Chopard was founded by Louis – Ulysse Chopard in the picturesque village of Sonvilier, in the heart of the Swiss Jura region, in 1860. The young craftsman was enthusiastic about his works, which were well-known for their durability and precision, and enjoyed delight from customers from Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia.
Paul André Chopard and Karl Scheufele
In 1963 the grandson of the company founder, Paul André Chopard, sold the company to Karl Scheufele. After a few moves, the manufacture found its permanent headquarters in the world capital of luxury watches, Geneva, under the direction of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, a German jeweler and watchmaker from Pforzheim. Even today, after 150 years, the name Chopard stands for precision and exquisite craftsmanship with valuable materials.
Company philosophy “Tradition of perfection”
Under the influence of the Scheufele family, Chopard experienced a glorious development. True to its motto “Tradition of perfection”, the Happy Diamonds ladies watch collection was introduced in 1976. The freely movable diamonds on or below the dial were initially considered futuristic. Today, Chopard’s Happy Diamonds collection, with its refined and timeless designs, is very popular worldwide.
Chopard & Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia, a world-famous vintage car – rally across Italy, which was revived in 1977 has become a meeting place for vintage car fans since then. The passion for classic cars is shared by both Karl Scheufele and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. This passion is reflected in the Classic Racing Collection.
The watches from the Classic Racing Collection, which are dedicated to the most exclusive street rally in Europe, delight with a sporty design inspired by the beauty of historic automobiles. The models have rubber or leather bracelets. The cases are made of stainless steel and gold. The luxury watches of the Mille Miglia collection impress the male as well as the female sex with numerous functions, such as small second, date display, luminaries and indexes or second time zone.
The luxury watch manufacturer Chopard has been the main sponsor of the famous Mille Miglia since 1988. Each team that starts at the Mille Miglia will receive a current model from the Chopard collection. These driver watches are very popular with collectors and have engraved or printed the start number on the back of the case.
L.U.C Haute Horlogerie
Since 1985 the siblings Karl-Friedrich and Caroline Scheufele share the tasks in the independent family business. He is responsible for the watch sector and heads the Chopard manufacture in Fleurier, where the L.U.C movements are produced, she is co – president and artistic director responsible for the jewelery sector.
The collection L.U.C Haute Horlogerie is a tribute to the founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard and bears his initials in the name. All L.U.C timepieces are designed, developed and manufactured entirely in the Chopard manufactory. The flagship of the collection is the L.U.C Louis Ulysse – The Tribute – made out of white gold. The Tribute is actually a pocket watch that can be turned into a wristwatch.
The ten families of L.U.C calibers comprise more than 70 variants of highly precise mechanisms, all of which are COSC-certified chronometers. Some of them also meet the demanding quality criteria of the “Poinçon de Genève” – the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva – or the even higher quality seal of the Fondation Qualité Fleurier (FQF).
Chopard’s partnerships
Since 1998, Chopard has been the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival in France and the award of the festival – the Golden Palm (Palme d’or) is handmade by the Chopard studios in Geneva.
The refined jewels of the luxury brand sparkle and shine with the stars. No wonder that Eva Herzigova, Penelope Cruz and Jane Fonda are passionate bearers of Chopard jewelry and that not only for the famous film festivals. Since 2006 Anna Netrebko, the world famous soprano, has been ambassador for Chopard.
In honor of the Grand Prix de Monaco race, Chopard created the GPMH collection. Since 2002, the luxury watch manufacturer has been the official sponsor of the annually held car race on the city circuit de Monaco.