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MotorTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:11 Hi everyone, I'm live from the French Grand Prix
00:14 on the Paul Ricard circuit in Castellet.
00:16 Why? Well, simply because L'Hippe is the official
00:19 timer of this legendary race.
00:21 The French Grand Prix presents in 2024
00:24 the 13 race bagatelle, divided into 3 days.
00:28 On this occasion, L'Hippe of course plays the game,
00:32 the French brand presenting 2 limited edition timers.
00:36 The first is a Mecca Quartz edition, limited to 1906 copies
00:41 to celebrate the year of creation of this legendary race.
00:45 And the second is an automatic chronograph,
00:48 Grand Prix de France Historique, limited to 255 copies.
00:52 But Pierre-Alain Bérard, General Director of L'Hippe,
00:55 will tell you a little more about it later.
00:57 [Music]
01:17 Hi Pierre-Alain, thank you for welcoming us
01:20 to the French Grand Prix Historique on the Castellet circuit.
01:23 L'Hippe is the official timer.
01:25 Can you explain to us why L'Hippe is here
01:28 and why it plays such an important role?
01:30 Hi Pierre, thank you very much for coming
01:33 and for being present at the invitation
01:35 to this magnificent Paul Ricard circuit.
01:37 For L'Hippe, it's really a return to the roots.
01:39 Automobile sports is one of Fred L'Hippe's great passions.
01:43 The former owner of the L'Hippe watchmaker,
01:46 the L'Hippe watchmaker.
01:47 And so we wanted to gradually reconnect
01:50 with the passions that founded the L'Hippe house.
01:53 And the watchmaking and the automotive mechanics
01:57 are very close and very related.
02:00 Sorry for the noise.
02:04 A little music to accompany us.
02:06 We are on a Grand Prix, of course.
02:08 And so it seemed natural to us to go on the Formula 1,
02:13 which is the top of the top, but in history.
02:15 Because there is more proximity with the drivers,
02:17 more proximity with the cars.
02:19 Besides, we can get very close later.
02:21 And it looked more like us.
02:23 Okay, so you've just signed for several years.
02:26 We signed for three years as official watchmakers
02:30 of the French Grand Prix.
02:32 Great.
02:33 So for the occasion, L'Hippe is releasing
02:35 two limited editions.
02:37 Can you tell us a little bit about them?
02:39 That's it.
02:40 So we're releasing two specific editions
02:43 of the L'Hippe Rallye,
02:45 which is the automotive sports model of our collection.
02:48 Yes, a historical model of the catalogue.
02:50 A historical model of the catalogue
02:52 that was born in the mid-1960s.
02:54 So at the beginning, it was in collaboration with Breitling,
02:57 since the very first were signed by L'Hippe-Breitling,
03:00 the Chrono Rallye.
03:02 Yes.
03:03 And then quite quickly, with the Venus movement,
03:06 and quite quickly they were signed only by L'Hippe
03:09 when they were assembled in Besançon.
03:11 Yes.
03:12 So we took over this chronometer carrier.
03:16 Here you have the version in Mecaquartz.
03:19 Yes.
03:20 39mm in diameter.
03:22 So it's a brand new size that's in the L'Hippe catalogue.
03:25 We wanted to reduce the dimensions a little bit
03:28 to find the original size on the Mecaquartz.
03:31 It's closer, at least, because at the beginning,
03:33 we were 39mm in diameter in the 60s?
03:35 We were just a little bit smaller, we were 38mm.
03:37 Yes, okay.
03:38 So we're really very close.
03:39 We're very close.
03:40 On the other hand, on the automatic chronometer,
03:42 we keep a size of 42mm.
03:45 The thickness of the movement means
03:47 that we need to widen the room a little bit.
03:50 Yes, for harmonious proportions.
03:52 And we want it to be a nice chronometer.
03:55 The two models don't have the same numerus clausus.
04:00 We have...
04:02 So we have the automatic chronometer in 255 copies.
04:06 That's the number of drivers present this weekend
04:09 at the French Grand Prix.
04:11 So, indeed, a fairly short series.
04:13 There won't be enough for everyone.
04:15 And then, the Mecaquartz, on the other hand,
04:18 we make 1,906 copies.
04:20 That's the date of the first French Grand Prix.
04:23 The year of creation.
04:24 The year of creation of the very first French Grand Prix.
04:26 So there's a little specificity,
04:28 well, several, by the way, but the logo...
04:31 So we find the logo of the French Grand Prix
04:34 a small formula just below the chronograph indication.
04:41 And above the date.
04:44 And then also the colors of the French Grand Prix
04:49 which are also the blue colors of the Paul Ricard circuit.
04:52 Blue and red, yes.
04:53 Yes, blue and red of the Paul Ricard circuit.
04:56 A combination of colors that I find absolutely sublime.
04:59 And that we also took on the stitching of the bracelet.
05:03 So a very well finished piece
05:06 and with a real sports car touch.
05:10 Great, with the dameier that makes the junction between the two counters.
05:16 That's it.
05:17 So that's something that Fred Lip put on the rally models at the time.
05:21 He had put the famous dameier flag
05:24 which means the end of the race, the victory,
05:27 between each counter and that we wanted to take on these editions 2024.
05:33 To finish, these two chronographs that are on sale on the circuit today,
05:39 so those who are lucky enough to be among us and have been able to acquire it,
05:42 will then integrate the classic distribution circuit.
05:45 So the Mecca Quartz will integrate the classic distribution circuit
05:50 and the automatic rally, given the low number of series,
05:55 we will have a few, but it will be gone quickly.
06:00 So I invite you to hurry up.
06:03 Pierre Lain, thank you.
06:05 We look forward to the next races with a lot of impatience.
06:08 And thank you for welcoming us again.
06:11 Once again, thank you for coming.
06:13 Ciao.
06:14 [Music]