Patek Philippe is not a brand that likes to shout about its accomplishments – there are plenty of others who will do that for them. So when the revered Swiss watchmaker clears its throat to make a statement, you know it is one worth paying attention to. And that statement is the announcement of the Cubitus.
The Cubitus is the first all-new men’s collection from the luxury watchmaker in more than 25 year – well, since 1997 to be exact. The Cubitus is launched in a trio of square cased references that the brand hope will be a new reinterpretation of the “elegant sporty” style that it helped first popularise, with the launch of its iconic Nautilus back in 1976.
The principle design feature of the Cubitus timepieces are the square-shaped case with rounded corners, looking to create a case that blends together a square, circle and octagon. Then, in an obviously link to its Nautilus cousin, the dial is adorned with a similar horizontal relief embossing.
Leading the way with in the new line is the Cubitus Instantaneous Grand Date, Day and Moon Phases (Ref. 5822P001). This is the most technically advanced timepiece in the trio, powered by a new movement with – as the name suggests – instantaneous displays of the Day, Date, and phases of the Moon. It is cased in platinum, and comes with six new patents (which are pending).
The modern, casual chic style with a technical edge continues through to a navy-blue strap with cream contrasting stitching in an ultra-resistant composite material embossed with a fabric motif, and a Cubitus fold-over clasp, again, in platinum.
For the second reference (Ref 5821/1AR-001) Patek Philippe plays up the elegant, daring design of its new Cubitus collection by endowing it with a two-tone version in steel and rose gold where the bezel and central bracelet links in rose gold combine with a caseband and lateral links in steel. A refined contrast, highlighted by the alternating polished and vertical-satin-brushed finishes.
The completely new case, 45 mm in diameter, stands out by its highly original design, based on a square with rounded corners, and its remarkably slim profile (8.3 mm), making it supremely elegant on the wrist.
To emphasize the sporty character of the new Cubitus collection and play up its ‘sports elegance’ feel, the collection sees Patek Philippe introduce its ‘entry-level’ model in a steel case and bracelet and an olive-green sunburst dial. Like the other two pieces, Ref. 5821/1A-001 comes with an enriched dials with horizontal relief embossing, that creates fine plays of light. As a signature feature of the collection, this horizontal decoration is also found on the rotors and mini-rotors of the Patek Philippe movements equipping the Cubitus models, accompanied by the Genevan manufacture’s emblem, the Calatrava cross.