Together with German jazz musician and saxophonist Stephanie Lottermoser, we discover the second Wempe Signature Collection x Chopard.
Since 2022, German luxury jeweller Wempe has been regularly honouring its long-standing and close partnerships with major watchmakers by offering special classic watches in strictly limited editions, which are carefully designed in collaboration with the brands.
The Wempe Signature Collection began with classics that almost everyone knows, as we have written about several times: It started, for example, with a model of the Hublot Big Bang limited to 40 pieces and a Wempe Signature x Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph limited to 200 pieces. In 2023, to mark the 30th anniversary of the line, the first collection of the Wempe Signature Collection x Chopard Happy Sport 36 mm followed. It is no coincidence that Chopard is now the first brand to be involved for the second time, and with the same classic watch.
Welcome to the new Wempe Signature Collection x Chopard Happy Sport 36 mm Quartz Signature Collection. Yes, you read that correctly: this is a quartz watch, which we are writing about here as an exception because it is part of a collaboration (Signature by Wempe) that is greatly appreciated not only by us, but also by our community. According to insiders, the 2023 model, which still had an automatic movement and was also limited to only 50 pieces, sold out completely in a few weeks at the then price of 10,800 euros.
Despite being limited edition, the new Wempe Happy Sport Signature Collection is priced significantly lower at €8,600, which is rare today with prices rising ever faster, even for quartz movements. We met with German jazz musician Stephanie Lottermoser in Hamburg, her adopted home and, of course, the home of Wempe, to discuss this watch. Lottermoser has charmingly dedicated an entire jazz album to her favourite city.
But before we get to a very special wrist check, let’s take a look at how this watch managed to become the only model to be included in Wempe’s Signature series for the second time. If you take a look at the company history section of Chopard’s website, a very special jewellery and watch line immediately catches the eye as the lead photo: we are talking about Happy Diamonds.
At first glance, the dials of these Seventies watches appear to feature loose diamonds, as if they had come loose from their anchors on the indices. Of course, this look is no coincidence: Chopard, which had been owned by the Scheufele family of jewellers from Pforzheim for 13 years at that time, had developed a process, thanks to its enormous expertise in jewellery, that allowed cut diamonds to dance freely between two sapphire crystal discs on the front of wristwatches without impairing the readability of the watches.
Important to know: this line was introduced in 1976, precisely in the decade when a certain Gérald Genta created what are probably the world’s most famous luxury sports watch classics in Switzerland: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in 1972, the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the IWC Ingenieur, which every watch fan today can name in their sleep, even appeared in the same year: 1976. Chopard took a different approach at the time: the first Happy Diamonds changed the world of diamond watches, watches that were only worn on very special occasions at the time. The unique design with diamonds that move freely between two sapphire crystals is the key to its success. This makes this line one of the most successful models in the history of Chopard to this day (even though we love the Alpine Eagle, dear Karl-Friedrich).
A good 20 years later, in 1993, Caroline Scheufele not only redesigned the Happy Diamonds jewellery line, but also invented the first diamond-set steel sports watch for women: the Happy Sport collection used stainless steel as its base material. This watch was also an instant success and followed the same principle, with diamonds moving freely between two sapphire crystals across the dial. Thanks to its casualness, this watch also became the epitome of early nineties casual chic.
Thirty years later, in 2023, Chopard rightly celebrates the global success of the line with the claim ‘Forever Happy Sport’. The watches have not only become true icons (Chopard can now look back on over 1,000 variations), but what is even more interesting is that they have perhaps become the first true collector’s watch for women. At the very least, it is one of the few watch models that was designed by a woman for women from the outset. Anyone who wants to throw in names like Cartier must acknowledge that famous models such as the Tank were initially designed for men, and by a man, Louis Cartier.
There is perhaps a very simple reason why the watch is so successful. The mother of Chopard’s co-president and artistic director summed it up in one sentence: ‘Diamonds are happier when they are free.’ Perhaps the best way to translate this is: diamonds are best shown off in motion and, of course, when as much light as possible can shine on them. What is a truism for every jeweller is fulfilled by this watch.
Kim-Eva Wempe, born in 1962 and also part of a family business, recalls the first Happy Diamonds in her home: ‘An icon was born, a new era began, one that continues to influence the entire watch industry to this day.’ She likes to recount how, as a young lady, she preferred to wear the Happy Sport to parties. Since the 1990s, the two families, Wempe and Scheufele, as two of the few remaining owner-managed luxury companies, Wempe and Chopard, have also enjoyed a particularly personal friendship. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, sees it the same way: ‘The two family businesses, Wempe and Chopard, have maintained a close business and friendly relationship for decades. The collaboration began back in 1967 and has steadily developed and intensified over time.’
Intensified is a good keyword: enough reasons for a second, limited edition model. While the first Wempe Signature x Chopard featured four white diamonds and three royal blue sapphires swirling across an ice-blue sunburst dial, the new Happy Sport Signature Collection from Wempe features five diamonds: five brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.24 carats dance seemingly weightlessly across the dial of the stainless steel and rose gold watch. Chopard connoisseurs know, of course, that the crown, lug screws, hands, Roman numerals and indices of the Happy Sport Signature Collection are made of ethically sourced rose gold, as is the case with all Chopard watches – 100 per cent responsibly mined. The Swiss manufacturer, which is celebrating its 165th anniversary this year, also works sustainably with stainless steel: the case and bracelet with double folding clasp are made from the company’s own Lucent Steel, which is 80 per cent recycled. In addition to the five natural diamonds on the white dial with black minute track, the crown is adorned with a 0.10-carat royal blue sapphire. What sounds sophisticated has a surprisingly sporty and lively effect – is this the right mix to give today’s self-confident women a good time?
We wanted to find out, so we gave the new 36-millimetre ladies’ watch to the well-known jazz musician Stephanie Lottermoser to wear for a day and asked her how she felt about it. If you don’t know her, you might want to listen to the sound of the album ‘Hamburg’ or her latest album ‘In-Dependence’ on Apple Music, Spotify or other streaming services.
Who better to wear such a watch than a musician about whom the Sueddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘When Stephanie Lottermoser and her band take to the foyer and fill it with a fine blend of soul, pop and jazz, time and space become irrelevant.’ We say: Not only does this watch suit the musician perfectly, but from the very first beat, or rather second, it looks as if she came to the shoot with the model and not us. The Chopard Happy Sport from the Wempe Signature Collection has been celebrating independent women since its inception and therefore deserves a place of honour at Swisswatches Magazine.
