Patek Philippe has introduced the Cubitus, its first new watch line in a quarter century, which breaks from brand tradition with its distinct square shape.

The collection, aimed at younger buyers, has a square case with rounded corners. It comes in three executions: steel with an olive-green dial, a two-tone model in steel and rose gold with a blue dial, and a complicated platinum edition with a blue dial. Prices start at an “entry-level” $41,243 and go to $88,378.

Still, while the Cubitus’ shape may be different, the design struck Patek enthusiasts as rather familiar. Some even dubbed the Cubitus the “square Nautilus,” as it shares a number of aesthetic elements with the recently discontinued Ref. 5711.

At a roundtable for journalists in Munich, Thierry Stern, president of the Geneva-based brand, said he’d “always wanted” to create a square watch.

“I looked through the museum, through different brands, I never found [one] that I wanted to wear,” he said. “Eighty-five percent of the watches sold around the world are round. I also enjoy the challenge to do it.”

Stern added he looked to Patek’s best-selling sport models for design inspiration.

“I said to myself, ‘Go back to your roots. Go back to your DNA. Look at the collection. What do we have?’ And then I said, ‘I have the Aquanaut. I have the Nautilus. They are the segment I’m working in. I’m going to use all of that to make my square watch. It’s my design. It’s my DNA. I have to use it.’ And that’s how we started to design a square watch with the DNA of those two lines.”

Given how long it’s been since Patek introduced a new watch line—the last time was the Twenty~4 collection, in 1999—enthusiasts called this a big moment.

“It’s huge in the same way as Porsche launching a new model range, or Ferrari saying we’re doing an SUV,” Aurel Bacs, a senior consultant for Phillips auction house, told the FT.

Certainly, Patek wasn’t shy about proclaiming the new line’s significance.

“The launch of a new Patek Philippe collection is a milestone in the company’s history and a cause for celebration,” the brand said in a statement.

Yet the big day was clouded when images of the new line unexpectedly leaked out over the weekend, after Fortune magazine accidentally published a Cubitus ad prior to its launch date. Some watch critics were unimpressed with what they saw.

“It’s taken away a lot of the magic and the spirit of Patek Philippe,” griped YouTuber Oisín O Malley. “It really has the look of some experimental micro brand.”

Still, no one doubted it will sell, just because it’s Patek Philippe.

“Even if you think it’s too square, in both senses of the word, the Cubitus is bound to have its moment in the spotlight,” said the Robb Report. “And if you love it, you won’t be able to get your hands on one any time soon unless you are part of Patek’s elite inner circle.”

Hodinkee agreed. “Every single Cubitus will sell the moment it touches a retailer’s door. And that’s the world in which we live today.” (Additional reporting by Victoria Gomelsky)

Photo courtesy of Patek Philippe

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