Chick-Lip!: 23 watches and a crazy adventure!
Joshua Grillet
Since these 23 watches were unveiled to the global watchmaking community, the Earth has completed one full revolution around the Sun. As this project has no commercial purpose, its promotion has been low-key, and it is highly likely that you may have missed it. Combining vintage watches, the history of Besançon, sharing, art, and creativity is something that touches my heart! I think it's high time I told you how it all began.
My meeting with Benoît aka @petitesecondes
I first became interested in watches in 2014, and it's fair to say that this simple curiosity has turned into a major project! After attending numerous watch fairs, building up a growing collection of vintage watches, visiting Baselworld, meeting other collectors, spending thousands of hours on FAM (ForumAMontres) and obtaining a CAP Horlogerie (watchmaking certificate), we find ourselves in 2018, the year I met Benoît and the two missiles in his possession:
We met at a wonderful watchmaking event in Besançon. Since then, we have exchanged a few watches and I maintain part of his collection.
Having to downsize my generous collection, it is with a heavy heart that I have decided to part with two watches. Two Lip R25s from the 1950s with a 33 mm steel case and a great military look – a real treat! It's 2020, and he jumps at the chance. I'm extremely happy that my two exes are in such good hands, but I had no idea what was about to happen next...
The birth of Chick-Lip!
In 2021, @petitesecondes began seriously accumulating Lip R25 watches with this steel box and supplies (as well as a Lip with a questionable but very appealing dial) because a crazy idea was germinating in his tormented mind as a mad collector.
It should be noted that collecting is not our dear friend's only watchmaking activity, as he is one of the pillars of a watchmaking media outlet. Fifth Wrist is a platform dedicated to watch enthusiasts, offering mainly owner reviews of various watch brands. Users can also publish their own reviews. In addition to reviews, the site offers a podcast dedicated to watchmaking and a community for enthusiasts.
Benoît has been part of the Fifth Wrist community since its inception. He hosts The Vintage Henhouse, a podcast where he discusses vintage watches with other enthusiasts around the world. He is also the owner of “Snow the Chicken,” the hen who became the mascot of Fifth Wrist.
Then came the tragic day of Snow's death. With his heart heavy with grief, Benoît decided to pay a sublime tribute to his hen, but also to his Comtois roots and the entire watchmaking community:
He offered 23 Lip watches from the 1950s decorated with a chicken in place of the second hand, also known as the “small seconds” in this configuration. Chick-Lip!
The Avengers of watchmaking
To bring his project to fruition, Benoît put together a dream team:
Romaric André aka @secondeseconde for the artistic and physical creation of the legendary hands
@wristwatchme for crafting handmade leather straps in Canada
Zealande @zealandeofficial for manufacturing pouches
And me, Joshua @lumeville, for restoring the watches!
Here are the ingredients for creating a crazy project:
1. Customized hands
Romaric André, aka Seconde/Seconde/, is an artist known for his innovative and eccentric collaborations in the world of watchmaking. His unique concept involves modifying the hands of vintage or luxury watches, incorporating unexpected, pixelated elements to transform the watches into true works of art. The original hand is carefully preserved in a vial. The gamble paid off, as this “Snow” hand is particularly endearing!
2. One-of-a-kind straps
Chick-Lip! watches come with a handmade leather strap customized by Wrist Watch Me. All straps are stamped with the inscription “Chick-Lip Benoit TVH” and “Real men wear 33 mm.” The kind of detail I love!
3. Unique pouches
Zealande is a company specializing in high-end rubber wristbands and watch accessories. Created by Zealande with the “Chick-Lip!” stamp, these pouches are the perfect showcase for this project.
4. Historic vintage watches
In short, Lip is the Besançon manufacturer par excellence, the epitome of French watchmaking!
Benoît and I are from Besançon, and since his project has international reach, promoting a watch from the 1950s with a French-made caliber makes perfect sense, don't you think?
The R25 caliber used in the Ckick-Lip! watches was designed in 1948 and mass-produced because it was the first Lip caliber to be produced on an assembly line, which continued until 1963. And we needed parts to restore these 23 watches!
"The R25 caliber matured during the Occupation, as it was the work of Jean-Georges Laviolette, a Lip engineer who was very close to Fred Lipmann before and during the war. While World War II was raging, Laviolette designed not only the R25 movement, but also the tools and technical conditions necessary for its manufacture. Once the war was over, and won by the Allies, this carefully thought-out project could finally see the light of day, but not without a few more years of work," wrote Clément Haond (another friend whom I warmly salute) for musee-lip.fr, in a detailed article that I invite you to read.
The Chick-Lips are here!
One fine morning, Benoît knocked on my door and handed me a box—it was a gift. Inside was the fruit of three years of work. I was very moved as I discovered its contents, and it's clear that Benoît has an eye for detail and a love for things done well. Inside were:
A thank-you card with a drawing of one of my current hobbies
A certificate of non-authenticity, which I invite you to read very carefully
A pin featuring Snow the Hen
A pouch, which I hasten to open
This watch is a true vintage watch. This means parts have most probably been changed or messed-up. The crown has a 99% chance of not being the original one. Heck! It might even be completely made up of distinct parts from donor watches that did not survive the 20th century. It's fragile and might even stop working after 2 hours of non-intensive wear. Flee humidity like the plague! We are so happy you now own such an exclusive vintage watch!
You recognize it, right? It's the Lip Standard that I sold to Benoît three years ago and that stayed on my mind! This man is definitely a master of the wink!
But where are the 23 Lip watches?
Benoît kept one for himself, of course. He sent the rest to friends all over the world, most of whom didn't even know they were the lucky recipients and weren't aware of the project, which was kept secret. Here's where the watches ended up around the globe:
4 in France 🇫🇷
1 in Austria 🇦🇹
1 in Germany 🇩🇪
1 in Hungary 🇭🇺
1 in Italy 🇮🇹
1 in Sweden 🇸🇪
1 in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧
6 in the United States 🇺🇸
7 in Australia 🇦🇺
And here is the list of the lucky owners who were handpicked to ensure that no Chick-Lip! watches would end up for sale:
I would particularly like to thank Benoît for inviting me to participate in his ultimate project. It was a tremendous joy and a profound inspiration. Most likely, it holds the key to the recurring question my friend Vincent and I have about the purpose of watch collecting and the love of watchmaking.
« Jean Staune relates in his book “les clés du futur” that the current adult generations are “créatifs culturels” which would translate into “cultural creatives”. So… where will you find some joy in this world? In the next Tudor release? Or in something else… you’ve got the cards, I’ve got the chicken 🐔. » - @petitesecondes
MIC DROP 🤚🎤
This article is part of an ongoing exploration of vintage watches.
I offer independent analysis and private inspections for collectors.
Have a great time on the website!
Joshua Grillet