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BaselWorld 2018: Chopard - Happy Sport Métiers d’art Majestic creativity, excellent craftsmanship / Happy Sport Oval Unprecedented, super-chic and exquisitely feminine
Happy Sport Métiers d’art
Majestic creativity, excellent craftsmanship
To mark the 25th birthday of the Happy Sport line, Chopard has enlisted the talented exponents of the most prestigious artistic crafts in creating four exceptional models issued in 25-piece limited editions. The Mains d’Art of the Maison – meaning its most expert specialised artisans – have employed ancestral techniques in patiently crafting materials that are as precious as they are fragile. Remarkable treasures of meticulous care and creativity, these four original watches embody the excellence of the skills cultivated by Chopard.
In 1993, Caroline Scheufele, now Co-President and Creative Director at Chopard, imagined a sports watch based on an unprecedented and offbeat association. At a time when it was deemed unthinkable to combine the precious nature of diamonds with such a sporty metal as steel, she came up with the innovative idea of combining them for the very first time in the history of jewellery. Whereas diamonds had already been released from their setting, Caroline Scheufele now wished to desacralize them, while detracting nothing from their magic or their fascination. They are thus no longer reserved for solemn occasions, instead taking their place in the rhythms of daily life: teamed with jeans, sports shoes, high heels or in the office, Happy Sport accompanies women in the many facets of their lives. Since its creation, the Happy Sport line has been perpetually reinvented, in step with the evolutions in style and in society of which it is a vibrant symbol. To celebrate the 25th birthday of this emblematic collection in due style, the Maison has called upon its “Mains d’Art” (literally, ‘art hands’) – representing its most precious talents – in creating four models constituting veritable works of art.
Happy Palm
Glamour forever
As official historic partner of the Cannes International Film Festival, responsible for designing and producing the Palme d’or trophy since 1998, Chopard is now unveiling a model inspired by the prestigious award. Made of Fairmined-certified ethical gold – like the Palme d’or itself – and studded with diamonds, the Happy Palm reflects the quintessence of glamour. Resplendent evening gowns, sparkling jewellery, light bulbs popping around the luminous trophy: all the glittering magic of the Festival is thus encapsulated in a watch. Five moving diamonds and a miniature “Palme d’or” dance around the finely crafted mother-of-pearl dial. Masterfully reproducing the delicacy of a palm leaf, it is adorned with Urushi lacquer, a resin harvested in Asia from the eponymous trees and decorated using the ancestral Japanese art of maki-e (literally ‘sprinkled image’). Using infinitely accurate touches, the artisan traced and accentuated the dial motifs by dusting fine gold particles onto the still damp lacquer. No less than 170 hours of work were lavished on creating this dazzling plant-life motif.
Meanwhile, the case-back reveals equally spectacular artwork, since the L.U.C 96.23-L movement is adorned with slender ‘Palmes d’or’, hand-engraved using the Fleurisanne technique. This refined art, born in the 19th century in the Swiss village that is home to the Manufacture Chopard, developed a reputation that spread as far afield as China. It is distinguished by its raised motifs: instead of hollowing the motoif out of the material, the engraver makes it stand out by removing the surrounding matter. Keen to perpetuate this endangered skill, Chopard has trained Fleurisanne engraving artisans within its own workshops. The Happy Palm is paired with an alligator leather strap coated with 24-carat gold or entirely set with diamond.
"Making" pics:
001 – Happy Palm dial drawing
002 – The drawing is reproduced on the dial base
003 – Master Minori Koizumi applying the Urushi lacquer on the palms featured on the dial
004 – Once the Urushi lacquer is applied, the master sprinkles the palms with gold powder. He brushes the dial to take off the remaining gold dust.
005 – The palms of the dial are smoothly lacquered one by one.
006 – Gold powder being brushed
007 – Master Koizumi uses a special pad to take of the last flakes of gold
008 – The main palms are now ready for polishing
009 – Polishing of the dial
010 – The master apply the same urushi technique to unveil the inner motifs of the Happy Palm dial
011 – Dials in the making process
012 – the work place of Master Koizumi
013 – Tools of the engraver
014 – The micro rotor being engraved by the Chopard master engraver
015 – Engraving of the palms with the Fleurisanne technique
016 - Each design part is stippled to highlight the splendid palm motif on the movement bridges
017 – The master engraver finishes the engraving
Happy Fish
Precious treasure from the depths of the sea
Translucent waters beaded with sapphires, waves enhanced with mother-of-pearl and gold leaf, cresting foam trimmed with diamonds: the expertise of the Chopard artisans invites us to explore the ocean and discover a shimmering, undulating world in a perpetual state of motion. Heir to a collection launched in 2002, the new Happy Fish watch stages a majestic gold and mother-of-pearl creature swimming in deep blue waters featuring delicate nuances created by snow-set sapphires arranged in subtly graded shades. Gazing placidly at its surroundings through a red jasper eye, the dainty fish appears unperturbed by the seven diamond bubbles twirling next to it. Its gracefully flowing curves shimmer in the sunlight and are suffused with soft turquoise light when night falls. Delicately crafted using engraving and inlaid luminescent pigments, the enchanting sight reappears with each new evening. A full 30 hours of work went into creating this fairytale tableau. The talent nurtured in the jewellery ateliers is also in evidence on the bezel, set with diamonds of three different sizes alternately arranged to create a softer effect, while the 18-carat rose gold case – paired with a royal blue alligator leather strap – beats to the tune of a self-winding movement.
"Making" pics:
001 – The Happy Fish dial ready to be set by the craftsman
002 – Snow setting of the blue sapphires on the dial
003, 004 and 005 – The dial of the Happy Fish watch features snow set sapphires of different matching hues.
006 – The Happy Fish in mother-of-pearl is set on the dial
007 – A jasper eyes is delicately added to the fish
008 – Gold leaves are applied on the dial to reproduce the water flowing and shining on the fish
009 – The artisan unveils the fish by taking off the golf leaf leftovers.
010 – The artisan painting the Jasper eyes
Happy Snowflakes
Pure and sparkling like a winter’s day
The mysterious beauty of nature is an infinite source of inspiration for Chopard. Offering a paean of praise to fluffy snow crystals coating the world with glistening, immaculate white layers, Happy Snowflakes celebrates the magic of winter. Like the snowballs we remember from our childhood, this supremely poetic timepiece treats the ephemeral crystals fallen from the sky to a taste of eternity. The powerful optical effect is perfectly mastered through the expertise of several artistic crafts, combined with high-quality materials. The mother-of-pearl adorning the dial comes from shells meticulously selected by Chopard. Subtle shades, iridescent shimmering and fascinating textures: every characteristic is carefully studied so as to compose a naturally shiny and luminous decor that is as lifelike as possible. Highly skilled in the art of mother-of-pearl marquetry, the dial-maker has succeeded in tracing exquisitely slender flakes on this fragile surface, while others appear dotted on the watch crystal and the sides of the case. These hand-engraved motifs create a striking effect, instilling the impression of authentic snow crystals alighting on the watch before vanishing. Aptly enhanced by the snow-setting technique, the bezel shines with dazzling radiance, very much like snow glinting in the sunlight. Guided by a blend of instinct and expertise, the gemsetters have carved out cavities in the gold in order to house stones that are individual adjusted as the work proceeds. The resulting sparkle is also accentuated by the diamonds spinning across the dial, accompanied by a moving snowflake. Endowed with mesmerising powers, the Happy Snowflakes recalls tender memories of our childhood spent watching millions of flakes dancing past a window.
Happy Sport Joaillerie
Serene elegance
“What astonished me most when entering Venice was the sense of lightness that suffused my entire being, that sudden joy of living and loving. “ (The Black Violin Maxence Fermine). The enchanting power of the self-styled “Most Serene Republic”, eloquently described by authors and artists, is embodied in a supremely elegant watch. Inspired by Venetian architecture, the timepiece evokes the splendour of certain buildings like the famous Doges’ Palace. The entirely gemset bezel is adorned with diamonds, arranged between slender white gold arches. The romance and timeless beauty of Venice are also expressed through the exquisite refinement of the delicately guilloché mother-of-pearl dial. This midnight blue watch face bears graceful Roman numerals interspersed with diamond-set hour-markers. These contrasting colours and materials, part bluish shimmering and part dazzling whiteness, exude an aura of mystery and seduction recalling the enchanting Venetian Lagoon. The watch is fitted with a royal blue leather strap.
Technical details
Happy Palm
25-piece limited series in 18-carat yellow gold
Boutique Exclusive
Case:
Fairmined-certified ethical 18-carat yellow gold
Total diameter 36.00 mm
Thickness 12.09 mm
Water resistance 30 metres
Facetted crown in 18-carat yellow gold 6.00 mm
set with a diamond
Facetted cabochons in 18-carat yellow gold
Bezel in Fairmined-certified ethical 18-carat yellow gold set with diamonds of varying sizes
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
Exhibition back secured with screws, bearing Happy Sport logo and fitted with a glareproofed sapphire crystal pane
Movement:
Mechanical self-winding L.U.C 96.23-L
Total diameter 27.40 mm
Thickness 3.30 mm
Number of jewels 29
Frequency 28,800 vph
Power reserve approx. 65 hours
Nickel silver movement – with yellow gilding after engraving
Hand-crafted Fleurisanne engraving – palm leaf motif
Platinum oscillating weight – with yellow gilding
Two barrels – Twin technology
Dial and hands:
White mother-of-pearl dial with hand-painting crafted in Japan using the Urushi lacquer with a special motif inspired by the Palme d’or
Five moving diamonds and a moving Palme d’or in Fairmined-certified ethical 18-carat yellow gold
Gilded, domed and conical hours and minutes hands
Functions:
Hours, minutes
Strap and buckle:
Alligator leather strap coated with gold
Diamond-set polished 18-carat yellow gold pin buckle
Ref. 275366-0001 – in Fairmined-certified ethical 18-carat yellow gold, teamed with an alligator leather strap coated in
25-piece limited edition – Boutique Exclusive
Technical Details
Happy Fish
25-piece Limited Edition in 18-carat rose gold
Boutiques Exclusive
Case:
18-carat rose gold
Total diameter 36.00 mm
Thickness 12.65 mm
Water resistance 30 metres
Facetted crown in 18-carat rose gold 6.00 mm
set with a diamond
Facetted cabochons in 18-carat rose gold
Bezel in 18-carat rose gold set with diamonds of three different sizes
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
Exhibition back secured with screws, bearing the Happy Fish inscription and fitted with a glareproofed sapphire crystal pane
Movement:
Mechanical self-winding
Diameter 26.20 mm
Thickness 3.60 mm
Number of jewels 25
Frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz)
Power reserve: approx. 42 hours
Dial and hands:
Gold dial snow-set with subtly graded shades of dark blue sapphires with domed fish in luminescent textured mother-of-pearl adorned with bas relief engraving
Gold leaf decor, red jasper eye
Seven luminescent moving diamonds
Gilded, conical and domed hours and minutes hands
Gilded sweep-seconds hand
Functions:
Hours, minutes and seconds
Strap and buckle:
Royal blue alligator leather strap
Polished 18-carat rose gold pin buckle
Ref. 274891-5019 – in 18-carat rose gold
25-piece limited edition – Boutique Exclusive
Technical details
Happy Snowflakes
25-piece Limited Edition in 18-carat white gold
Boutique Exclusive
Case:
• 18-carat white gold
• Total diameter 36.00 mm
• Thickness 12.65 mm
• Water resistance 30 m
• Case engraved with hand-crafted snowflakes
• Facetted crown in 18-carat white gold set with a diamond 6.00 mm
• Bezel in snow-set 18-carat white gold
• Glareproofed sapphire crystal engraved with snowflakes
• Exhibition back with snowflakes engraved on the sapphire crystal pane
Movement:
• Mechanical self-winding
• Diameter 26.20 mm
• Thickness 3.60 mm
• Number of jewels 25
• Frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz)
• Power reserve: approx. 42 hours
Dial and hands:
• Dial in snow-set 18-carat white gold with mother-of-pearl marquetry snowflake
• Three moving diamonds and one moving snowflake
• Rhodium-plated hours and minutes hands
Functions and displays:
• Hours, minutes and central seconds
Strap:
• Glossy white alligator leather
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle
Ref. 274891-1014 – in 18-carat white gold
25-piece limited edition – Boutique Exclusive
Technical Details
Happy Sport Joaillerie
25-piece Limited Edition in 18-carat white gold
Case:
• 18-carat white gold
• Total diameter 36.00 mm
• Thickness 12.65 mm
• Water resistance 30 m
• Facetted crown in 18-carat white gold set with a diamond 6.00 mm
• Snow-set bezel
• Glareproofed sapphire crystal
• Exhibition back
Movement:
• Mechanical self-winding
• Diameter 26.20 mm
• Thickness 3.60 mm
• Number of jewels 25
• Frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz)
• Power reserve: approx. 42 hours
Dial and hands:
• Dial in textured blue mother-of-pearl
• Seven moving diamonds
•Rhodium-plated hour-markers set with diamonds apart from the four Roman numerals
• Rhodium-plated hours and minutes hands
Functions and displays
• Hours, minutes and central seconds
Strap:
• Royal blue alligator leather strap
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle
Ref. 274891-1016 – in 18-carat white gold
25-piece limited edition
Happy Sport Oval
Unprecedented, super-chic and exquisitely feminine
1993 saw the birth of far more than a watch, but indeed a certain vision of independence, modernity and free-spirited movement. The now iconic 25-year-old Happy Sport instils its mischievous spirit into a supremely elegant model: an oval case housing a self-winding movement specially developed by the Chopard manufacture.
Happy Sport, a new vision of time
In 1993, closely in touch with the mood of the moment, Chopard co-president Caroline Scheufele dreamed up a sports watch based on what was at the time an original and surprising association between steel and diamonds. This unprecedented bold move marked the birth of the Happy Sport. Radiating the spirit of the Happy Diamonds that waltzed onto its dial, spinning like étoile dancers performing free variations between two sapphire crystals, Happy Sport soon became a standard-bearer for the Manufacture and indeed for feminine watchmaking as a whole.
The oval, a timeless legacy
The same creative expression of absolute freedom now takes a new path in reviving the oval case, which had made a previous appearance in the Happy Sport style repertoire but has now been entirely redesigned. A new model reflecting a strong trend sweeping the fashion industry and the watchmaking world with a tribute to timeless femininity through a neatly fitting aesthetic. The design of this new Happy Sport features a distinctive oval shape idealised through reinvented proportions. Drawing upon a sense of streamlined elegance conveyed through subtle upstrokes and downstrokes, the bezel is slimmer at 12 and 6 o’clock, whilst more generous at 3 and 9 o’clock – thus endowing both the watch and the wrist it adorns with an unmistakable sense of distinction and finesse. By redesigning the oval in accordance with its own aesthetic vision, the Happy Sport enlists a multicultural symbol of abundance and eternity. The oval, as a spatial representation of the egg shape, carries within it untold worlds with powerful connotations: as Victor Hugo already wrote: “Be capable of perceiving talent even in that which at first sight least resembles it. I have sometimes written about an egg: it is in fact a bird” (Post-scriptum de ma vie, posthumously published in 1901). The oval, a place of withdrawal and of bursting forth, is the scene of endless possibilities, where transformations encapsulating the future take shape; on the dial of the Happy Sport Oval, every second holds the promise of future joy.
The Happy Sport appears in a version topped by an 18ct rose gold bezel. Its alligator leather straps feature a choice of colours ranging from noble royal blue to ultra-chic deep navy blue. Dancing endlessly across the silver-toned guilloché dial are seven moving diamonds embodying the Happy Sport signature. An even more precious and exquisitely feminine variation replaces the diamonds on the bezel with pink sapphires, framing seven moving gems (two diamonds, two pink sapphires and three rubies) whirling across a dainty and supremely gentle mother-of-pearl dial. The final touch to this jewellery watch is set by a supremely elegant fuchsia pink alligator leather strap.
A manufacture movement reflecting the spirit of the times
To celebrate the 25th birthday of the Happy Sport, Chopard is taking it into an entire new dimension through an encounter with another contribution of the history of the family Maison: the watch manufacture. Chopard’s watchmaking expertise has enabled it to equip the Happy Sport Oval with a mechanical self-winding movement: the 09.01-C calibre specially developed for 30 mm ladies’ watch cases. ‘Have it all and relinquish nothing’ is a motto entirely suited to the women who choose the Happy Sport Oval. Feminine and technical, playful and radical, precious and modern: through the sheer diversity of its qualities, the inimitable Chopard icon represents the quintessence of horological success. This creation testifies to Chopard’s ever smoother integration of its two fields of excellence, facilitated by the unique combination within the same Maison of all the skills and professions that forge the greatness of both Haute Horlogerie and High Jewellery.
Technical Details
Happy Sport Oval
Case:
18ct rose gold
Total diameter 31.31 x 29 mm
Thickness 10.77 mm
Water resistance 30 metres
Facetted 18ct rose gold crown set
with a blue sapphire 5.00 mm
Facetted 18ct rose gold cabochons
Diamond-set or polished 18ct rose gold bezel
Glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Exhibition back with screws, Happy Sport logo and glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Movement:
Mechanical self-winding Chopard 09.01-C
Number of components 159
Total diameter 20.40 mm
Thickness 3.65 mm
Number of jewels 27
Frequency 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
Power reserve app. 42 hours
Dial and hands:
Silver guilloche dial
Blue transfers
Seven moving diamonds
Gilded Roman numerals and hour-markers
Gilded cone-shaped hours and minutes hands
Gilded sweep-seconds hand
Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds
Strap and buckle:
Royal blue or navy blue alligator leather strap
Polished 18ct rose gold pin buckle
Ref. 275362-5001 – with polished bezel and Royal blue alligator leather strap
Ref. 275362-5002 – with bezel set with diamonds and Navy blue alligator leather strap
Technical Details
Happy Sport Oval
Case:
18ct rose gold
Total diameter 31.31 x 29 mm
Thickness 10.77 mm
Water resistance 30 metres
Facetted 18ct rose gold crown set
with a blue sapphire 5.00 mm
Facetted 18ct rose gold cabochons
18ct rose gold bezel set with pink sapphires and rubies
Glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Exhibition back with screws, Happy Sport logo and glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Movement:
Mechanical self-winding Chopard 09.01-C
Number of components 159
Total diameter 20.40 mm
Thickness 3.65 mm
Number of jewels 27
Frequency 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
Power reserve app. 42 hours
Dial and hands:
White mother-of-pearl dial with silver guilloche center
Blue transfers
Two moving diamonds, two moving pink sapphires, three moving rubies
Gilded Roman numerals and hour-markers
Gilded cone-shaped hours and minutes hands
Gilded sweep-seconds hand
Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds
Strap and buckle:
Fuschia alligator leather strap
Polished 18ct rose gold pin buckle
Ref. 275362-5003
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