Lip Général de Gaulle Owner Review : Elegant, historical and charming

Well well well... where to start? Found in a garage sale, this watch without much interest (for the common man) is in fact a little treasure.. A full-fledged representative of the "electronic" range of the famous French brand Bisontine: "LIP" (electronic calibers being "the missing link" between mechanical and quartz movements) it is powered by the caliber R184 (calendar variant of the R148). It was nicknamed "the watch of presidents" because it was first offered to General de Gaulle then to President Eisenhower. And it's true. Once on the wrist I feel like someone important! This reference 42998 recognizable by its chrome case, (unlike its sister 43816 with a gold case which is more "common") is becoming rare. This is an original model released in the mid-70s, recognizable by its trapezoid-shaped window and crown embedded in the case. The model then called GDG (for General de Gaulle) was reissued in the 90s and those up to the present day, but slightly different (rectangular window with rounded edges and crown protruding from the case). Its white dial and these indexes in real black onyx are for me a real success and exude elegance. Its second hand with this little lightning bolt is for me THE detail that kills. Surprisingly light I almost forget that I have a piece of French history on my wrist. Sold at the time for 375 francs (a nice sum for the time), today the prices for this reference are in fact non-existent. I found very few if any ads for an original chrome model, so you really have to choose it for its history. So indeed the performances are perhaps a little limited these days, watchmakers wanting to revise these calibers being a little rare, for the moment my little LIP takes a few minutes per week.. But what the hell precision when you have this face.