IWS meets Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard

IWS: Karl-Friedrich, welcome to Milano Watch Week. Italy has played a particularly important role in Chopard’s history, from the Mille Miglia to long-standing relationships with Italian collectors and partners. What does being here in Milan represent for you and for Chopard today?

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: Italy has always had a very important place in watchmaking culture. Italian collectors have historically been among the most knowledgeable watch enthusiasts and, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, Italy was a reference for style. People would look at what Italian men were wearing on their wrists.

That influence has remained important for the Swiss watch industry, and Italy is still a very relevant market when it comes not only to collecting watches, but also to understanding them.

For Chopard, of course, there is another dimension through the Mille Miglia and a partnership that now goes back almost four decades. Over the years, it has created a very special relationship with the country.

So being here in Milan feels very natural for us. Italy holds a special place for Chopard.

IWS: Chopard and Zagato come from different worlds, yet both share a strong family identity and a deeply personal approach to design and craftsmanship. What did you recognise in Zagato that made this collaboration feel particularly natural for Chopard?

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: Zagato is extremely exclusive. Production remains very limited, there is a very strong focus on design, and Zagato has always been able to surprise people with an outstanding design language.

That is something we understand very well at Chopard. In our own way, we master the entire process, from the initial design to the finished object. If you compare it with a car, there is the bodywork; in a watch, there is the case.

The objects are obviously very different, but there are clear parallels in the way they are conceived and made. Design has to be supported by the craftsmanship capable of bringing it to life.

That is where Zagato and Chopard naturally meet.

IWS: You have personally taken part in the Mille Miglia every year since 1989. After almost four decades, what continues to make this relationship so important to you, and why does the Mille Miglia remain such a powerful part of Chopard’s identity?

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: I have always been a great enthusiast of the Mille Miglia, and participating in it for almost forty years has naturally made it very personal to me.

But the relationship between Chopard and the Mille Miglia goes much deeper than the fact that we are its Official Timekeeper. Look at the cars taking part in the race. They represent mechanical excellence, performance and an extraordinary diversity of design languages. And they belong to a period when these machines were still largely made by hand.

Chopard watches are still made by hand today. For me, that is where the two worlds truly come together. It’s not simply about timing a race; it’s about what these cars represent and the way we continue to make watches.

That shared appreciation for mechanics, craftsmanship, performance and design is what has kept the relationship relevant for almost four decades.

IWS: The new Mille Miglia Rosso Corsa is a watch created exclusively for Italy, built around one of the country’s most recognisable racing style. Why was this the right moment to bring Rosso Corsa back, and what did you want this watch to express beyond its connection to motorsport?

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: Rosso Corsa is a tribute to Italy’s extraordinary racing culture. It immediately brings together three elements that have been closely intertwined for almost four decades: the Mille Miglia, Chopard and Italy.

We wanted this edition to be very special, which is why only 100 pieces will be produced exclusively for the Italian market.

There is also a particularly meaningful moment approaching: in 2027, the Mille Miglia will celebrate its centenary. So this felt like the right time to create a watch that pays tribute to that history while already looking towards such an important anniversary.

But beyond the automotive world, for me there is also something deeply emotional about it. When I take part in the Mille Miglia and come to Italy, there is a particular feeling: the beauty of the country, the roads, the cars, the people and the atmosphere surrounding the race.

Rosso Corsa carries some of that emotion.

IWS: Beyond your role at Chopard, you are a collector yourself. Has being a collector influenced the way you approach watchmaking and, perhaps more importantly, what still makes an object worth collecting for you today?

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: Collecting watches, for me, has always been about learning about watches.

That is also the philosophy behind our museum in Fleurier, the L.U.CEUM. The name itself evokes a place of learning, and that is exactly what we want the collection to be: somewhere you can learn about watch culture, the history of the industry and the way watches work.

I think looking backwards can be extremely valuable because it very often gives you ideas for the future. Personally, I go into the museum from time to time simply to revisit something or look more closely at an object. And I almost always come back with an idea.

That is one of the great values of collecting for me. The past should not simply be preserved; it should continue to teach you something.

And sometimes, by looking carefully at what came before, you discover the beginning of something new.

IWS: Chopard has remained a family-owned Maison while growing across generations, disciplines and markets. As the next generation begins to write its own chapter, what must remain unmistakably Chopard, and where do you still see the greatest freedom to evolve?

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele: The vision is very clear: Chopard should remain a family company.

The younger generation has now joined us, and we have an extremely solid foundation to build upon. We have accumulated considerable know-how in craftsmanship, jewellery and watchmaking, and we practise a remarkable number of professions in-house.

That gives us an incredible foundation for the future.

Our ambition is not to become the biggest company. Size is not the objective. What matters is remaining at the very highest level in terms of quality, design, innovation and creativity, while making sure that the next generation continues what we started with my parents.

Watchmaking and jewellery have coexisted at Chopard for many years, and that combination is also an important part of who we are. It is interesting to see other companies moving into jewellery today, because for Chopard these two worlds have long developed together.

Ultimately, I want us to continue evolving without losing the qualities that define a family-owned and family-run Maison: independence, craftsmanship, creativity and the ability to think in generations rather than simply in years.

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