Chopard

Chopard was founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Sonvilier, Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Jura watchmaking region. The young watchmaker established L.U.C. manufacturing, recognizing that marketing finished timepieces was more profitable than producing movements alone. The company gained prestige serving distinguished clients including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and relocated to La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1921 before moving to Geneva in 1937 to qualify for the prestigious Geneva Seal certification. In 1963, with no family successors interested in continuing the business, Paul-André Chopard (the founder's grandson) sold the company to Karl Scheufele III, a German goldsmith and watchmaker from Pforzheim. Under the Scheufele family's stewardship, Chopard expanded significantly, introducing the iconic Happy Diamonds collection in 1976 featuring freely moving diamonds behind sapphire crystal. The company established its own complete movement manufacture in Fleurier in 1996, marking its transition to a true manufacture. Today Chopard remains family-owned, co-presided by siblings Caroline and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. The company produces approximately 75,000 watches and 75,000 pieces of jewelry annually, and has become known for its commitment to ethical sourcing, pioneering the use of Fairmined-certified gold. Chopard maintains prestigious partnerships including crafting the Palme d'Or trophy for the Cannes Film Festival and serving as official partner of the Mille Miglia classic car rally.