Patek Philippe’s New Cubitus Collection Breaks The Mold

Last night, in Munich, Patek Philippe unveiled its first new men's collection in a quarter of a decade (with the last one being the Aquanaut in 1997). The announcement of the new Cubitus line came after a flurry of rumors stunned the Internet, fueled by a mysterious ad placed in Fortune magazine, which depicted an unusually…well…cuboid “version of the Nautilus.” But now that the maison has finally made it official, we can break this unprecedented new collection down. 

Reference 5821/1A

The stainless steel reference 5821A has a truly Nautilus bracelet – complete with the upgraded micro-adjustable clasp featured on the 5811G model. Contrary to what some rumors suggested, though, the bracelet is integrated and not interchangeable. This steel model comes, of course, in the Cubitus' new square case with the same level of finishing as its rounded counterpart. With a vertical satin-brushed pattern on its bezel and sides, the top and central links of the bracelet remain polished for contrast. With a case diameter of 45mm and a profile of 8.3mm, ref. 5821A's olive green dial features a sunburst finish, and each baton hour marker is crafted from white gold matching the luminescent-coated hands. At three o'clock, you'll find a date window encircled by more white gold detailing.

Encased within the Cubitus 5821A is the caliber 26-330 S C, a newly designed movement based on the 26-330. The movement was first introduced as a part of the Nautilus collection in 2019. Now, this caliber can only be found in the coveted 5811G model. But what sets this iteration apart is its stop-seconds feature, allowing for precise time-setting down to the second. Comprised of 212 components, including a 21k gold rotor with distinctive horizontal ribbing unique to the Cubitus, this 4 Hz movement beats at 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour. It comes with a power reserve of up to 45 hours and a water resistance of 30m. 

Reference 5821/1AR

The next piece in the Cubitus collection is reference 5821/1AR, a two-tone combination of steel and rose gold. The case and bracelet again come in alternating finishes – polished and vertical satin-brushed – just like its sibling above, and its sunburst blue dial is also embossed with a horizontal pattern. Rose gold baton-style hour markers and rounded hands have been paired with its deep blue backdrop. This model also features the same self-winding 26-330 S C caliber with stop-seconds function and a central 21K gold rotor etched with the same horizontal motif as the dial. 

Reference 5822P

Whisper of the town, shining star of an infamous advert, and the subject of countless rumors – ref. 5822P. With a grand date at 12 o'clock, along with displays for date, day, and moon phase, this reference features the illustrious caliber 240 (also found in the iconic ref. 3940). Closely resembling the design of the 5712 Nautilus, featuring an off-center moon phase/day display at seven o'clock and a running seconds counter at five o'clock, this new Cubitus model is cased in platinum. While maintaining a case diameter of 45mm, the thickness has increased to 9.6mm – just over 1mm thicker than the 5712. 

But the caliber 240 PS CI J LU is by far the most impressive part of this watch, for it boasts six patents in the name of energy efficiency. The highlight feature? A lightning-fast jumping seconds hand that completes its rotation in just 18 milliseconds. According to Patek, hours of work were dedicated to ensuring the perfect alignment of the two numerals – situated on separate discs but sharing the same plane – within the white-gold apertures on the dial. The patented mechanisms include a tangential brake, dual-functioning spring and mechanism, flexible plate and connector, and a cutting-edge positioning system. Some of these advancements were first explored in the perpetual calendar mechanism found in reference 5236, which houses 353 components and requires five annual adjustments. Yet, even with its complexity, this new movement offers a rare flexibility to adjust its functions at any time of day and elicits a distinctive sound at midnight as it simultaneously advances the date, day, and moon phase displays.

Instead of a bracelet, Patek Philippe opted for a composite strap (in blue with cream stitching) to accompany its most complicated watch in the line. This could be because wearing a 45mm platinum watch on a matching bracelet would be too weighty for everyday use. 

 

So – what do you think of the new Cubitus collection?