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T
he father of Louis-Ulysse Chopard, Félicien, was a farmer
and a man of tradition who encouraged his sons to learn
the watchmaking trade. The younger of the two, born on
May 4th 1836, showed a particular gift for the profession.
In order to stand out from its numerous competitors, Chopard
specialised in making innovative precision watches featuring
sophisticated decoration. The company canvassed customers
in Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia to show its finest
creations, and the Tsar of Russia soon became a loyal client.
After a long period of commercial prosperity, Chopard was
clearly on the decline: Paul-André, representing the third
generation and undoubtedly an extremely talented watch-
maker, was no businessman.
In 1963 it was bought up by Karl Scheufele. Along with his
wife Karin and his two children, Karl-Friedrich and Caroline, he
has shaped the firm’s growth: from the first Happy Diamonds
model to the latest Haute Joaillerie watches stemming from
the fertile imagination of Caroline; to the ultra-sophisticated
L.U.C watches resulting from the unswerving determination of
Karl-Friedrich, the whole world knows and wears Chopard.
Karl-Friedrich is responsible for the men’s watch division,
Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier and its related developments,
as well as handling the technological and commercial aspects
of the company. While Caroline, a trained gemmologist, is in
charge of design, Haute Joaillerie, boutique organisation and
management, along with fragrances and accessories.
From this tentative but confident renaissance began a
string of award-winning successes. In 1972, Karl Scheufele
III reinterpreted Art Nouveau in a series of plant life-themed
watches, startingwith Belle Epoque and following onwith other
nature-inspired collections such as Cascade, Happy Diamonds
in 1976, Moonlight and Paradiso. These were followed by the
Saint Moritz, the Monte Carlo and the Gstaad.
The Happy Diamonds concept was born during a stroll in the
Black Forest, Chopard decorator and designer Ronald Kurowski
marvelled at the sight of a waterfall: the drops of water
reflecting the sunlight and shimmering. This sparked his idea of
enabling diamonds to shine more brightly by enabling them to
move about freely.
Chopard sponsors the 1000 Millas Sport in Argentina and the
Festa Mille Miglia in Japan, as well as the California Mille race in
the United States. Sponsorship of this rally has given naturally
given rise to the 1000 Miglia watches one of Chopard’s most
sought-after collections.
Entirely hand-crafted and decorated by expert artisans, L.U.C
watches are chronometer-certified by the COSC and many
of them also bear the prestigious
Poinçon de Genève
quality
hallmark. Chopard is steadily establishing its reputation in the
demanding world of Haute Horlogerie.
Louis-Ulysse Chopard would doubtless be delighted to see how
his company has developed. Celebrating its 150th anniversary
in 2010, the firm is still infused with the spirit of its founder
and nurtured by a blend of fine hand craftsmanship and daring
technical developments
a r t
o f
t i m e
•
p r o f i l e
CHOPARD, A PASS ION FOR EXCELLENCE
“W
e make almost everything
ourselves, from cases to straps.
Ideas are almost instantly translated
into reality thanks to our two watch
and jewellery design studios”
Scheufele family:
from left
to right:
Christine Scheufele,
Karin Scheufele, Karl-Friedrich
Scheufele. Karl Scheufele and
Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele
“A
s 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.” Karl Scheufele III