A harmonious blend of boldness and elegance, this timepiece pays homage to the Nautilus with its unique shape and horizontally embossed dial while drawing inspiration from the Aquanaut. The Cubitus is an exclusive new interpretation of Patek’s definition of a casual chic style. The shape of the case, its elegantly slender profile, and the contrast between polished and vertical satin-brushed finishes are some of the signature features of this new collection.
History of Patek Philippe Cubitus
As one of the most revered brands in watchmaking, Patek Philippe doesn't release new collections every day. The last big act performed by the Swiss watchmaker was the bold move to discontinue the hugely successful Nautilus 5711 collection about three years ago.
Since then, collectors and enthusiasts have waited with bated breath for Patek Philippe to unveil a replacement for the stainless steel best-seller. What they couldn’t have anticipated was the addition of an entirely new collection to the brand’s already rich catalog.
The launch of the Cubitus represents an important milestone for Patek Philippe because it is the watchmaker’s first new collection in over two decades. While Patek has released several new and unprecedented models in the past few years, most of these releases have been new models in existing collections.
The last time the watchmaker released a new collection was unveiling its line of feminine watches, the Patek Philippe Twenty~4, in 1999. Before this, the last new Patek Philippe men’s watch was the iconic Aquanaut line, released in 1997, and the Gondolo in 1993.
Cubitus Variants
The Cubitus collection currently consists of three variants. There’s the stainless steel reference 5821A, the two-toned steel and gold ref 5281AR, and the platinum reference 5822. The first two models are simple time/date watches, while the platinum reference is a more complex timepiece that combines instantaneous grand date function with day and moon-phase complications.
Reference 5821/1A – Stainless Steel
The Reference 5821A is the Cubitus version that most closely resembles the Patek Philippe Nautilus. It is a full stainless steel timepiece with an integrated bracelet made of stainless steel. The bracelet features an updated micro-adjustable clasp introduced on the ref 5811G. The square case also has the same finishing pattern as the Nautilus, with alternating polished and vertical satin-brushed finishes
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The case of this timepiece is 45mm in diameter while the thickness is 8.3mm, giving the watch a very slender profile. The Cubitus reference 5821A has an olive green, horizontally embossed dial with a sunburst finish and is powered by the Caliber 26-330 S movement, introduced in 2019. This is a simple self-winding mechanical movement with a date function and a stop-second feature that allows you to set the time down to seconds.
Reference 5821/1AR – Stainless Steel & Rose Gold
The second Cubitus is the same watch as the Reference 5821A, presented in a different two-tone case with steel and rose gold parts. The case, bezel, crown, and central bracelet links are all solid gold, while the rest of the watch is made from stainless steel. The dial is an elegant sunburst blue with horizontal ribs. This timepiece has the same thickness as the stainless steel version and is powered by the same movement.
Reference 5822P – Platinum
The Reference 5822P is arguably the most remarkable variant of the Patek Philippe Cubitus collection. It comes in a platinum casing with the same case diameter as the others in the collection. However, the watch is slightly thicker, with a 9.6mm height. The extra thickness likely accommodated the watch’s complications, including instantaneous grand date, day, and moon-phase indications.
The Cubitus Ref 5822 is powered by Patek’s new Caliber – 240 PS CI J LU. This new movement is based on the legendary caliber 240 used in several models in the Nautilus collection. Unlike the stainless steel versions, the platinum Cubitus has no bracelet. Instead, it has a blue composite strap designed to match the color of the sunburst dial.
Cubitus Features
With the Cubitus, Patek aimed to create a square watch that wasn’t too thick. To achieve this, the watchmaker adopted a quadrangular-shaped case characterized by a square bezel with rounded corners. As a result of this design, the Cubitus looks like a blend of square and octagon shapes. While the Nautilus inspired the design of this watch, the Patek has replaced the familiar curves of the iconic timepiece with straight lines and incorporated other features to give the Cubitus a striking and dynamic appearance.
Balanced size
All versions of the Patek Cubitus come in a 44.5mm wide case (measured from 3 to 9 o’clock). However, the case is only 8.3mm thick for the time and date models, while the more complicated ref 5822P measures 9.6mm.
Although Square watches tend to appear bigger than their dimensions on paper suggest, the Cubitus has a balanced design. It wears larger than a Nautilus or any other Patek watch with a more traditional rounded case of equivalent diameter. The Cubitus is an average-sized model rather than an oversized watch due to its balanced design achieved by its super-thin casing. As such, it offers a great wrist presence without overwhelming your hands.
Bracelet and strap
The bracelet plays an important role in the appearance and overall aesthetics of this timepiece. It also determines how comfortable it’ll be. The Cubitus features the familiar flexible and nicely finished bracelet from earlier stainless steel Patek watches. The main links have a vertical satin-brushed finish, while the central links are polished.
Patek also included a comfort extension into the Cubitus bracelet. This is a lockable system for adjusting the size of the bracelet so it fits better in warmer weather. The bracelet also features Patek’s fold-over clasp with four independent catches to ensure comfort and security.
The platinum version is the only Cubitus model without a bracelet. Instead, it features a composite strap with a fabric pattern. Patek’s decision to use a strap for this watch instead of a bracelet is meant to keep the watch light enough for daily wear since platinum is naturally heavier than stainless steel. A platinum bracelet would have also driven this model's price higher than what the market might deem reasonable.
Movements
The two time and date versions of the Cubitus are powered by the Caliber 26-330 S C. This is an automatic movement that has been widely used in various Patek models, notably in the Nautilus 5811G and as the base for several Patek complication watches. The movement is distinguished by its horizontal ribbing, designed to match the embossing on the Cubitus dial. It has features like the stop-second function, a Gyromax balance, and Spiromax hairspring. It oscillates on a 4Hz frequency, with a maximum power reserve of 45 hours.
The more complicated platinum Cubitus has a different movement, the Caliber 240 PS CI. This movement is an upgraded version of the Caliber 240 movement with an emblematic micro-rotor. The base movement has been used since 1977 but has been redesigned for this watch. The super complicated movement features six patented power-reserve features. The caliber is only 0.77mm thick, which is impressive for a movement with many features.
Dial
The Cubitus is characterized by a simple horizontally-ribbed dial with an elegant sunburst finish. It uses hour markers instead of numerals. The hour markers are made of white gold and rose gold to match the case (the platinum version has white gold hour markers).
The date window is in the three o'clock position for the time and date models, framed by white or rose gold, depending on the model. The more complicated model has a busier dial with the date under the 12 O’clock hour marker, a day of the week indicator surrounding the moon phase feature, and running seconds at the five o'clock market.
Patek Philippe Cubitus Price
The Cubitus was released recently and is still available in retail. The stainless steel version (ref 5821A) sells for $41,243 in the retail market but sells for about $144,000 to $300,000+ in the secondary market.
Patek released the two-toned variant of this timepiece for $61,276 in retail. However, demand for this version is lower in the secondary market, and it currently costs about $120,000 to $196,000.
Unsurprisingly, the priciest model is the platinum ref 5822P. This watch was sold for $88,378 in retail, but prices for a pre-owned model can go as high as $155,000 to over $300,000+.
Conclusion
The Patek Philippe Cubitus embodies the casual chic style pioneered by earlier Patek Models like the Nautilus and Aquanaut several decades ago. By giving this watch a distinctive square case and elegantly slender profile, Patek has immediately made it a subject of conversation, ruffling feathers and agitating collectors with its elegant and bold design.
