Chopard was founded in 1860 in a small village in Switzerland, by Louis Ulysee Chopard. In 1920, his grandson Paul Andre Chopard transferred the headquarters to Geneva. In the early 1960\'s, it was apparent that neither of his two sons wished to take over the company and Paul Andre Chopard began looking for a buyer. Karl Scheufele, heir to a dynasty of watchmaker-jewelers, based in Germany, showed an interest. The two men got along so well that in 1963 Karl Scheufele took over the company. Under the impetus of the Scheufele family, the Chopard brand has experienced spectacular growth in both production and consumer awareness. Today Chopard is one of the only 100% family owned businesses in the watch industry. Very few companies can lay claim to the coveted title Manufacture, since it implies skills and equipment enabling a firm to cover the entire production process for a watch, from conception through to the finishing details.