Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur AbdulRahman Al Romizan spotted wearing Chopard

Saudi businessman and entrepreneur AbdulRahman Al Romizan — known in regional circles under the brand identity RAMZ — was photographed celebrating his birthday wearing what is arguably the most technically demanding wristwatch in Chopard's L.U.C manufacture catalogue: the Full Strike Minute Repeater in rose gold, adorned with a baguette-diamond bezel. The sighting underlines the growing appetite among Gulf-region collectors for ultra-complicated haute horlogerie that goes well beyond tourbillons and perpetual calendars.

The Chopard L.U.C Full Strike — reference 18/8968-5001 in its baguette-set rose gold configuration — is built around the in-house Calibre L.U.C 08.01-L, a manually wound movement comprising 374 components and beating at 3 Hz. What sets the Full Strike apart from conventional repeaters is Chopard's patented cathedral-gong architecture: the gongs are fixed to the sapphire crystal rather than the movement bridges, allowing sound to travel through the crystal and case without damping. The result is a clarity and volume of chime that most prestigious repeater houses have struggled to replicate. Power reserve stands at approximately 60 hours, with the unique dual-indicator system splitting the display between mainspring energy and the number of remaining minute-repeater activations — the latter shown via a distinctive blue hand, clearly visible on the partially open-worked dial in the image.

From a collector standpoint, the L.U.C Full Strike occupies rarefied air. Produced in extremely limited numbers, it competes directly with repeaters from Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne on acoustic performance while offering a visual drama — the skeletonized bridges revealing the striking train mid-dial — that those maisons typically avoid. The baguette-diamond bezel variant amplifies the statement further, blending grand complication credibility with high-jewellery presentation.

Al Romizan's choice is consistent with a collector profile that prioritizes mechanical substance over mere brand recognition. The Full Strike is not a watch worn for a logo; it is worn by someone who understands what a minute repeater demands of its maker. At a list price of $375,000, this is one of the most expensive references Chopard offers outside of one-off jewellery commissions.

On the secondary market, baguette-bezel L.U.C Full Strike examples rarely surface, and when they do, premiums are modest given the highly personalized nature of jewellery-set complications. Serious buyers engage directly with authorized dealers. For collectors tracking ultra-complicated Chopard references, Al Romizan's birthday wrist shot is a meaningful data point.