Chopard, Geneva

Chopard, officially known as Le Petit-Fils de L.-U. Chopard & Cie S.A., is a prominent Swiss company renowned for producing and selling luxury watches, jewelry, and accessories. The company was established in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in the town of Sonvilier, Switzerland. Since 1963, Chopard has been under the ownership of the Scheufele family, hailing from Germany.

The founder of the company, Louis-Ulysse Chopard, was a skilled Swiss watchmaker who spent his formative years in Sonvilier, a town near Bern. In 1860, he founded his manufacturing company, L.U.C., in Sonvilier. He realized that it was more profitable to market complete watches rather than merely crafting the mechanical movements.

Following Louis-Ulysse's passing in 1915, his son Paul-Louis and grandson Paul-André took over the company's reins. Chopard specialized in crafting pocket watches and wristwatches for women during this period. In 1937, when the company had around 150 employees, it relocated to Geneva. This move allowed the company's movements to receive certification with the prestigious Geneva Seal, an exclusive designation for watch movements produced in the Canton of Geneva. Paul-André assumed control of the company in 1943.

In 1963, with no successors interested in continuing the family business, Paul-André Chopard sold it to Karl Scheufele III. Karl Scheufele III was a German goldsmith and watchmaker from Pforzheim who was searching for a watch movement manufacturer exclusively for his own business.

Chopard is most renowned for its exceptional Swiss watches and jewelry. The brand's clientele has included notable figures such as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. The company is headquartered in Geneva and operates a manufacturing facility in Fleurier, in the Canton of Neuchâtel, where they produce watch movements.

If you're embarking on a Timepiece Shopping Walk in the vicinity of Rue du Rhône, be sure not to miss visiting Chopard's boutiques.