In 1860, Louis Ulysse Chopard founded his manufacture in Sonvilier, Switzerland. Due to the precision of Chopardas watches, his company became one of the main suppliers to the Swiss Railway Company. Famously, Tsar Nicholas II was a client of Chopard. Upon his death in 1915, the business fell to his sons who moved the company's operations to La Chaux-de-Fonds. At this time, Chopard mostly manufactured pocket watches and ladies' wristwatches. In 1937, the business again relocated to Geneva. The Chopard family sold the company to jewelry entrepreneur Karl Scheufele in 1963. The Scheufele family retains ownership of the business today. In 1976, Chopard unveiled the now-famed "happy diamonds" concept, which featured free-floating diamonds atop the dial. In 1996, the company established its own movement manufacture in Fleurier. Today, Chopard still produces tens of thousands of timepieces every year.