Lip Mach 2000 LED

I have another of the Mach 2000 watches for you all today.

The watch is by the French brand Lip which has been around for getting towards 150 years. The Mach 2000 watches were designed by industrial designer Roger Tallon, who is probably best known for his TGV train design in France. Their collaboration started in 1975 and included the Fridge and the Mach 2000 designs.

This model is the LED version and one of the remakes rather than an original model. This one was originally sold in 2007 but is not available anymore (-it was at least available in 2009, but I don't know when they stopped selling them). It has the normal shape of the Mach 2000 with a curved left side and squared right side. There are two blobby buttons on the right with the top showing the time, and the bottom showing the date. On the left are two inset buttons for time setting.

I haven't decided yet whether it is a true LED or an LED illuminated LCD. The digits look like a standard 7 digit LCD display, but the light doesn't vary across the display as with most of the LED illuminated LCD watches.

The plastic/rubbery strap is quite thin and the buckle has the Lip lightning symbol they used for their electric watches.

It is made from Aluminium, and is actually made in France and has a reference number n the back of 1890712, along with another number 7010. The original sale price was 29,400 yen.

Lip Fridge by Roger Tallon

Today's watch is another by French watch producers Lip, and designed by Roger Tallon.

Roger Tallon was born in 1929, and made his name as an industrial designer. His best known work is the TGV train system in France, but in 1975 he started working with Lip on watch designs including the Mach 2000 (blogged previously) and this model, the "Fridge".

Lip have been producing watches for 145 years, and have worked closely with industrial, architectural, interior, and graphic designers to produce their visionary watches.

The Fridge watch has a very 70s clean white design reminiscent of a refrigerator, and was originally designed in 1971 . It's 3-hand dial is deeply recessed into the face, and incorporates a date marker at the 3 o'clock position. The case is made in two parts which clamp around the one-piece white leather strap.

The collection were re-released starting in 2005, and as this is a quartz model (and mentions the website on the back), I assume it is one of those. It does however, have an angled 'p' on the word Lip on the front, which is similar to the original 70s models.

The model number is 1870942-7070

Lip Mach 2000 Chronograph Silver Master

Today's watch is by French brand Lip. The brand's history started in 1867, with the formation of a clock workshop by Emmanuel Isaac Lipman in Besançon. The Lip brand was formally registered in 1908, and the lip mark on the dials was born, and then in 1952 Lip releases the world's first electric watch.

In 1975 Lip collaborated with a designer called Roger Tallon, who was an internationally renowned transportation designer who had worked for General Motors, Mexico City's underground, and later designed the Corail locomotive for SNCF.

One of the ranges they developed was the Lip Mach 2000 range, and this watch is the Silver Master design. The watch is a 2-hand dial for time, has a chronograph activated by the yellow button and reset by the red (which uses the second hand) . The blue crown changes the time and date, and can change the hour and minute separately (which is useful for travelling or when the clocks change).
The watches have been sold since 1975, but can still be bought today. I think this is one of the modern models.