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Chopard Happy Sport 36 mm, Automatic, Lucent Steel™, Diamonds
Ref. 278559-3002
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
Happy Sport began in 1993 as a deliberate provocation: fine diamonds set not in gold but in steel, moving freely between two sapphire crystals rather than fixed in a bezel. The idea that the stones should dance — gliding across the dial as the wrist moves — was the founding gesture of the collection, and it remains the thing no other house has convincingly replicated. The seven diamonds sit above a guilloché silver dial with Roman numerals, their movement visible through the sapphire above them. Lucent Steel, Chopard's own alloy, is harder and brighter than standard watch steel and carries a high proportion of recycled material — it accounts for the slightly more luminous quality the bracelet has against the wrist compared with an ordinary link. The crown is set with a blue sapphire cabochon, a small detail that reads clearly in person and ties the whole piece together. The exhibition caseback means the automatic movement is visible from the reverse, and the date sits discreetly at 4:30 rather than interrupting the dial at noon.
- Reference
- 278559-3002
- Brand
- Chopard
- Case size
- 36mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Learn more about Chopard
Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded a workshop in Sonvilier in the Jura in 1860, building pocket watches that sold well in Eastern Europe and Russia. The family ran it for three generations before the line ran out of successors, and in 1963 the company was sold to Karl Scheufele III, a Pforzheim jeweller.
The Scheufele family still owns it, and their dual background explains the house's character: Chopard is unusual in being both a serious watchmaker and a serious jeweller, with in-house capability in gem-setting and gold-working alongside movement production.
The Happy Diamonds concept of 1976 — loose stones rotating freely between two sapphire crystals — became the commercial engine of the jewellery side and remains instantly identifiable.
On the watch side, the L.U.C collection launched in 1996 with the calibre 1.96, a micro-rotor automatic that announced Chopard as a genuine manufacture rather than a fashion house buying movements. L.U.C watches have since collected Geneva Seal and COSC certifications and produced tourbillons, perpetual calendars, and minute repeaters made in Fleurier.
Chopard has timed the Mille Miglia since 1988, giving it a motorsport line with real provenance, and in 2018 moved its entire gold supply to ethically certified sources — the first major house to do so across all production.
- 1860
- Louis-Ulysse Chopard founds the workshop in Sonvilier.
- 1963
- Karl Scheufele III acquires the company.
- 1976
- Happy Diamonds introduces free-moving stones.
- 1988
- Chopard begins timing the Mille Miglia.
- 1996
- The L.U.C 1.96 establishes in-house movement production.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,154), Stainless Steel Watches (2,848), Watches Under 37mm (1,522), Automatic Watches (1,518), Sports Watches (677) and Silver Dial Watches (640).
Temporarily out of stock
Mappin & Webb is not currently taking orders for this reference. Last listed as available on 28 September 2026. Stock is checked nightly and this page updates when it returns.
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 36mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Chopard Happy Sport 36 mm, alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 278559-3002 | 1-39-22-08-22-44 | 97.T384.4061/21.C822 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £9,400 | £8,700 | £8,700 |
| Case size | 36mm | 36mm | 37mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Fabric strap | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | — | 40 hours | 50 hours |
| This watch |
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