Wristwatch, Chopard Happy Diamonds, 2020s

Model: Happy Diamonds Reference: 4097 Case Material: 18K yellow gold and diamonds Bracelet Material: 18K yellow gold Chopard bracelet, approximate length 155mm Year: Circa 2020s Movement: Quartz, 4 jewels Case N°: 281'017 Dimensions: 24mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement The Happy Diamonds concept was born at Chopard in 1976, spearheaded by in-house designer Ronald Kurowski.

The idea, unprecedented at the time in high-end jewellery and watchmaking, involved freeing diamonds from their traditional settings, allowing them to move freely between two sapphire crystals and capture the light with the slightest movement of the wrist. This innovation quickly became one of the Geneva-based Maison’s most recognisable symbols. Produced around the 1990s, the reference 4097 represents the height of the Happy Diamonds concept’s success, by which time it had become one of Chopard’s most recognisable lines in the jewellery-watch segment. It demonstrates the brand’s ability to combine watchmaking and high jewellery in a timepiece that is both playful and refined, functioning as much as a watch as a piece of jewellery in its own right.

Crafted in 18K yellow gold, the present wristwatch stands out for its distinctive link bracelet, which forms an elegant line around the wrist. Five freely moving diamonds animate the space around the dial, catching and reflecting the light with every movement. The contrast between the warm yellow gold, the brilliance of the diamonds and the understated dial lends the watch a distinctive and refined elegance.