The Cubitus is the first watch collection wholly created by Mr. Thierry Stern and the first regular-production watch collection with a square form in nearly 50 years.
Just a few months ago, Patek Philippe released its first new case in 27 years (or 25, depending on whether you consider the Twenty~4’s case to be a novel or evolved design). The Cubitus is the Genevan watchmaker’s first square case in nearly 50 years, and it shares a common design language with its other luxury sports watches. Those familiar with the Nautilus will no doubt recognize the horizontally embossed dial with sunburst finish, baton-style indexes and of course, the hinged ears and convex end links (as well as the middle links of the tapered bracelet).
The Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref. 5822P-001 has a two-part case construction. The watchmaker’s innovation with the Ref. 5811G case enabled it to create an ultra-thin luxury sports watch with a square case.
With three models released in October, Patek Philippe has made sure there is a watch that will interest younger or new watch enthusiasts with a keen sense of style and knowledge about fine watchmaking. The highly technical Ref. 5822P-001 with grande date, day, and moonphase display is a complete calendar that measures a mere 9.6mm thick. The Caliber 240-based PS CI J LU manages to maintain its power reserve of up to two days at a slim 4.76mm height. That means the housing of the case middle and bezel measure under 2.5mm in thickness on the front and back. In terms of engineering and manufacturing, this is impressive. The watch features a baguette-cut rather than a brilliant-cut diamond on the lower part of the case, the first-ever used to demarcate its platinum timepieces.
The Caliber 240 PS CI J LU that drives the Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref. 5822P-001 features six patents that are dedicated to the calendar’s operation and energy use.
The Caliber 240 PS CI J LU features six patents on the movement, which include the height alignment of the big date display as well as the coordinated instantaneous jump of the three calendar functions at midnight, within a range of 18 milliseconds. The calendar indicators can also be adjusted at any time, and the energy management of the displays is further improved.
The Patek Philippe Cubitus Refs. 5821/1A-001 and 5821/1AR-001 in stainless steel, and steel-and-rose-gold cases and bracelets respectively, are presented with olive green and blue sunburst dials.
Steel Yourself
While Cubitus is a different collection, it is closely affiliated with the Nautilus. Within Patek Philippe’s sports models, the time-and-date Cubitus reference is the most accessible luxury sports watch after the Nautilus “Ladies’ Automatic”. Patek Philippe has introduced two references for the three-hand Cubitus in a steel case with bracelet, as well as a steel-and-rose gold model. The Ref. 5821/1AR-001 is liberally covered in rose gold, with fully half the case, the crown, and the bracelet middle link in rose gold. The date window frame, hands, and lumed trapezoid indexes are also produced in the same material.
The Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref. 5821/1AR-001 has half the case, bezel, crown, hands, indexes, and middle links in rose gold, adding plenty of heft to the watch.
The all-steel Ref. 5821/1A-0001 and the two-toned Ref. 5821/1AR-001 are powered by the Caliber 26-330 S C, a movement that is also used in the Nautilus Ref. 7811 and Twenty~4 Automatic Ref. 7300/1200. Customers can likely expect smaller-sized models of the Cubitus, which currently measures 45mm diagonally (without the hinged ears), in the future. Those familiar with the Nautilus’ history will recall it followed a similar evolution.
The Patek Philippe Caliber 26-330 S C is secured within the clamshell construction of the Cubitus with a design that resembles a bank vault.
The benefits of the Caliber 26-330 are its slim profile even with a full-sized rotor, as well as strong torque. In the Cubitus, the movement reveals finishing details that reference the dial, with embossed horizontal bars on the rotor, fluting on the second wheel, and perlage around the centre wheel pivot. The entire watch measures just 8.3mm thick – it may look like a sports watch, but it wears like a dress watch.
The Patek Philippe Ref. 3854J was one of the many variations of the Golden Ellipse that emerged during the 1970s, demonstrating the watchmaker’s mastery of square-cased watches in the past.
A Familiar Face
The Cubitus has aroused plenty of attention on and off-line. Some consider it to be a controversial design that does not resonate with the watchmaker’s design principles. But a closer look at Patek Philippe’s history does show how the brand created similar case designs in the 1970s and 1980s, emerging from another icon, the Golden Ellipse. From its original and modern cushion-style case, the ultra-thin dress watch saw numerous variations emerge, ranging from a regular cushion-like case to a gently rounded square.
The Nautilus’ design by Gérald Genta feels closely aligned with Patek Philippe’s creations in the late 1960s and 1970s. Whether the Ref. 3844 inspired the Nautilus, or the reverse, we may never know.
Patek Philippe’s watches from the ’60s and ’70s capture the zeitgeist of minimalist modernism using pure and precise lines with unadorned dials, or sinuous curves that flow from one edge to another.
The era of the regular production, steel-cased, three-hand Nautilus watch has now been taken over by Cubitus’ Refs. 5821/1A-001 and 5821/1AR-001. There’s plenty of excitement over what the next Cubitus release will be. It may appear a little controversial, but the square Patek Philippe sports watch is really another historical translation in the making.
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