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A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 3: Third Generation

Horrors of War 1941 - 1945

Karl Scheufele II was shot in the head on the Russian Front in 1941 and seriously wounded. After recovering from the initial trauma, he was discharged from the military in 1942 and barely maintained the company in Pforzheim with his wife Margarete and two children: Karl III (born 1938) and Ruth (born 1933).

Although it looked inevitable that Germany would soon surrender in a couple of months, the 23rd of February 1945 brought a Night of Terror upon Pforzheim. The massive bombing raid flattened the city in 22 minutes with 17,000 people killed and 80% of homes and work places destroyed. The memories were deeply impressed upon a six-year old Karl III. Their family supper was curtailed by air raid sirens and his mother dallied to save the food, barely reaching the cellar when a phosphorous bomb detonated. The stairwell collapsed behind her and fires forced them to flee through cellars and tunnels into the night. From afar, Karl III remembers the horizon in flames!

And yet, there is also uplifting memory of help and support from people like employees who sheltered them. The Scheufele house and business were destroyed but they were alive. They took refuge in another town: Garmisch-Parrenkirchen in Bavaria.

Modern times 1945-1962

After the war, Karl II started to revive the business in Garmisch-Parrenkirchen with a company 'Urania' making simple jewellery and small keepsakes to sell to American soldiers. The next step was to return to watchmaking and rebuilding in Pforzheim.

The 1950s was a period of growth with highly sought-after Eszeha models featuring original shapes: hidden dials or set into small crowns, undulating lugs, bracelets embellished by tiny bows, or broader versions with articulated links. Many watches were still worn on fabric straps that wore out. If they wanted to replace the bracelet or if people wanted to increase the value by adding a quality accessory, they could buy an ESZEHA gold bracelet that could be attached to nearly all watch models.

An advertisement in 1958: "ESZEHA has created a distinctive collection of gold bracelets with charming designs just for you. One is sure to be just right for your watch! A gold bracelet from ESZEHA will give your watch a new look, and thanks to its solid workmanship and timeless elegance, will hold its value for years."  You cannot say the same about an Apple watch today.

In the 1950s, the family moved back to Pforzheim. Karl III transferred from the watchmaking school in Munich to the school in Pforzheim and graduated in 1955. Next he embarked upon an accelerated goldsmithing apprenticeship finishing in 2 years. This was fortuitous because his father's health declined from complications of the war injury and diabetes. Karl II was forced by illness to "retire" in 1958 aged 51 years and passed away on 8th April 1966 in Heidelberg.

Karl III, aged 20 years, found himself head of the company with 50 employees!

He had been married for only a year and their first child - Karl-Friedrich - had just been born.

The company was burdened with debt and without liquid capital; every morning, the bank sent a representative to the house just after the postman to collect any cheques in the mail. Karl III cannot forget those uncomfortable visits and vowed, "I never wanted to be dependent on a bank again." To this day, the Scheufeles have kept to this tenet; however large their transactions and investments, the company manages them itself.

“When I took the head of the company, it had an excellent reputation and a long-established tradition, but it was riddled with debts. Without the help of my father-in-law who served as guarantor with the bank, it would never have survived.” -- Karl Scheufele III.

Who was this guarantor and businessman?

Fritz Ruf had invented a process for roller plating gold onto steel. A patent for 'rolled gold' led to the formation of his company, Doubléfabrik Ruf KG in Birkenfeld, near Pforzheim. His daughter, Karin Ruf, married Karl Scheufele III. Their separate wartime experiences and family values helped to establish their principles for managing a business. The basic tenet was security through independence. They also learned to economise even in small things. They remember that Fritz Ruf made a round each evening and if an employee had left more than one pencil on the desk, he collected up the extras. The loan was for half-a-million marks; in 1958, that was an enormous sum to be guarantor to a 20-year old for; Fritz Ruf trusted his son-in-law but told him in no uncertain terms: "Karl, now you HAVE to get it done!" He is still spoken of with warmth and gratitude for his support in word and deed in the early years. Fritz Ruf passed away in 1999 aged 88 years.

Karl Scheufele III began designing dainty jewellery models and watches. He was keen to make his own movements, and realised the only solution would be to buy up a Swiss manufacturer.

Becoming truly independent
An unexpected event hastened the onset of this development. In 1962, Karl Scheufele III discovered that the Geneva-based company with which he had been dealing for years also delivered movement blanks to one of his fiercest competitors. He immediately revoked the contract with the supplier and placed an advert in a number of newspapers, openly stating his intention to purchase a Swiss manufacturing company.

Chopard declines
After commercial prosperity through Victorian and Edwardian eras, Chopard was clearly on the decline between the 1930s and 1962. Paul-André, representing the third generation and undoubtedly an extremely talented watchmaker, was no businessman. He still had five employees and worked at his bench even though he was nearly 70 years old. His creations were appreciated by a few rich clients in Scandinavia and loyal admirers. None of his sons wanted to continue the business so he was looking to sell the firm and agreed to meet Karl Scheufele III, with whom he shared the same determined attitude, the same practical good sense and innate creativity, as well as the same love of fine craftsmanship.

Work bench of Paul-Andre Chopard

TIMELINE

1941: August 5, Death of Karl Scheufele I and Karl Scheufele II is shot on the Russian Front.
1942: Karl Scheufele II succeeds his father when discharged from the military.
1943: Paul-André Chopard, son of Paul-Louis, takes over the Chopard company.
1945: February 23, Pforzheim is destroyed and the Scheufeles fled to Bavaria.
1958: Karl Scheufele III revives ESZEHA after a tough period for the company.
1999: October 6, Death of Fritz Ruf, father-in-law of Karl Scheufele III.

Acknowledgements for Facts and Images:  

Chopard Manufacture Archivist A.W.
L.U.CEUM (Chopard Musuem), Fleurier
Scheufele Family

Dr M. Teillol-Foo, 2015 

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 1: First Generation  CLICK following URL to read:
www.watchprosite.com

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 2: Second Generation  CLICK following URL to read:
www.watchprosite.com

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 4: New Beginnings CLICK following URL link to read:
www.watchprosite.com  

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 5: Happy Diamonds  CLICK following URL link to read:
www.watchprosite.com   

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 6: Production Sites  CLICK following URL link to read:
www.watchprosite.com  

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 7: Chopard Manufacture - First 20 Years  CLICK following URL link to read:
www.watchprosite.com

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 8: Karl-Friedrich Scheufele - Early Years. CLICK following URL link to read:
www.watchprosite.com

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 9: Caroline Scheufele - Early Years. CLICK following URL link to read:
www.watchprosite.com=

A Brief History of CHOPARD Time and Jewels part 10: Noblesse Oblige
www.watchprosite.com=

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