Chopard lifts horological history of Happy Sport with ‘Legacy’ series

January 16, 2023

Chopard's Happy Sport has seen many iterations since its original introduction in the 1990s, all of which stay true to the model’s blueprint. Image credit: Chopard

By Amirah Keaton

Swiss jeweler Chopard has brought its popular Happy Sport timepiece back to life on many occasions over the years.

The model has seen many an iteration since its introduction in 1993, all of which stay loyal to the luxury brand’s archival blueprint. Resurfaced marketing materials, plus supplemental content featuring new frames of celebrity ambassador Julia Roberts, see the Swiss jeweler boosting the iconic selection’s successor.

“Nothing beats The First”
The Happy Sport, which arrived on the scene in 1993, marked artistic director and co-president Caroline Scheufele’s first watch creation. That year, the German business magnate, daughter of Chopard founders Karl and Karin Scheufel, introduced a model that was the first ever to combine steel with diamonds.

Chopard chronicles the model’s progression with an exploratory effort that helps consumers fill in any gaps in context, as pedagogic offerings give color to Happy Sport’s historic rise.

Released in 2021, the Happy Sport The First redesign features a new case, inspired by the principles of the golden ratio. Image credit: Chopard

By the late 1990s, Happy Sport had officially become a status symbol. As the educational video excerpt goes on to explain, future iterations of the timeless design would consistently tie back to this foundational era of late 20th-century success.

In 2021, the brand paid homage to its original -- dubbed “Happy Sport The First,” the reiterative model features a form complementary to its predecessor.

Pushed live as part of Chopard’s “Legacy” series, which focuses on the Swiss principle’s past, a campaign video spotlights the Happy Sport The First watch. Innovative updates captured therein are emblematic of the house’s horological roots.

Introduced in 1993, the brand’s Happy Sport watch marked a first for Ms. Scheufele.

As outlined in dedicated digital content, the modern timepiece has retained facets including the original’s “dancing diamonds” and pebble-link bracelet, while undergoing changes, such as the application of a new 33mm diameter case and an automatic, self-winding watch movement.

Though the Happy Sport The First retails for $10,100 at time of publication, the watch's premise rests on a more accessible conclusion.

“Nothing beats the first,” reads Chopard's campaign tagline.

Happy Sport saga
As the model hits a 30-year anniversary, the company has continued to mark milestones with celebratory reeditions, as Happy Sport watches have embodied more than 1,000 variations.

In addition to these exclusives, Chopard's strategy boasts a multiyear engagement with one of Hollywood’s most coveted celebrities.

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Campaign assets currently live on brand socials – ones that picture actress and Chopard ambassador Julia Roberts in alternative looks from those seen before, wearing her Happy Sport The First, of course – amplify awareness regarding the subsequent release. The actress signed on with Chopard as a brand “ambassadress" in 2021 (see story).

Speaking of film, The Happy Sport's high caliber and widespread acclaim have enabled brand alignment with one of the most accredited global entities in existence, as detailed in yet another “Chopard Legacy” listing (see story).

Initiated by Ms. Scheufele, Chopard has served as the official partner of Cannes Film Festival since 1998. The pair reached two decades of work together last year (see story).

Alongside tracking the collaboration, the aforementioned vignette also highlights just how the model became so sought after that it has expanded into new territories, morphing into new shapes, colors, settings and complications along the way.

When Chopard opened a flagship on Fifth Avenue last month, for instance (see story), the brand made further customizations of its classic available. One limited-edition rendition features a gemstone-encrusted red apple motif that rotates around the watch's dial, retailing for $71,700.

The only constant for Chopard's Happy Sport seems to be change, thus, as evidenced by a rich past, the model will likely continue morphing its way into the future.

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