HAPPY DIAMONDS
Discover the origins of fabled Swiss jeweller and watchmaker Chopard
The history of one of the most ubiquitous and technically daring watch and high jewellery brands begins with two European families in the late 1800s. In the heart of the Swiss Jura, the father of Louis- Ulysse Chopard, Félicien, lived as an experienced farmer and a man of tradition who encouraged his sons to learn watchmaking. The ambitious Louis- Ulysse, younger of the two, set up his own L. U. C watch manufactory in Sonvilier in 1860, at the age of 24. In order to stand out from numerous competitors, Chopard identified itself by making innovative precision watches featuring sophisticated decoration. Meanwhile in Germany’s Black Forest, the jewellery industry flourished in the hamlet of Pforzheim. A young boy, christened Karl Gotthilf Scheufele, turned to watchmaking in the orphanage to cope with the tragic loss of his parents. By 1904, Scheufele set out on his own launching Eszeha, spelling out the first three letters of his family name as said in German. In 1912, he scored great commercial success with a clip that served to attach a pocket- watch to the wrist or to wear as a necklace.
The fates of two families intertwined a century after L. U. C’s ambitious creation of Chopard. In 1963, Karl Scheufele III, Scheufele’s grandson, published his intention to purchase a Swiss manufacturing company in several newspapers. The then 70- yearold Paul- André Chopard, a gifted horologist, was looking to sell the firm and agreed to meet Karl Scheufele III. Scheufele says of the meeting, “As soon as I visited the Geneva workshops and saw the venerable Mr. Chopard seated at his workbench in front of the window, I knew that our two companies were bound to get on well. After half an hour of conversation, I knew it was the right choice.” Since then, Chopard has never looked back as Scheufelle III revived his legacy into an international watch and jewellery brand. The new creations proved both playful and original and of impeccable quality, bringing with them a genuinely innovative touch that drew on the company’s deep connection with the art nouveau and art deco movements. Between 1970 and 1980, Chopard won the Golden Rose of Baden- Baden, the jewellery industry’s equivalent of an Oscar, 15 times.
One of the most notable collections during this period was born in 1976 when Ronald Kurowski, a talented Chopard designer, became fascinated with the sparkle of unset diamonds. The way light striking a diamond caught its beguiling radiance served as inspiration and led to the creation of a watch where diamonds could enjoy total freedom of movement, unfettered by any metal. The dream took shape in the form of ‘ Happy Diamonds’, a dial between two sapphire watch crystals, surrounded by diamonds in free play giving a special glow to each second and adding a new dimension in style
to the passing of time. The innovative concept is an example of the creativity of Chopard craftsmen, nurtured by the traditional training programme of the Chopard Manufacture.
Watch companies that develop and produce their own components and watches entirely in- house are still a rarity. So it was with a great sense of anticipation and excitement that I arrived at the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, nestled between sprawling green hills and complete calm. We began our tour on the ground floor where movements are created. In a room filled with machines, which cut the abstract and very refined pieces into shape, raw materials are turned into rough- edged watch cases and movement plates. In the other wing of the building, the opposite environment prevails. It is cool and clean and it is here that quality control and final casing areas of the manufacture are located. The Fleurier Manufacture concentrates on the creation of the in- house movements, as well as the steel watches in the L. U. C, Mille Miglia, and Happy Sport lines. Production at Fleurier includes 3,000 movements and about 25,000 wristwatches per year.
The first floor shares the facilities for movement component decoration: polishing and engraving, case and bracelet polishing, watch testing, and movement manufacturing including complicated watches. It’s interesting to see the dramatic range of watchmakers at work side by side. Next to the “Regleuse”, a watchmaker with over 40 years experience, is the youngest apprentice. He is just 17 but at the Fleurier Manufacture, the process of passing on its expertise and innovation begins early. Each year, 25 apprentice watchmakers and jewellers take four- year training courses that are supervised by an apprenticeship master, active on all three sites, who initiates them into the tenuous process of watchmaking.
As an added treat, Chopard also invited us for a tour through the jewellery manufacture in Meyrin, on the outskirts of Geneva. Chopard is as
famed for its watches as for haute joaillerie, although the jewellery has the added allure of being considered lucky, especially at the Oscars.
Over the past six years, seven actresses adorned in Chopard jewellery have won a leading actress or supporting actress award. The Geneva workshops, along with Chopard’s third facility at Pforzheim, produce a total of 75,000 jewellery pieces each year. Unlike watches, where product development cycles are measured in months or years, the world of jewellery is much faster- paced. New pieces are designed and built in weeks, and unique pieces are created for single events where they shine.
Chopard has built its house on a foundation of four pillars: impeccable quality, respect for tradition and the passing of values, creativity backed by innovation, and responsible patronage. Even though viewing their most complicated creations through a microscope presents a microcosm of these values, understanding and assimilating the import of their 150- yearhistory requires a longer journey.