LIP Crosshair

While we make much of sports watches here at Analog/Shift, we can’t deny that there’s a time and a place to dress up. Let’s face it—sometimes you don't want to pair your dive watch with a bespoke suit. Fortunately for us, there are vintage dress watches. Though seldom revolutionary in appearance, a dress watch from the 1950s and 1960s sings a song even sweeter than Ol’ Blue Eyes could ever croon. And sometimes, though they may not look revolutionary, their stories—and the stories of the brands that made them—often are… quite literally. Lip’s story began in 1867, when Emmanuel Lipman founded a clock workshop in Besançon, France. By the 20th century the company had become known as Lip and was producing 2500 pieces a year. Despite these early successes, Lip began to experience financial troubles. It started in 1967, when Emmanuel’s descendant Fred took Lip public. Almost immediately, the Swiss consortium Ebauches S.A. (ancestor of the modern Swatch Group) bought 33% of the shares.  This piece is a unique design manufactured in the late 60s to early 70s featuring a very period-appropriate crosshair dial. This piece is completed with a very distinctive bracelet design featuring rounded links with knurled center bands and expandable to accommodate a wide range of wrist sizes.  Watches like these simply aren't made these days. Get a really cool piece from a brand that was engrained in the fabric of the previous century of watch production.