. One particular point of interest is the LIP logo on the going train bridge and on the oscillating weight, where it swings back and forth with the wearer’s wrist movements, appearing and reappearing to add visual interest to the reverse of the watch (see the video, below).

Prior to this new calibre, quartz movements accounted for some 60% of the brand’s volume sales. The R26 is confirmation that Lip has grand ambitions. Average price (currently between €200 and €500) should increase substantially, with new lines priced in the region of €1,000.

A pragmatic approach

Lip’s Chief Executive, Pierre-Alain Bérard, talked us through the genesis of the R26: “Three years ago, we met with teaching staff at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et des Microtechniques (SupMicroTech) in Besançon, our partners in developing the R26. Creating a movement from scratch simply wasn’t feasible in France, we would have needed too many Swiss components. What we could do, however, was work from a tried and tested movement architecture and buy in standardised components from partners in Franche-Comté.”

Lip has built its logo into the functional structure of the R26’s rotor. Designed by one of the brand’s engineers and machined with micrometric tolerances, this mobile decoration must be precisely adjusted so that, once the calibre is assembled, it accompanies every one of the oscillating weight’s movements.

French-made components had to account for at least 50% of cost price. Specifications were for a reliable, 26mm diameter, three-hand/date “workhorse” movement, built to market standards, that would serve as a base for multiple collections. The movement is assembled at the Lip factory. “We didn’t take the complications route, which implies higher costs and components that are complex to machine. However, we have succeeded in imprinting our style, in particular by incorporating our logo into the structure of the rotor,” Pierre-Alain Bérard explains.

Land, air and sea

Lip certainly isn’t doing things by halves. Destined to become part of an ambitious industrial logic, the R26 already equips three new collections. One of these, the Type 14, is the brand’s first contemporary aviation watch. Proposed in a 41mm brushed steel or black PVD-treated case, it features an internal bidirectional rotating bezel, operated by a crown, surrounding a black dial whose texture imitates the surface of a runway.

The contemporary Type 14 reconnects the Besançon brand with a part of its heritage, as Lip’s Type 14 “montre d’aéronef”, a robust cockpit instrument, equipped 1930s French fighter planes.

Under the new Type 14’s runway-textured black dial is the R26 automatic mechanical movement.

The new version of the Nautic 666 shouts out to another chapter of the brand’s history. Initially developed for the North American market in the late 1960s, it was nicknamed the “Devil Diver” because of the 666 inscription on its dial, corresponding to the watch’s 666 US feet (200 metres) depth rating.

Based on a late 1960s model, the Nautic 666 dive watch represents the sea in the new lineup of Lip watches driven by the R26 movement.

Whereas rival brands omitted this information from their dials, out of superstition, Fred Lip, with his usual bravado, didn’t. The contemporary iteration is cased in 316L stainless steel, measures 39mm across, and is equipped with a unidirectional rotating dive bezel with a black, blue or grey anodised aluminium insert.

Measuring 39mm in diameter, the Annapurna celebrates the first ascent of an 8,000-metre peak, in 1950.

After air and sea, the Annapurna represents land and is the third collection powered by the R26. Originally launched in 1951, Fred Lip named it after the first 8,000-metre peak to be ascended — by French mountaineers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal. After Sir Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, the collection was renamed Himalaya.

The contemporary collection reprises the original name to match a vintage-inspired design. The dial, in black or silver with a double sunray finish in the centre and a brushed hour chapter, is swept by openwork hour and minute hands. Water-resistant to 50 metres, it harks back to the golden age of the mechanical watch, when Lip accounted for a tenth of French watch production and ranked as the seventh largest watch manufacturer in the world.

A younger generation at the head of a legacy brand

Back in the present: Lip, like other French brands, is perceived differently on its domestic market compared with global markets. In France, sales are dominated by more affordable quartz models whereas its other main market, Japan, is driven by Japanese consumers’ image of France and their appreciation of more subtle designs and more sophisticated mechanical movements (read more on this in our article on French haute horlogerie brand Pequignet, which has the same two main markets).

The three R26-equipped collections are intended to redress the balance and situate brand perception at a greater level of sophistication. Lip also aims to break into new markets: the US as well as the big European economies, starting with neighbours Germany, Italy and Spain. Currently, Lip is represented at 600 points of sale in France and 200 worldwide. Forty per cent of sales are to women.

“We’re seeing a real revival of France’s watch industry, historically the second-largest after Switzerland,” continues Pierre-Alain Bérard. “Legacy brands are returning to the spotlight alongside a new generation of entrepreneurs, determined to make quality watches here in France, without crossing the border into Switzerland.” Bérard fits both descriptions. In his forties, he steers the fortunes of one of the foremost names in French watchmaking.

Stay focused

Established in 1978, the family-owned Société de Montres Besançon (SMB Horlogerie) group operates a diverse portfolio. Alongside Lip, it holds licences for French and international watch brands and is number-one in its category in France, with annual sales of 1.2 million watches. With Switzerland just across the border, its capacity to attract and retain talent is all the more impressive. “We put a lot of emphasis on continuing education and encourage our staff to develop their competencies,” insists Bérard. “We find the talent we need to develop, right here.” (Lycée Edgar Faure in nearby Morteau is a major source).

The new R26 provides 42 hours of power reserve on a full wind and runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz). Every moment is individually adjusted for a daily accuracy of -5/+10 seconds.

The screws for the balance bridge, oscillating weight and going train bridge are custom-made with an hexagonal head: a subtle reference to France’s geographic contours.

Bolstered by the R26 and three new collections, what priorities will Lip’s CEO tackle next? “First, grow the brand internationally. Second, use the R26 as the basis for more movement developments. It’s important to maintain a strategic focus. Lip has an amazing legacy and we need to show this without heading off in all directions. For the time being, we’re focusing on the 1950s to the 1970s. On which note, I’d love to see the return of the Lip Stop.”

The Mach 2000, designed by Roger Tallon (and re-released by Lip) in a 1986 issue of Europa Star.

©Archives Europa Star

Produced between 1968 and 1971, the Lip Stop’s 60-minute disc at 12 o’clock was designed to keep track of parking time (hence its other name, the Parcmètre) and makes a bold visual statement. The brand has already reissued some of its most distinctive designs, including the Mach 2000, designed in 1974 by Roger Tallon, and the T18, an Art Deco-style rectangular model. Launched in 1935 and produced until the late 1950s, it became one of the brand’s best-sellers.

Lip turns 160 in 2027. “We’re in the process of curating a collection of historic models,” says Pierre-Alain Bérard, adding a shout-out to his father who three years ago tasked him with putting the brand, which has no outside investors, back on the map. He’s tickled by the idea of a Lip museum in its home town of Besançon. This would also be a chance to shine the spotlight on Fred Lip and his explosive personality (read our article): a larger-than-life character who wouldn’t look out of place on the big screen. A museum? A film? As Pierre-Alain Bérard wisely notes, the important thing is to stay focused, although in the light of recent developments, Lip has plenty of options as to where that focus will take it next.

©Archives Europa Star

Europa Star Archives from 1960, when Lip was at the height of its fame, with nine factories, 1,500 employees and a newly opened manufacturing plant in Geneva. After deindustrialisation left France’s watch industry on the brink, Lip is back on form thanks to the efforts deployed by the Bérard family, reconnecting the brand to its dynamic legacy.

©Archives Europa Star