Chopard celebrates 50 years of ‘Happy Diamonds’ with a new collection
Defined by diamonds that cut their own fluid path across watches and jewellery, the ‘Happy Diamonds’ series gets a new anniversary collection
In 1976, Chopard released the ‘Happy Diamonds’ collection, originally composed of two watches that saw diamonds move freely across their black onyx dials. The collection has grown over the years to encompass watch and jewellery designs that have this playful fluidity at their heart. To mark the series’ 50th anniversary, Chopard returns with a new ‘Happy Diamonds’ campaign, reintroducing loved classics from the ‘Happy Diamond Heritage’ collection – two watches, a signet ring, cufflinks, a tie pin and a pendant – alongside new ‘Happy Sport’ watches and ‘Happy Diamonds’ pendants.
‘What I love most about “Happy Diamonds” [pieces] is the emotion they create,’ says Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele. ‘A diamond is beautiful on its own, but when it is free to move, it comes alive. It dances with the light, follows every gesture, and seems to have a personality of its own. I have always loved the idea expressed so beautifully by my mother, when she saw the first prototype back in the 1970s: “Diamonds are happier when they are free”.’
For Scheufele, this sense of joy is what has made the collection an enduring one. ‘For me, “Happy Diamonds” and “Happy Sport” have always celebrated women who are authentic, confident, and free-spirited. Fifty years later, that message still feels wonderfully relevant.’
The new pieces pay tribute to the design codes of the originals, from the cushion-shaped cases of the heritage pieces to the fluidity of the diamonds themselves, which follow their own path. Revisiting the original was an emotional exercise for Scheufele, who designed the original ‘Happy Sport The First’ watch in 1993. ‘I wanted to remain very faithful to the original watch, which is particularly close to my heart,’ she adds. ‘Although the changes are very subtle, every single detail has been refined.’ She notes that the watch’s being crafted in Chopard's proprietary steel, Lucent Steel (made with at least 80 per cent recycled material), is the biggest change.
‘I also wanted to bring back the rectangular design for the pendants we introduced in 2006 and to give them a lighter, more contemporary expression. We opened the space around the diamonds so they could move even more freely. I especially love watching how they dance and catch the light. We also introduced a new setting on the diamond-set versions that creates an almost seamless line of diamonds. These are very small details, but they change the emotion of the piece. In the end, that is always what I look for: a creation that feels alive.’