He was born in 1958 in Germany and grew up in the city of Pforzheim, where he lived until the age of 15. In 1963 his family took over the Geneva-based watch manufacture Chopard. At the age of 15, Karl-Friedrich left Germany to become a boarder at Geneva’s International School. He served an apprenticeship with a Geneva jeweller, before studying at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Lausanne. Back in Geneva after a period spent travelling, he joined the family company, spending successive periods in all departments.
In 1996, his vision became reality when he founded the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier and thus renewed the company’s ties with its tradition as a manufacture of mechanical movements.
Karl Friedrich Scheufele, together with his wife Christine, acquired the Chateau Monestier La Tour in January 2012, a major wine estate in the region of Bergerac, through the « Galerie des Arts du Vin France » headquartered in Geneva. The wine estate comprises over 100 hectares including 30 hectares of vineyards of the Bergerac AOC appellation.
His passion for classic and vintage cars for instance led to the company’s sponsorship of the famous Mille Miglia car rally, in which he has taken part since 1988, and the prestigious Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. Karl-Friedrich is known for his collector’s instinct and his preference for high quality objects. Over the years, he has patiently built up his personal collection of mechanical clocks and watches including pieces of both historical and technical interest which retrace the evolution of the House of Chopard.
