If you missed the United-Nations-designated International Day of Happiness on March 20, don’t worry, be happy: Chopard is keeping the happy times alive with a new collection of its signature Happy Sport watch collection.
The new Chopard models, famous for the five or seven diamonds that move randomly between two sapphire crystals over the watch dial, were introduced at last week’s Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva.
The purpose of the newly designated International Day of Happiness, according to the United Nations, is to recognize “the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.”
It is also meant to recognize “the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all people.”
It was the perfect tie-in for Chopard, whose Happy Diamonds jewelry collection and Happy Sport watch collection have long symbolized Joie de Vivre.
To celebrate the happy day, Chopard’s boutiques around the world were decorated with roses, and sales from its Happy Diamonds jewelry collection were donated to charities, including fashion model Petra Nemcova’s All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response (previously named Happy Hearts Fund).
It supports the reconstruction of schools in areas devastated by natural disasters. The company is also involved with the Naked Heart Foundation, launched in 2004 by Natalia Vodianova to help underprivileged children.
In addition to the new collection of Happy Sport watches (in which pink tourmalines and blue aquamarines substitute for some of the diamonds), Chopard launched a special-edition Happy Sport Rose de Caroline model, inspired by roses from the garden of Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele.
Roses carry a special symbolism for Scheufele: when she was creating the concept of the Happy Diamonds watch in 1993, one of her workshop foremen told her it was impossible to float the diamonds between the crystals of the watch, saying, “Caroline, if you manage to sell these watches, I’ll give you one rose for each of them.”
The watch made it through production, it was a hit, and the foreman ended up gifting her a rose bush. The watch is very rose-y, with a pink mother-of-pearl dial, a gradient of pink sapphires, and a fuchsia pink alligator strap.
It is available exclusively at Chopard boutiques.
This article was first published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
