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Chopard Happy Sport 33mm, Automatic, Ethical Yellow Gold, Lucent Steel™, Diamonds
Ref. 278608-4001
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Happy Sport began in 1993 as a deliberate provocation: Chopard set diamonds loose inside a steel sports watch, defying the convention that gemstones belonged only in precious-metal dress pieces. Thirty years on, that originating idea — five small diamonds tumbling freely across a guilloché silver dial — remains the whole point of the watch, and it has not worn thin. This version pairs the ethical yellow gold of the bezel and crown against Lucent Steel on the case middle, and the contrast is warmer than a photograph suggests. The 09.01-C calibre is in-house, wound automatically, and its 42-hour reserve is visible through a sapphire caseback — an unusual transparency for a watch whose face draws this much attention. At 33mm it wears close and neat on a smaller wrist without reading as a child's piece, and the glossy blue alligator strap gives it enough colour to hold its own without jewellery alongside it. The sapphire set into the crown — 0.13 ct, which is not a token gesture — is the detail that rewards a second look. It extends the dancing-diamond idea beyond the dial itself, so even the winding crown is part of the same language.
- Reference
- 278608-4001
- Brand
- Chopard
- Case size
- 33mm
- Case thickness
- 10.84mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 09.01-C
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 42 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 Back in Stock (4,154), Stainless Steel Watches (2,848), Watches Under 37mm (1,522), Automatic Watches (1,518), Leather Strap Watches (940) and Sports Watches (677).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 33mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Chopard Happy Sport 33mm, Automatic, alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 278608-4001 | 1-35-14-02-02-04 | 97.T384.4061/21.C822 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £9,940 | £9,800 | £8,700 |
| Case size | 33mm | 32.5mm | 37mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 42 hours | 60 hours | 50 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
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.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £9,940, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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