The Chopard L.U.C Grand Strike – Minute Repeater in Action

Описание: This is the new Chopard L.U.C Grand Strike, the brand’s first grande sonnerie wristwatch, combining grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, and minute repeater — all powered by Chopard’s patented monobloc sapphire-crystal gongs.

This watch is the result of a development path stretching nearly two decades. Chopard began its acoustic journey in 2006 with the L.U.C Strike One, followed by the Full Strike in 2016, which first introduced sapphire gongs and later won the Aiguille d’Or at the GPHG. Now, in 2025, Chopard unveils the Grand Strike — a piece that will be delivered to its first client in 2026.

Grande Sonnerie – One of Watchmaking’s Rarest Achievements

Only around 120 to 150 grande sonnerie wristwatches are believed to exist, produced by a handful of manufactures such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Bulgari, Philippe Dufour, Gerlad Genta, F.P. Journe, Greubel Forsey and Chopard now joins that elite circle.

The Grand Strike is powered by the new Calibre L.U.C 08.03-L with 686 components. It features:

A tourbillon,
Twin power-reserve indicators,
Grande/petite sonnerie with automatic chimes,
And a minute repeater activated via a crown-integrated pusher.

Despite its complexity, the 43 mm white-gold case remains surprisingly wearable, designed specifically around the architecture of the movement.

Sapphire Gongs – Chopard’s Signature Innovation

Chopard’s sapphire-crystal gongs, cut together with the watch glass from a single block, produce a clear, resonant, forward-projecting sound without relying on the case or caseback for amplification. Ten patents govern the system — five of them new for the Grand Strike.

The watch uses a C♯–F natural chord, recognised as especially harmonious, and the mechanism positions 34 components within 0.3 seconds when a strike is activated. Safety mechanisms prevent misoperation and ensure efficient power management.


The L.U.C Grand Strike is the only grande sonnerie wristwatch certified with both:

the Geneva Seal, and COSC chronometer certification, tested in petite sonnerie mode.

Its validation process was extreme: the prototype simulated five years of use in three months, with more than 500,000 hammer strikes against the sapphire gongs.


Production and Price

Chopard expects to produce around two pieces per year. The price: CHF 780,000 before taxes. As with the Full Strike, each watch will be assembled under the “one watchmaker, one watch” principle.


A Defining Moment for Chopard

For Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard, the Grand Strike represents the culmination of 30 years of building the L.U.C manufacture. It is both a legacy piece and a statement of capability: Chopard has entered the very top tier of high-end watchmaking.

And perhaps, as the article’s author suggests, this watch reinforces a long-held belief — that Chopard may well become the Patek Philippe of the 21st century. With the L.U.C Grand Strike, the maison comes closer than ever to earning that comparison.