Bearing ultimate testament to the watchmaking and jewellery expertise of the Chopard workshops, the Happy Sport collection welcomes a new jewellery timepiece measuring 36 millimetres in diameter. The Happy Sport Rose de Caroline model is crafted in ethical 18-carat rose gold and set with precious stones combined in a delightful gradient of pink tones. The virtuosity of the Manufacture's gemsetters is displayed on the bezel and hour-markers adorned with pink sapphires and rubies: a splendid and unprecedented setting for the legendary ballet of dancing diamonds characterising the collection. Beneath the mother-of-pearl dial with its finely guilloché centre beats a high-precision self-winding movement. With this creation, Happy Sport pays tribute to its creator and the moment in the 1990s when Caroline Scheufele bet an armful of roses with her workshop manager on the success of a watch that has become, against all odds, a veritable icon.
The boldness of a young designer
In the mid-1990s, Caroline Scheufele was a young girl who had just joined the family business thanks to her sketch of a clown pendant. She came up with the idea of a watch with a unique style, whose precious yet casual appearance would make it equally at home on a tennis court, at a business lunch or on a night out on the town. She reinterpreted the concept of dancing diamonds launched by her parents – "diamonds are happier when they are free", as her mother exclaimed in 1976 when she laid eyes on the first prototype of the collection that would give life to Happy Diamonds.
Yet instead of making freely moving diamonds dance around the watch as was the case with Happy Diamonds timepieces, she decided to place them above the dial. One of her workshop foremen told her it was impossible, before nonetheless promising: "Caroline! If you manage to sell these watches, I'll give you one rose for each of them." That only further strengthened the determination of the woman who has always considered that "no" is not an answer. She busied herself with transforming this idea into a viable project. How could one ensure, for example, that the watch – stacked with a movement, dial, hands, two sapphire crystals and several dancing diamonds – would not be too thick?
The result presented in 1993 was a real surprise. For the first time in watchmaking history, here was a watch mingling steel and diamonds, fitted with a soft, comfortable pebble-link bracelet, set with cabochon-cut sapphires on the lugs and on the crown echoing the understated blued hands; and finally, featuring a white dial enhanced by seven diamonds caught up in an animated dance recalling the whirlwind of life itself.
The aptly named Happy Sport became a new casual chic fashion icon, acclaimed by the press and in strong demand in the markets. And the workshop foreman, who had pledged one rose for every watch sold, ended up gifting his Co-President a rosebush. Today, when Caroline Scheufele sees young women entering a Chopard boutique to treat themselves to their first Happy Sport, while remembering the model that their mother and grandmother wore before them, she playfully remembers the abundant blooms of her rosebush. This watch, which she had been told was doomed to commercial failure, has become a success that has consistently appealed to all generations of women.
A tribute in honour of a legendary creation
With Happy Sport Rose de Caroline, Chopard draws on this story to deliver a watch that pays tribute to creativity, perseverance and feminine intuition. In the same way that Caroline Scheufele cultivates her beloved flowers in her garden, the sight of which reminds her of a delightful anecdote, roses inspire the design of a jewellery watch with a 36-millimetre case in ethical 18-carat rose gold entirely set with diamonds. The spring colours of her garden are echoed in the gradient of pink sapphires and rubies paved on the watch bezel and dial hour-markers.
The dial featuring a delicately guilloché centre itself invites peace and thoughtfulness: the choice of smooth, textured mother-of-pearl, accented with undulating patterns and shimmering reflections, recalls the peaceful gentleness of the sunrays it reflects. On it, dancing diamonds stage a perpetually renewed show, a comforting interlude far from the relentless onward march of time.
The rubies on the crown and cabochons echo the colour of the fuchsia leather strap, endowing this watchmaking creation with distinctive allure and timeless elegance.
Combining jewellery virtuosity with watchmaking expertise, Chopard has chosen to equip this Happy Sport Rose de Caroline model with a self-winding movement. When fully wound, it offers a comfortable 42-hour power reserve.
And because Chopard is committed to its Journey to Sustainable Luxury, the gold used to craft this timepiece is of ethical origin, as indeed is the case for all the Maison’s watchmaking and jewellery creations in gold.
