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Chopard Happy Sport Automatic Ladies Watch
Ref. 278573-3012
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Happy Sport line began in 1993 as something genuinely unusual: a fine jewellery watch that moved. Five diamonds — 0.14 carats in total — float freely between two sapphire crystals, settling and spinning with the wrist rather than being fixed in place. That idea, now more than thirty years old, is still what separates this collection from anything else in Chopard's catalogue. The 30mm case is well suited to wrists that find the current fashion for oversized dials uncomfortable, and the guilloché centre on the silver dial gives it texture that reads in ordinary indoor light without needing direct sun to come alive. The calibre 09.01-C is an in-house self-winding movement developed specifically for this watch, and the sapphire exhibition caseback means it is visible from the outside — a detail that rewards the decision to wear it on the wrist rather than keep it in a drawer.
- Reference
- 278573-3012
- Brand
- Chopard
- Case size
- 30mm
- Case thickness
- 11.23mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 09.01-C
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
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 (4,868), Stainless Steel Watches (3,133), Automatic Watches (1,750), Watches Under 37mm (1,713), Women's Watches (1,635) and Sports Watches (800).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 30mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Sits in the lower half of Chopard's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Also seen with this model (1)
Other versions of this model, not necessarily this exact watch.
- Julia Roberts · Chopard Happy Sport · Ambassador · Happy Sport campaigns since 2021 · Source
Chopard Happy Sport alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 278573-3012 | 1-35-14-03-02-04 | 49528D11A631-CB6A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £7,940 | £9,300 | £11,700 |
| Case size | 30mm | 32.5mm | 30mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 42 hours | 60 hours | 42 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 42 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £7,940, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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