Little phrases anchored in memories. Between “Lip it’s possible”, “Lip it’s over” and “Lip it’s back”, the 1970s were marked in France by the turbulent history of the manufacture. The spearhead of French watchmaking know-how, the house founded a century earlier suffered the brunt of the rise of Asian competition, quartz movements and low-cost watches. Having entered Lip’s capital in 1967, the Swiss company Ébauche S.A. decided in 1973 to close the workshops in Besançon and to carry out a wave of layoffs.
In 1973, the announcement of a wave of layoffs decided by one of Lip’s shareholders had led employees to demonstrate in the streets, in France but also in Switzerland. © DR
The chance discovery in the briefcase belonging to an administrator of a document bearing the words “480 to clear” ignites the powder. A long fight will follow with demonstrations in the streets, occupation of the Palente factory by workers, concealment of stocks and, above all, a long period of self-management initiated on June 18, 1973 and summed up by a formula: “C’ is possible: we make, we sell, we pay ourselves”. That day, following a vote in the general assembly, production was relaunched under the control of the workers. But having become the symbol of union and social struggle, the Lip adventure clashed with political power, anxious not to create a precedent. On October 15, 1973, a minister declared, “Lip, it’s over.”
The period of self-management at the Lip factory in Palente entered the history of labor and social struggle in the form of a slogan: “It’s possible, we manufacture, we sell, we pay ourselves!” » © RR
No, for Lip, it’s not all over. In January 1974, thanks to the Dole agreements, activities resumed in a more official setting and the brilliant idea of giving carte blanche to famous designers, like Roger Tallon, blew a breath of fresh air on the brand. hope. In the space of a few months, several iconic models will then appear. However, the economic situation remains difficult and the company’s survival is once again threatened. On May 5, 1976, the workers again occupied the workshops and the newspaper Liberation headlined: “Lip is back”. But on September 12, 1977, the curtain fell and in the absence of buyers, Lip was definitively liquidated.
Lip Watch It’s possible. Limited edition 1973 copies. 316L steel case. Diameter 38mm. Quartz movement. Sapphire crystal. Leather bracelet. Made in Besançon. €199. © DR
In 2018, the Lip name came out of oblivion when the Besançon company SMB bought the brand and began a long and patient work of restarting it. Lip, whose name remains in the collective memory, has great wealth in the form of the many historical pieces that have marked his career. Re-editing or reinterpreting watchmaking icons such as the Churchill, the Mach 2000 or the Nautic Ski thus ensures a return to light. Philippe and Pierre-Alain Bérard don’t hesitate to dig into the archives either to dare a few winks and be daring: they recently launched the SAV (taking up the design of the courtesy watch that the brand lent to its customers when they left their own timepiece for service in the 1960s) and the Big TV Titanium GAxBI, whose shape evokes a 1970s portable television designed by Roger Tallon. Today, it is a symbol of the Lip case that appears on the dial of a limited edition “It’s possible”.
Through the slogan reproduced on its dial, the new Lip watch highlights a crucial period in the history of the French watch brand. © DR
The drawing and the words enthroned at the heart of the dial leave no room for ambiguity: it is indeed the slogan recalling the beautiful hours of self-management, in 1973, which gives this piece all its spirit, between nostalgia and creativity. Offered at a very affordable price, this watch manufactured in Besançon in 1973 copies (obviously!), is powered by a quartz movement housed in a steel case 38 mm in diameter. A good way to pay tribute to the “Lips”, as those who fought fifty years ago for the survival of the company were nicknamed, and to weave a link between the past and the present. Lip, keep it going!