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Chopard Happy Sport 36mm, Automatic, Ethical Yellow Gold, Lucent Steel™, Diamonds
Ref. 278559-4001
Sits in Chopard’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Chopard watches we list, which start at £4,740.
Price range £4,740 to £18,500 across 27 Chopard watches in stock.A 36mm case pairs Lucent Steel with an 18-carat ethical yellow gold bezel and crown, the two materials sitting in polished contrast on the wrist. The silver dial carries a spiral sunburst guilloché pattern with Roman numerals, and seven brilliant-cut diamonds — 0.35 carats in total — float freely between two sapphire crystal panels, moving with the wearer. A date window sits between four and five o'clock. The self-winding movement runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 62-hour power reserve. A blue alligator leather strap with a stainless steel pin buckle completes the watch.
- Reference
- 278559-4001
- Brand
- Chopard
- Case size
- 36mm
- Case thickness
- 12.15mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 62 hours
- Gem set
- Yes
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 Stainless Steel Watches (3,157), Automatic Watches (1,753), Watches Under 37mm (1,693), Leather Strap Watches (1,053), Sports Watches (793) and Silver Dial Watches (711).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 36mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- One of Chopard's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Chopard Happy Sport 36mm, Automatic, alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 278559-4001 | 1-39-22-08-22-44 | IW458109 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £10,700 | £8,700 | £8,850 |
| Case size | 36mm | 36mm | 37mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Fabric strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 62 hours | 40 hours | 50 hours |
| This watch |
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|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 62 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £10,700, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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