Fred Lipmann

Fred Lipman has not only been the major actor in Lip’s survival when the financial crisis was th menacing but also greatly contributed  to it’s position nationally and internationally thanks to new production methods inspired by the biggest U.S. factories. In the darkest hours of the war, he also continued with its engineers to innovate by creating in spite of the circumstances, simplified movements before joining the  resistance and get back  « La Mouillère »Â  manufacture from it’s invaders.

Fred Lipman was born in Besançon on the day of the Dead as he often liked to recall. An adage which highlights even more the will of a determined man ready to break with the past and willing to to change Lip the watchmaker into something much bigger …

His school years was far from being honorable and in 1922 Fred Lipmann failed at the oral of his bachelor degree which, however,was far more difficult in those days. As a result his father decided to put Fred in the watchmaking school in Besançon and allowing him to obtain a diploma in 1925 with a special mention for his achievement at the end of his study.

After his military service from Fred on a study trip to the United States where he will visit course many watch manufacturers but also the Harley Davidson assembly plants are as passionate about sports.
This visit inspired him and he is determined to implement the same methods of production for Lip.

Having served as « charming salesman in a shop watch the Grands Boulevards Paris, » as he liked to joke, he returned in 1931 in Besançon join the family business in a rather dark as the watchmakers Lip through a major crisis financial.

Le T18 russe : Swesda / Zvezda (étoile)

Lip in Pushkin’s country

In 1936 Fred Lip Lip is technical director of Watch and oversees agreements with the USSR important parts of watches and gauges in large quantities allowing Lip to emerge victorious from his fight against the crisis and until the edge of the second world war. For many years the original Lip gauges are assembled in a factory designed with the help of technicians Lip Watchmaker. These agreements were in perfect harmony with the will of the Soviets to develop the watch in the USSR. In fact Russia did not have the reputation for building highly accurate timepieces also have the watches before 1917 was just wood and bone. It was not until the 30 years before you see the watches a little less rough. The association with Lip was thus the culmination of this effort by the Soviets to modernize this industry for too long neglected.

The second world war

Montre de bord "aeronef T14"

From 1938 with the imminent arrival of a conflict that nobody wanted to believe, however, must Lip militarize its production under the impulse of the French authorities as well as other large companies. « Saprolip » Fred Lipmann which is the general manager is created that year to meet this need.
And watches are produced on that team as the T10 aircraft « Southern Cross » by Jean Mermoz. In 1939 Fred went to London to study with the RAF (the Royal Air Force) the possibility of large-scale production of this watch-board highly accurate watches and T14 aircraft (pictured below against ) or anti-aircraft rockets and ground-ground air defense.
Unfortunately in 1940 the factory was requisitioned by German troops and is led by Mr Ditetrich Alsatian and Major Reile quet watches are produced for the German brand Junghans as well as on-board instruments for the Aviation. During this period, T 18 and T 12 continue to be produced.

Fred Lipman and the staff of Lip is now to where you installed Saprolip Issoudun (military wing of Lip) that with the defeat of French forces and the armistice must convert this valve in the production of a bicycle!

Lip Of course, under the leadership of Fred Lipmann did not end so easily and in 1941 thanks to the ingenuity of its engineers developed the « I24″ responding to the shortage matériauxet tools of the time by offering a Simplified class. It is the only free movement produced in France at the time!
On the night of 13 to 14 September 1942 the commando Pierre Georges said, « Colonel Fabien » emblematic figure of the French resistance blew up with his commando transformer that powers the factory Lip Mouillère paralyzing production.
The official anti-Semitism is becoming more and more pressing Fred Lipmann joined the underground and is active in the resistance.
In 1944 the Germans attempt to steal the machines in the factory Mouillère but fail to do so through various sabotage and two workers whose task was to identify Lip machines in Germany are divided into Besançon almost immediately after have arrived.

Soon after Fred Lipmann returned to Besançon, expelled the occupants of his office, and it is in a war-ravaged Besançon or only the Lip factory seems to stand with the pain of losing his father died in deportation, he went back to work to rebuild the Lip Watchmaker what they were before the war.

Discover our legendary : The Type 18

TYPE 18 CHROMEE

Creator : Fred Lip

Created in : 1935

Description :
Chromed case – Movement Ronda slimtec 1064- grey strap, genuine leather.

149.00 €

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TYPE 18 CHAMPAGNE

Creator : Fred Lip

Created in : 1935

Description :
Golden case – movement Ronda slimtec 1064- brown strap, genuine leather.

149.00 €

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TYPE 18 OR

Creator : Fred Lip

Created in : 1935

Description :
Golden case – movement Ronda slimtec 1064- black strap, genuine leather.

149.00 €

See the product’s page