Lucky Chimes: Chopard Debuts the L.U.C Grand Strike at Dubai Watch Week

Chiming watches are charming because they add an interesting auditory element to the visual and tactile experience of telling time. As a result, there are many types of timepieces that can ring your bell, including minute repeaters and petite and grand sonnieres.

The new L.U.C Grand Strike from Chopard – which is one of the most complicated examples of a chiming ever made and the most complicated watch the manufacture has ever made – is an exceptional of a chiming watch not only because it is the most complicated watch the manufacture has ever made, but also because it combines all three of these functions, making it also one of the most complicated chiming watches ever made.

With each of its chiming mechanisms delivering distinctive tones via the Maison’s proprietary sapphire crystal gongs, the new L.U.C Grand Strike makes a beautiful noise and is a technological opus. And true to Chopard’s aesthetic sense, it is a very handsome timepiece. Here are our notes.

Chopard is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2026, and the L.U.C. Grand Strike is the Maison’s birthday song. For almost three decades, Chopard has invested over 11,000 hours of focused research and development in making sonically superior watches.
 

As the Maison’s co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele explained in a press release for the new piece, “It has always been our intention to create a grande sonnerie at Chopard. If you look at the L.U.C Grand Strike, what you see is the cumulative impact of 30 years spent creating and innovating in the domain of fine watchmaking. When you listen to its chime, you are hearing the rhythm of Haute Horlogerie at Chopard Manufacture. If the chime moves you, it’s because you resonate with our way of making watches.
 

In 2016, for example, the brand introduced the Full Strike, its first minute repeater. This complication uses two tiny hammers that strike a metal ring to mark the passage of time to the minute. What made the Full Strike stand out from other chiming watches was its use of sapphire gongs, which produced a particularly clear sound.

The new L.U.C Grand Strike not only draws on such past innovations, but it also employs 10 proprietary technical patents, five of which were developed just for this timepiece, making it the most complex calibre ever created by Chopard.
 

Moreover, its performance is accredited by rigorous in-house tests as well as certifying bodies such as the Poinçon de Genève and the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). With these certifications, the L.U.C Grand Strike is officially the most comprehensively rated grande sonnerie in contemporary watchmaking.

The design of the L.U.C. Grand Strike also builds on Chopard’s past while introducing modern aesthetics. The relatively compact 18K white gold case features a curved “bassine" shape inspired by 19^th-century pocket watches. Meanwhile, an ergonomically designed sliding selector switch located next to the winding and setting crown allows the wearer to select from the three sonnerie modes: (Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, Silent).
 

In grande sonnerie mode, the watch rings out the hours and quarter hours as they pass. The petite sonnerie mode strikes the hours only at the 60-minute mark, and solely the quarters every 15 minutes thereafter. In silent mode, the watch will only note the time when its minute repeater function is manually activated.
 

That’s a lot of horological sorcery, so it makes sense that the visual focus of the Grand Strike is the 686-component calibre L.U.C 08.03-L. There are so many elements involved in this movement that it’s like a tiny symphony orchestra.

And speaking of great performances, the lower half of the watch dial is occupied by a 60-second tourbillon. Between the continuous rotation of the tourbillon and the motion of the chiming mechanism, the L.U.C Grand Strike offers an immersive experience before the music even begins.
 

The patented sapphire crystal gongs are machined in a single monobloc unit with the dial crystal. This unique gong construction is what gives the L.U.C Grand Strike its timeless timbre.

The reshaped case design has been built around the movement, which is the result of our long years of acquiring the highest levels of watchmaking expertise.
 

At the same time, everything possible has been done to make the L.U.C Grand Strike a pleasure to wear, from the hand-finished details that produce a beautiful effect under the light, to the bassiné case form that fits perfectly on the wrist, and the interchangeable straps to suit individual preferences.
 

Scheufele loves this watch, but at the end of the day, he wants it to be a birthday present for the wearer as well: “When watch connoisseurs look at this watch, they will love its proportions and finishes.”

The new 43mm Chopard L.U.C Grand Strike in 18-karat ethical white gold features 10 proprietary patents, is a COSC-certified chronometer with a Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark, and comes with either interchangeable straps (offered in hand-sewn grey alligator or hand-sewn grey calfskin) or an 18-karat ethical white gold bracelet.

For more information, including pricing, check out the Chopard website.