SWISSWATCHES Chopard

Chopard Artisans of Emotions

Mains d’Art

The Essence of Chopard

Since its founding by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in 1860, Chopard has remained deeply rooted in family values. The company remained with the Chopard family until 1963, when it was passed on to German watchmaker and goldsmith Karl Scheufele III, whose family continues to lead the manufacture to this day.

Caroline, Karl, Karin and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele at Baselworld (1970s)

The fine watch and jewellery manufacture has consistently captured both the hearts and minds of its discerning clients since its conception.

Louis-Ulysse Chopard was 26 when he began to produce high-precision and ultra-thin timepieces, focusing on chronometers and pocket watches.

So precise were these pieces that by 1885, the Swiss Railway Company had adopted Chopard as its official timepiece provider.

1960

In the late 1960s, Chopard began creating ornate jewellery watches that blurred the line between timepiece and high jewellery. These dazzling cocktail watches often featured dials framed by diamond-set bezels and integrated into sculptural bracelets of textured gold or platinum. In 1969, the maison launched a line of diamond-intensive models that would later inspire the contemporary L’Heure du Diamant collection. Their signature crown-like prong settings, which allowed each diamond to catch the light from every angle, became a defining aesthetic that still characterises the collection today. These pieces marked Chopard’s move into the world of high jewellery horology, setting the stage for the maison’s creative explosion in the following decade.

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1976

In 1976, Chopard first introduced its free-floating ‘Happy Diamonds’ timepieces, while by 1980, the brand had bravely expanded into producing steel sports watches for men – heralding a new era with the introduction of the St. Moritz, the forebearer of today’s highly successful Alpine Eagle.

A NEW CHAPTER IN FLEURIER

In 1996, Chopard officially opened its own manufacturing facility in Fleurier, in the canton of Neuchatel in Switzerland. This enabled it to produce its own mechanical movements – and most importantly, high-end watch models such as its refined, often complicated L.U.C timepieces.

Deeply ingrained in an array of cultural events around the world, Chopard is particularly well known for its long-standing partnerships with the legendary Mille Miglia car rally and the Cannes film festival, one of the most prestigious and influential events in the world of cinema.

SPEED, PRECISION,

ADRENALINE

Chopard: Masters of crafts

Chopard continually works to ensure that its employees evolve with changing times – all while maintaining a strong sense for traditional crafts that deserve to be preserved.

Each Chopard artisan has a deep and passionate understanding of their craft. These employees are not only experts in their field, but also artisans with an understanding of how Chopard products may – just like art – stir up emotions in those who experience them.

WORLD OF CHOPARD TIMEPIECES

L.U.C.

The first advert for La fabrique de montre L.U.C was run by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in 1913. A few years later, between 1914 and 1917, Louis-Ulysse Chopard’s son, Paul-Louis, took over the business. In 1918, he launched a new ad under the name L.U.C, le fils de L.-U. Chopard.

Today, we know the Maison simply as Chopard: yet the L.U.C name lives on in the form of Chopard’s exceptionally high-end watch collection since 1997. The L.U.C watches of today are, naturally, all crafted in-house, and strive to encompass the entire spectrum of horological complications. The precision of the majority of these timepieces is attested by COSC, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. Thanks to the maison’s artisans, who endow L.U.C movements with such decorative techniques as Côtes de Genève, bevelling, circular-graining, circular satin-brushing, sunray patterning, and Fleurisanne engraving, the L.U.C watches also earn the reputable ‘Poinçon de Genève’ or ‘Geneva Seal’ quality hallmark: the highest recognition of quality in Swiss watchmaking. In addition, several Chopard watches meet the exacting standards of its own Qualité Fleurier certification, introduced in 2001 and regarded as one of the most rigorous in Swiss watchmaking. Unlike COSC or the Geneva Seal, it evaluates the entire finished watch, not just
the often complex movement. To qualify, the Chopard timepiece must be 100 percent Swiss-made, achieve COSC chronometer status, pass the Fleuritest simulator (a 24-hour real-wear accuracy test), endure the Chronofiable protocol (an accelerated aging cycle of shocks, magnetism, and temperature changes), and additionally meet the highest standards of artisanal finishing. Chopard reserves this revered label for select models in its L.U.C collection, underscoring its dedication to both technical performance and haute horlogerie craftsmanship.

Alpine Eagle

Resurrected from the legacy of Chopard’s former steel sports watch icon St Moritz, the Chopard Alpine Eagle watch soared to new heights of success with remarkable swiftness, and remains a steadfast favourite for many watch connoisseurs.

Why? Timekeeping excellence, instantly recognisable design, absolute robustness, and a quality of finishing that is hard to find elsewhere in the world of watchmaking. From simple three-hand models that place emphasis on the handsome stamped dials to technical tourbillon and chronograph models, it’s the collection for adventurers and aesthetes alike.
Its distinctive design draws inspiration from the Alpine landscape, with sunburst dials that echo an eagle’s sharp-signed iris and a sculpted case and bracelet that reflect the pure strength and geometry of the Alps’ mesmerising mountain peaks.

Mille Miglia

Born from Chopard’s enduring passion for motorsport, the Mille Miglia collection pays tribute to the legendary Italian race where precision, endurance, and style collide.

Channeling the golden age of Grand Touring, each watch captures the thrill of open-road competition, blending technical mastery with an unmistakably vintage spirit.

From its ergonomically shaped cases to the tactile feel of its race-inspired details, the line evokes a world where engineering excellence meets elegant adventure, and every second on the road counts.

Fast-paced, efficient, precise: the Mille Miglia line from Chopard encapsulates the world of classic car rallies. Old-school leather straps meet sleek, sporty chronographs: automotive engineering and mechanical watchmaking come together as one. Ever technical and always stylish, chronographs dominate this speed-oriented collection, in which timing is everything. While legibility and accuracy lie at the forefront, Maison Chopard nevertheless offers up various enticing colour schemes, inspired

by cars from the past, from deep ‘Rosso Amarena’ red to playful ‘Verde Chiaro’ green – expertly lacquered and satin-brushed to perfection for an impeccable, enduringly dynamic finish that reflects its long-standing racing heritage.

Materials at Chopard

When one thinks of Chopard’s materials, the words ‘ethically sourced’ instantly springs to mind. A spearhead in sustainability, Chopard aims for the utmost transparency when it comes to the sourcing of its materials. Recycled steel, ethical gold, diamonds and coloured gemstones are all meticulously checked for not only quality, but also the origin and the circumstances surrounding its procurement.

Chopard has its very own steel known as Lucent Steel, which has become well-respected for its anti-allergenic and hardy qualities: the maison’s steel is 50 percent more resistant to abrasion than conventional steel. Furthermore, the use of Lucent Steel enables the brand to markedly reduce its CO2 emissions related to steel, according to key figures from the ISSF (International Stainless Steel Forum).

2018

In-house Gold Foundry

Gold remains the most important material at the luxury maison, leading to the brand pursuing a 100 percent ethical gold policy since 2018. This means that the gold has been verified as having met international best practice environmental and social standards. The gold used in Chopard’s foundry remains transparent and traceable by being produced in a responsible manner by responsible mines, working alongside RJC-Certified refineries.

Across the world, millions of men and women rely on artisanal and small-scale mining, working on their own, with their families, or in cooperatives, using simple but effective methods to find, extract, and process gold. By choosing responsibly sourced gold from these mines, Chopard not only ensures full traceability from mine to market, but also helps create lasting social, economic, and environmental benefits for the communities behind it.

Paulo

Gold Foundry Artisan

At Chopard, gold is the basis of everything

As early as 1978, the Swiss maison introduced its own gold foundry workshop, allowing production of gold alloys to take place in-house. Since 2018, Chopard uses 100% ethical gold for its watches and jewellery. Gold foundry artisan Paulo has been working for Chopard since 2001, where he deftly shapes the 18- or 22-carat gold ingots used to create Chopard’s captivating watch and jewellery pieces.

Within the sanctuary of his workshop, Paulo gathers the raw metals destined to become gold ingots. Carefully placing them into the crucible, he subjects the mixture to a blaze exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius. Once molten, the gold is poured into moulds that will shape the bars, before being cooled down in water to crystallise its form. Finally, the ingots are rolled, imparting the perfect hardness to the alloy. It is a ritual Paulo performs time and again – each time with unwavering precision.

L.U.C Lunar One

The L.U.C Lunar One captures the essence of Chopard’s aesthetics: elegant, technical, timeless. With the gold for these very cases forged in-house, the cases are available in both white- or rose-gold, matching to the tapered hour markers and hands. The watches’ cousin, the L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual, shines in the most captivating material of all: platinum. On each model, a radial hand-guilloché pattern adds to the distinctive look of these deeply complex models.

Chopard’s movements

Chopard has been making its own in-house movements since 1996, when the fittingly named 1.96 calibre – now baptised the L.U.C 96.01-L – was first introduced. At the heart of its design was a desire to offer up a slim movement with a micro-rotor that would allow watches to showcase harmonious proportions. Today, it serves as the base for both simple as well as remarkably complex movements.

The L.U.C 96.01-L is a slim automatic movement measuring just 3.3mm in thickness. It has a remarkable 65 hours power reserve thanks to its two barrels, stacked in accordance with Chopard Twin technology. In addition, the movement with its swan-neck regulator has a balance spring with a Phillips terminal curve. Its production is much more complex than that of the more common flat balance spring.

Movement materials

In high-frequency movements, such as the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF, Chopard employs silicon for critical escapement components. This sophisticated material, valued for its lightness, anti-magnetic properties and low friction, ensures exceptional precision while minimising wear, allowing the movement to maintain consistent performance over time.

Equally innovative is the use of tungsten in Chopard’s Calibre 03.05-C, found in models such as the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono. The high density of tungsten ensures an efficient and balanced rotor, supporting a stable power reserve and smooth winding. Through the thoughtful application of advanced materials, Chopard’s movements combine technical excellence with enduring reliability.

Grand Complications Watchmaking Artisans

Grand Complications watchmakers Christophe and Sandro are behind some of Chopard’s most intricate creations. Christophe joined the maison in 1998, followed by Sandro in 2006. Both have refined their savoir-faire year after year.

Christopher & Sandro

Grand Complications Watchmaking Artisans

Among their masterpieces is the L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater, a watch with four patents and 533 components. A minute repeater relays the time through an independent chiming mechanism with two hammers, striking at different pitches to indicate the hours, quarter hours, and minutes. In most watches, the mechanism is activated by a slide or push-piece, but the Full Strike integrates the pusher into the crown and uses a second spring barrel to power the chimes. During the sequence, the crown disconnects from the movement, preventing accidental time-setting that could cause damage.

Chopard also introduced a world-first innovation in this model: sapphire crystal gongs machined from the same block as the watch’s crystal glass. This construction turns the entire case into a resonator, producing tones that are exceptionally pure, resonant, and crystal-clear compared to traditional metal gongs. Each strike carries the clarity of a fine crystal glass, transforming the Full Strike into a miniature concert hall on the wrist.

L.U.C Strike

For more than two centuries, the minute repeater has been revered as one of the highest expressions of watchmaking, its intricate structure largely unchanged due to the sheer complexity of the mechanism. Far from ordinary, it unites hammers, gongs, a mainspring, gear wheels, and an escapement in a delicate choreography designed to relay the hours, quarter hours, and minutes through sound. While other manufactures have successfully sought ever-greater clarity and resonance, Chopard has gone even further, reimagining the very acoustics of the complication with its groundbreaking crystal gongs.

Chopard’s complication chimes out the notes C sharp and F – and the signature clarity and tonality of the sound this produces is incomparable to that of a steel minute repeater mechanism. The sapphire crystal minute repeater is unique, with Chopard remaining the only Swiss watch manufacture to use the material as an acoustic generator and amplifier.

Movement Decoration Artisan

Movement Decoration Artisan Véronique works as a chamfer, bringing every component to life and ensuring that each watch reaches the high standards of the Geneva Seal. Thus, she specialises in the art of decoration, from Côtes de Genève, bevelling, circular-graining and circular satin-brushing to sunburst patterning. A single piece can take several hours in order to meet the standards of the coveted Geneva Seal. Artisans such as Véronique spend years learning how to get a feel for the perfectly finished component. If an artisan doesn’t stop at the exact right moment, a component can become deformed. It is not only the craft that artisans learn to understand, but the delicate components themselves.

Véronique

Artisan of Movement Decoration

I am a patient person: you have to be very determined to learn a trade like this. You must be a perfectionist to do a truly excellent job.

Drawing on the tradition of circular graining, circular satin-brushing transforms each component into a subtle display of craftsmanship and light. The technique involves an artisan pressing 9-micron sandpaper against a rotating surface, leaving behind an exquisitely smooth finish that shimmers with quiet brilliance.

The coveted Poinçon de Genève is awarded only to movements that meet the strictest standards, with every trace of machining removed to reveal a pristine, flawless surface. Each element of a L.U.C watch movement is carefully bevelled with micromotors, breathing life and radiance into the mechanism.

Côtes de Genève imparts a delicate sunburst effect to the visible bridges, with lines radiating from a single point. Reserved for aesthetic surfaces, this decoration never touches functional parts, preserving perfect precision while elevating the movement to an intricate work of art in its own right.

L.U.C Flying T Twin watch movement

The L.U.C Flying T Twin marked the debut of Chopard’s first flying tourbillon

Fleurisanne Engraving Artisan

Fleurisanne engraving, a decorative art that flourished in the 19th century, gave Swiss watchmaking in Fleurier its distinctive aesthetic. Bridges and movement plates were adorned with scrolling volutes and floral motifs, each detail turning the mechanism into a work of art as well as a feat of precision.

This tradition might have remained in obscurity had Karl-Friedrich Scheufele not encountered a gold watch in the L.U.CEUM, Chopard’s museum in Fleurier, its movement engraved in the old style. Inspired, he revived the technique for the Maison’s most exceptional pieces, reserving it exclusively for unique or highly limited editions. One such collection of just eight watches required a full year of engraving before the series could be completed.

Nathalie

Fleurisanne Engraving Artisan

The responsibility for this revival rests with Nathalie, who joined Chopard in 2004 as a movement decoration artisan and has since become a master of Fleurisanne engraving.

Her craft begins at the drawing stage: seated at her bench, she sketches each motif freehand in pencil directly onto the bridge. Using gravers she has fashioned and sharpened herself, she then cuts away the surrounding material so that flowers and volutes rise in delicate bas-relief. The background is meticulously refined bit by bit with the same tools, before the motifs are polished – a perilous task given the softness of gold. The final result is a play of light and depth that creates an unmistakable vitality.

MASTERING THE ART

Over the years, Nathalie has expanded her repertoire with the same quiet determination that defines her engraving work, embracing new techniques that demand both patience and an intuitive feel for materials. Her evolution reflects a commitment not only to preserving historic skills, but also to exploring the full expressive potential of decorative craftsmanship within haute horlogerie.

Decorating in this manner demands not only skill but also time. Some of Nathalie’s tools have served her for over 15 years – files, punches and gravers honed to ensure no trace mars the engraved grooves. Each mark she makes reflects patience and precision, the hallmarks of a craft where the traditional human touch is both visible and essential.Beyond engraving, Nathalie has also mastered on her own the delicate art of straw marquetry, applying this rare decorative technique to create intricate, light-catching patterns. Her expertise is showcased in the 2025 L.U.C collection, notably on a model with a striking green dial, where the marquetry transforms the surface into a luminous, geometric tableau, while subtly integrating a jumping hour function.

PURE TALENT

The Chopard L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier Peony, a stunning series of eight watches, represents Nathalie’s extraordinary artisanal talent. On these watches, the dial was carefully created by hand, showcasing a Fleurisanne engraving of gilded gold vines and peony flowers adorned with diamonds at their centres. Each of these stunning dials took over two months to create – no wonder there are so few. Thanks to a micro-rotor, these dainty watches, which are simultaneously works of art and emblems of both tradition and heritage, measure a mere 7.7 mm in height.

The Dial

Stamping, sunburst motif, enamel: Chopard is home to a number of crafts when it comes to creating dials. One, however, reigns supreme: Grand Feu enamel. For this particularly revered craft, the Maison turns to one single talented artisan: Christophe, who has now been with the Maison since 2019. His steady hand and instinct for colour allow him to create dials with a depth and radiance that simply cannot be replicated by any other technique.

But what is the story behind the creation of these mesmerising miniature artistic creations?

Christophe

Dial artisan

Over just a few centimetres, Christophe strives to create a piece of art designed to last an eternity. One such piece: the L.U.C Heritage EHG Moon 122, fitted with an astronomical moonphase display requiring a one-day correction only once every 122 years. Adorned with impressions of constellations, its mesmerising aventurine dial provides a striking rendering of the night sky’s natural beauty.

Ethereal inspiration

The L.U.C Heritage EHG Moon 122 is powered by the L.U.C 96.29-L, a micro-rotor movement finished to the same exacting standards that define the entire L.U.C collection. The moon disc has been designed with an almost lyrical attention to detail, and the rounded case shape takes subtle cues from early pocket watches, giving the piece something of an old-world charm.

The L.U.C Heritage EHG Moon 122 feels less like a complication on display and more like a small, finely made object that connects craftsmanship, astronomy, and time in a beautifully ethereal way.

The Art of Enamel

For Christophe, every enamel dial begins with sheets of coloured glass, tinted with metal oxides. Some are luminous and translucent, others richly opaque. Crushed into a fine powder and blended with pine oil, the glass is transformed into paint — the raw material of his craft.

The process is meticulous. Each dial is coated, front and back, with successive layers of white enamel, each layer fired at high temperatures to achieve a flawless base. Christophe then applies colour with precision, knowing that no two shades melt at the same temperature. To avoid distortion, every hue is fired separately, before the final baking at 800°C fuses the enamel into a perfectly smooth surface.

The result is more than decoration: it is art. Christophe’s dials are recognised for the graceful elegance of his painted faces and hands, and the lifelike vitality he gives to plants and natural motifs. To master this craft requires more than technical knowledge: it demands a draughtsman’s eye, an artist’s sensibility, and the patience to transform a watch dial into a miniature canvas.

The result of his handiwork: high watchmaking pieces to last a lifetime. Take a moment to admire the L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier models, appearing only as incredibly rare limited editions due to the intense labour, time, and expertise the making of each one of these miniature artworks, with their fine lines and depth of colour, requires.

L.U.C XP SAKURA BY NIGHT

35 mm, automatic, ethical yellow gold, diamonds

L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier

35 mm, automatic, ethical rose gold, diamonds

L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier

35 mm, automatic, ethical white gold, diamonds

L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier

35 mm, automatic, ethical rose gold, diamonds

Dancing Diamonds

Dancing diamonds are a defining feature of the Chopard manufacture, having first been conceived in Chopard’s workshops in 1976s, nearly half a century ago. The introduction of these diamonds overturned both luxury watchmaking and jewellery design codes at the time, heralding a new era of female empowerment and the liberalisation of society.

Indeed, the history of Happy Diamonds is set against the backdrop of the cultural transformation. Inspired by the spray of a waterfall, Chopard’s workshops conceived the radical idea of releasing diamonds from their settings for the very first time — a true upheaval in watchmaking and jewellery design. When Caroline Scheufele’s mother first saw them, she exclaimed: “Diamonds are happier when they are free.” Dancing freely between two sapphire crystals, the stones sparkled with unprecedented brilliance and embodied the spirit of the decade: precious things should not be locked away. In their new liberated form, the diamonds became both a technical and symbolic innovation, mirroring the newfound confidence and freedom of those who wore them thanks to various legal reforms, shifting of societal norms, and women’s rights gained during that period.

The creative and patented presentation of the diamonds involves staging the diamonds between two sapphire crystals, in which they can then move freely in sync with the wearer’s own movements: a stunningly unique concept. All of the diamonds are exclusively purchased from suppliers certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council.

Balancing act

It’s a carefully choreographed technique that allows the glittering, free-spirit diamonds to run freely yet systematically: they may move across the dial as their hearts desire, without dislodging, scratching, or flipping over. Meanwhile, launched in 1993, the successive Happy Sport model marked the first wristwatch to combine diamonds with a stainless-steel case: a radical decision. Today, iterations such as this automatic timepiece are also available, glowing in 18-carat rose-gold and Lucent steel and showcasing the mechanical movement within via the open caseback. Even the diamonds themselves are encased in rose-gold matching to the Roman numerals and hands, uniting both colour and movement.

RODELINE

Watch-polishing artisan

Rodeline first came to the Maison as an apprentice, learning the techniques and standards of meticulous craftsmanship from the Manufacture’s in-house trainers. After completing her years of training, Rodeline became a Watch-Polishing Artisan, responsible for giving each creation its finished appearance.

IMPECCABLE FINISHING

What better proof of Chopard polishers’ artisanal handiwork than the Alpine Eagle models, with their exquisitely finished tapered bracelets and handsomely robust cases?

As with any craft, becoming a polishing artisan at Chopard is the result of years of training. Polishing artisans such as Rodeline use small lathes and pastes to meticulously reach every tiny corner of the watch and its various components and ensure that no dust, scratches, or rough surfaces are present on them, thus achieving the lustre that a luxury Swiss timepiece should exude.

Chopard Alpine Eagle

The Alpine Eagle case is distinguished by its combination of sharp geometry and carefully controlled surface finishes. Each component is machined to precise tolerances before entering the polishing phase, where its flat surfaces, bevels, and edges are refined to achieve the contrast characteristic of the collection. The process requires consistent pressure, exact angles, and a steady hand to ensure that every polished plane remains uniform while preserving the case’s architectural lines. This alternation of brushed textures and mirror-polished accents gives the Alpine Eagle its recognisable interplay of light, enhancing both the material and the silhouette.

Once the technical finishing is complete, the case is passed to specialist polishers such as Rodeline who execute the final steps by hand. Working with loupe-level attention, they bring the metal to its intended brightness without altering its sharp profiles or bevelled edges. The high-polish finish on the bezel, case flanks, and certain link surfaces is achieved through a sequence of controlled polishing stages, each building on the last to produce a clean, reflective surface. The result is a case that displays depth, clarity, and precision; qualities central to the Alpine Eagle’s identity and to the standards of the manufacture.

From its origins in 1860 to its position today as one of the world’s most respected maisons, Chopard stands as a testament to craftsmanship, creativity, and emotion. Its artisans – masters of gold, movement, enamel, engraving, gem-setting, and finishing – preserve time-honoured techniques while continually pushing the boundaries of what high watchmaking and jewellery can be.

Whether through the pure acoustics of the L.U.C Full Strike, the poetic artistry of Grand Feu enamel, or the liberated brilliance of Dancing Diamonds, Chopard creates objects that transcend function to become living, beating works of art. Above all, the Maison remains guided by the human hands and emotions at its core – crafting not just watches and jewellery, but also expressions of great elegance, passion, and heritage.

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