Caroline Scheufele, Artistic Director and Co-President of Chopard, had a brilliant intuition back in the early 1990s, when she liberated diamonds from their fixed settings in watches and jewellery and invented the Happy Sport range. Five diamonds in mobile settings move on the dial, between two sapphire discs, the watchglass and another disc below. The watch is constantly changing in appearance. These two Happy Sport watches are 36 mm in diameter, in steel, and they have another method of adapting to circumstances. The rubber straps are interchangeable. At present there are two options, black and white. Chopard say that other colours will be added in the future. It will be interesting to see what arrives in the catalogue, whether bright colours, stripes, polka dots… On the back of each strap, the “Be Happy” motto reinforces the impression provided by the dial, with its gently irregular Roman numerals that are an invitation not to take time too seriously. The only serious thing on the watch face is the date, placed diagonally at 4.30. It would have been more attractive without, but that is a question of personal taste. The watch has a quartz movement.
Happy Sport 36mm watch in steel
The lower-priced model of the two has 5 mobile diamonds and a smooth steel bezel. This watch is reference 278582-3001. Its price is €4,870, 4,940 Swiss francs, US$4,940.
Happy Sport 36mm watch with diamond-set bezel
The version with diamond-set bezel is reference 278582-3003 and costs €13,640, 13,840 Swiss francs, US$13,840.
Black and white
In a way the two watches are symbolic of the relations between Chopard and de Grisogono. Caroline Scheufele married Fawaz Gruosi in 1996, and the two kept their business interests separate, Caroline directly involved in growing Chopard into the powerful watch and jewellery enterprise that it is today. Fawaz Gruosi’s enterprise de Grisogono and Chopard developed a partnership in 2002, the two parties each owning 49% of the other. Chopard, white diamonds, de Grisogono, black diamonds… an interesting dichotomy. Gruosi and Scheufele divorced in about 2014.
