Chopard Happy Sport

At its debut in 1993, the Happy Sport from the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Chopard was one of the first watches to ever combine stainless steel with diamonds. Since then, this sporty women's dress watch has become a bestseller, and it's available in a number of different designs today. Chopard offers the Happy Sport in rose or white gold in addition to stainless steel. The collection also contains several two-tone timepieces. You can choose from a 30, 36, or 42-mm round case or an oval case. Each has a beautiful polished finish or is set with perfectly cut diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, or other gemstones.

These same quality standards apply to the dials, including those with fine guilloché engraving. Applied Roman numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock lend these timepieces an elegant, classic touch. The cluster of freely moving diamonds that glides around every dial is particularly eye-catching. This concept was first introduced with the Happy Diamonds in 1976. However, its diamonds can only move around the outer edge of the dial, while those of the Happy Sport dance across the entire surface, sandwiched between two layers of sapphire glass.

The selection of movements is just as varied. Chopard outfits some Happy Sport models with in-house calibers and others with modified calibers from the Swiss ébauche movement manufacturer Sellita. You'll also find timepieces powered by precise quartz movements from ETA.

A matching, high-quality band made of stainless steel, gold, or leather keeps each watch securely on the wrist.

Chopard first introduced automatic mechanical movements to the Happy Sport in 2013. Most are based on the Sellita SW 300-1, which the manufacturer modifies to meet their needs. These movements power the 30 and 36-mm editions. Both feature a sapphire glass case back that offers a view of the movement at work.

Other than their size, you can also tell these two models apart by the number of moving diamonds on their dials: The 36-mm watches have seven, the 30-mm versions, five. Furthermore, the larger edition has a date display at 4:30 while the smaller model does not. These differences also have an effect on the price. Watches with a 36-mm case always cost a few thousand dollars more than their smaller counterparts, as demonstrated by the following table.

Alternatively, there are gold Happy Sport 36 Automatic timepieces with rubies, emeralds, or blue sapphires and a matching leather strap. Prices for these models range from 50,000 to 65,000 USD.

The Happy Sport is also available with quartz calibers. Chopard relies on movements from the Swiss company ETA, famous for their precise and reliable products. Beyond the movement, there's very little that will help you distinguish these quartz watches from their automatic sister models. You can choose from a stainless steel, two-tone, or 18-karat rose gold case. These cases are also 30 or 36 mm in diameter and come with or without diamonds. That being said, the Happy Sport Oval Quartz adds a bit of variety to this otherwise round collection. Other distinctive features of the quartz variants are the missing "Automatic" inscription on their dials and a lower number of floating diamonds. Larger timepieces have five, while smaller versions have three. Quartz models also lack a sapphire glass case back.

Prices for the Happy Sport Quartz begin on a similar level to the collection's automatic watches. Depending on the size, a polished stainless steel model demands between 3,100 and 6,600 USD. Stainless steel watches with a diamond-studded bezel sell for 11,200 to 13,500 USD. Two-tone timepieces made of stainless steel and rose gold cost anywhere from 5,100 to 12,500 USD without diamonds. Those with diamonds require a larger investment of 15,500 to 20,500 USD. Unsurprisingly, the most expensive watches come in 18-karat rose gold and change hands for around 11,000 USD with a polished case and almost 32,500 USD with diamonds.

In honor of the Happy Sport's 25th anniversary in 2018, Chopard gave the collection its very own in-house caliber: the 09.01-C with a 42-hour power reserve. This automatic movement currently ticks away inside the Happy Sport Oval Automatic and some 30-mm models. The oval edition is available in rose or white gold and comes with either a polished or gem-set bezel. Plan on spending between 11,500 and 19,500 USD for one of these timepieces. The round version is slightly less expensive. The two-tone model with a shimmering pink mother-of-pearl dial costs around 6,600 USD. Watches with a rose gold case demand about 9,800 USD. Finally, stainless steel timepieces with a diamond-covered bezel sell for almost 11,000 USD.

Some Happy Sport models feature more than just diamonds floating above their dial. The automatic Happy Stars in stainless steel boasts diamond-studded stars, a white gold moon, and a rose gold sun, all atop a blue guilloché dial. This timepiece costs around 5,800 USD. Then there's the nautically themed Happy Fish with diamonds and a golden fish swimming on a turquoise-blue dial. You can purchase this watch for roughly 6,800 USD. Last but not least is the Happy Snowflake. As its name implies, it features small snowflakes made of white gold and diamonds. The current edition comes in stainless steel and has an automatic caliber, shimmering blue mother-of-pearl dial, and a diamond-encrusted bezel. It changes hands for about 18,000 USD. Previous models have a quartz movement. Prices for well-maintained timepieces sit between 2,200 and 6,800 USD.

The Happy Sport Tourbillon Joaillerie is particularly refined. Its 42-mm white gold case and dial are completely covered in diamonds. Of course, the highlight is its tourbillon, which peeks through a cutout in the dial at 6 o'clock. It's part of the in-house L.U.C caliber 02.16-L. This COSC-certified movement bears the Geneva seal and has a staggering 216-hour power reserve thanks to its overlapping double barrels. You can view this stunning manual movement through the sapphire glass case back. However, all this luxury has its price: namely, 447,000 USD.

The Happy Ocean is a proper diving watch. Its 40-mm stainless steel case is water resistant to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft) thanks to its screw-down crown. It also features a unidirectional diving bezel. This is the Happy Sport collection's only timepiece to feature luminous hands and indices. The in-house caliber 01.01-C provides this watch with its precise timekeeping and 60-hour power reserve. It also has a date display at 4:30.

Set aside around 5,900 USD for a new Happy Ocean on a navy blue or raspberry rubber strap. Prices for pre-owned models begin around 4,800 USD.