Chopard Watches

Chopard is a Swiss luxury brand that specialises in the production and sale of high-end watches, jewellery, and accessories. Founded by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Sonvilier, Switzerland, in 1860, it has been owned by the Scheufele family of Germany since 1963.

Chopard watches are exquisitely made Swiss watches and jewellery, with notable clients including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. The company’s headquarters are in Geneva, and its watch movements are manufactured in Fleurier, Canton of Neuchâtel.

Early on, founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard realised it was more profitable to market a finished watch rather than just the mechanical movement. After his passing, the company was taken over by his son Paul-Louis and grandson Paul-André, who specialised in creating pocket watches and ladies’ wristwatches. The company moved to a larger town, Chaux-de-Fonds, in the Canton of Neuchâtel in 1921 and to Geneva in 1937. In 1963, Karl Scheufele III, a German goldsmith and watchmaker, purchased the company.

During the 1970s, Chopard relocated its factory from Geneva’s city centre and started producing watches featuring its unique free-floating diamond encased in sapphire glass. In the succeeding decade, the brand broadened its range of offerings, introducing sports watches for men and diamond jewellery for women.

As of 2014, Chopard had roughly 2,000 employees worldwide, of whom almost half were in Switzerland. The company has been promoting ethical and sustainable gold since 2013, and its products are made using Fairmined-certified gold.

Chopard produces around 75,000 watches and 75,000 pieces of jewellery each year.