A HAPPY PERSPECTIVE
As CHOPARD launches the Happy Diamonds campaign, Caroline Scheufele offers intimate insights on her personal and creative journey that birthed the iconic Happy Sport watch, writes kiran pillay.
As Chopard launches the Happy Diamonds campaign, Caroline Scheufele offers insights on her journey to create the Happy Sport watch
First launched in 1993, the Happy Sport watch by Chopard is the first watch to wed dancing diamonds with a stainless-steel case. Designed by Caroline Scheufele, it remains one of the most iconic and desirable models in the industry today.
Unlike classic Happy Diamonds watches where dancing diamonds were confined to spin around the dial, Happy Sport diamonds float freely over the entire dial in an endless, hypnotic waltz. In an embrace of the modern age, the timepiece makes headlines for the first time in a demure 33mm diameter incarnation.
Chopard also presents two versions of Happy Sport the First in a 33mm diameter, inspired by the original design. The first version with a run of 1993 pieces bears a silver dial with Roman numerals that complement the blue cabochons on the winding crown and four lugs. The second limitededition watch features a stunning diamond-set bezel and textured mother of pearl dial, with just 788 pieces produced.
To celebrate the launch of the new watches, Chopard has enlisted Julia Roberts as the ambassador of the Happy Sports collection and face of the Happy Diamonds campaign. A short film directed by Cannes Film Festival darling Xavier Dolan perfectly captures the essence of the actress’s inextinguishable Joie de Vivre. Although the PrettyWoman starlet’s radiant
smile and charisma do justice to the spirit of Happy Diamonds, Caroline Scheufele remains the true light and soul behind Chopard’s inventive and inspired creations.
The Co-President and Artistic Director of Chopard found her destined path in her earliest years. Even before she could decipher alphabets, she knew how to tell time on the Mickey Mouse watch her father had lovingly brought from America. Inspired, young Caroline gathered aluminium foil with the firm resolve to craft an original “timepiece” as a gift for her parents. “The only mistake I made was that I got confused with my piano lessons and wrote Chopin on the dial instead of Chopard!” Caroline reveals in good humour.
As parents, Karl and Karin Scheufele saw fit to foster creativity in their children through drawing lessons. “My brother draws and paints very well. I think our lessons were truly the door that opened the way to what we are doing at Chopard today. Both in terms of what he does in the masculine environment and what I do concerning jewellery and the ladies’ side of things,” Caroline muses.
Even today, the artistic director never leaves home or goes to bed without her sketchbook close at hand, prepared for the moment inspiration strikes in dreams or waking life. “One cannot simply push a button and be creative. It is an ongoing process – often in the back of one’s mind,” Caroline explains. She further acknowledges her need to express ideas through design are inherent to her nature as much as it is a skill to refine.
“To create is a wonderful thing, but it is also a responsibility as one always has to come up with something new,” Caroline says. At the same time, she learned from experience that it is not always easy to be a pioneer. In the nineties, Caroline faced the Herculean task of convincing the Chopard team and her parents that her vision for Happy Sport watch was viable.
“They thought it was a crazy idea to put diamonds in a steel case when diamonds are normally hosted in white gold or platinum. But there was nothing to prevent it. Steel isn’t a precious metal, but it’s cool, young, and fun, and you can wear it around the clock. It was a big battle, however.” Caroline shares.
She remained persistent against all odds, having no idea that the Happy Sport would one day succeed to the degree of becoming a crossgenerational phenomenon. “When I invented the Happy Sport, it was most of all because I was doing a lot of sport myself. That’s why the word “sport” is in there.”
At the time, Chopard carried a limited number of sporty summer timepieces that were cool but not ornate. “I wanted something with a bit of sparkle that you could wear around the clock, suitable for going swimming, waterskiing, playing tennis, shopping, taking the kids to school, going to the office or a cocktail party.” The intent was to create the perfect watch for a free-spirited woman, dressed in happy diamonds dancing on her wrist for any occasion.
Beautiful, versatile, and waterproof, the Happy Sport reflects Chopard’s impressive savoir-faire by overcoming numerous
technical challenges. “We had to
find the aesthetic balance between the case, the dial, the first sapphire crystal, the position of the dancing diamonds and the next sapphire crystal, which made it quite complicated.”
In many ways, the Happy Sport watch embodies the character of its sporty, free-spirited, and imaginative creator. “The diamonds inside are truly free, and when you see them dancing, you realise it was worth the challenges!”