Seen on the wrists of style mavens such as Rihanna and Léa Seydoux, Chopard's Happy Sport is reimagined for 2022. Made from more sustainable materials, and inspired by mathematical calculations – this is everything you need to know about this innovative timepiece
In collaboration with Chopard
Flashback to 1993. Caroline Scheufele, co-president and the artistic director of family-owned Chopard, has just captured the spirit of the era in a sports watch: the Happy Sport.
When first released, the Chopard's Happy Sport was a timepiece with an attitude. Rebelling against conventions, it was the first watch to combine stainless steel with diamonds. The design and mix of materials embodied a free-spirited attitude to an otherwise conventional product: a timepiece. On the wrists of the style-set of the time, the Happy Sport has become an icon.
Photo: Chopard
Featuring five free-floating diamonds, the Happy Sport incorporates “Rocks that roll”, as Scheufele puts it. She wanted a watch like no other. A watch for any occasion. “I wanted a watch that I could wear all day long: to the gym, office, or dinner in town.”
Caroline Scheufele likes her bit of fun, and the Happy Sport reflects her playful approach to watch design. This joie de vivre appeals to women who share her idea of a free-spirited lifestyle – from Rihanna to Eva Herzigova and Léa Seydoux.
Julia Roberts wearing Happy Sport. Art Director: Xavier Dolan, Picture: Shayne Laverdière, Stylist: Elizabeth Stewart. Photo: Chopard
The most recent celebrity to sport the watch is American actress Julia Roberts. As Chopard is launching new versions of the Happy Sport, for Scheufele Roberts was the perfect face for the campaign. “It was her and nobody else,” she exclaims. “Julia Roberts was the only person I felt could convey the spirit that I see in Happy Sport.”
Roberts says about working with Chopard: “I am honoured to be collaborating with Chopard on the Happy Sport watch, one of the most iconic and desirable models in the industry.”
Choosing an acclaimed actress is no odd choice for Chopard. As an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival since 1998, the Maison has been actively contributing to film production and the emergence of young talents. Each year, the Trophée Chopard – an award designed by Caroline Scheufele in 2001 – is awarded to an up-and-coming actress and actor each year.
The Golden Ratio inspires the new iterations of the Happy Sport. The new model features a 33-millimetres face framed by a polished or diamond-set bezel and is available on a leather strap or a matching metal bracelet. Of course, a combination of steel and ethical gold is also represented with these new iterations, all beating to the rhythm of the Chopard Manufacture 09.01-C movement with automatic winding.
The rose gold Happy Sport featuring the floating diamonds. Photo: Chopard
Learn more about the Happy Sport here
The gilded version set a gold standard for sustainability. As part of the new generation of Happy Sport watches, the rendition in 18-carat rose gold is arguably the collection’s crown jewel. Pioneers in sustainable luxury, Chopard only uses ethical gold to produce its watches and jewellery. Chopard also opted to use Lucent Steel A223 for the first time – an alloy made from 70 per cent recycled materials that combine anti-allergenic virtues with the brightness and sturdiness of ordinary steel.
Of course, each Happy Sport dial features the five dancing diamonds that are “happier when they are free”, as Caroline Scheufele’s mother exclaimed when she developed the prototype of this novel concept in 1976.