Chopard

Chopard, officially Le Petit-Fils de L.-U. Chopard & Cie S.A., was founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Sonvilier, a village in the Swiss Jura mountains. The founder, then 24, specialized in precision pocket watches and chronometers, and by 1920 the company had become a respected supplier to Polish and Russian aristocracy. After more than a century under the founding family, the business was purchased in 1963 by Karl Scheufele III, a German watchmaker and goldsmith. The Scheufele family moved headquarters to Geneva and expanded into high jewelry, while retaining 100% ownership to this day.

Chopard is best known for the Happy Diamonds collection, launched in 1976, which features floating diamonds between two sapphire crystals, a patented innovation. The L.U.C line, named after the founder, houses in-house mechanical movements produced at the Fleurier manufacture in Neuchâtel. Other major watch collections include Mille Miglia (racing-inspired), Imperiale, and Alpine Eagle, the latter introduced in Lucent Steel, a recycled alloy. In high jewelry, the brand creates the Red Carpet and Animal World collections, often using rare colored gemstones.

Since 1998, Chopard has crafted the Palme d'Or trophy for the Cannes Film Festival, and it sponsors the Mille Miglia vintage car race. The company launched its Journey to Sustainable Luxury program in 2013, achieving 100% certified ethical gold sourcing by 2018. Chopard employs around 1,800 people and operates boutiques in major cities worldwide, including Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Dubai, and Shanghai.[edit]