Even among non-watch lovers, it was big news. On Oct. 17, Patek Philippe, the Swiss watch industry’s premier brand, introduced its first new family of watches in 25 years, the square-faced Cubitus. (The last entirely new Patek collection, unveiled in 1999, was the ladies-focused Twenty~4.)
While the Cubitus and the original Twenty~4 share geometric cases, the new 45 mm model is, well, squarely geared towards men. The profile of the square case with rounded corners is slim (just 9.6 mm in height) and exceptionally masculine.
Available in three executions—including two time-and-date models, one in steel (Ref. 5821/1A) and the other in two-tone steel and rose gold (Ref. 5821/1AR)—the collection has a hero piece, Ref. 5822P, a complicated model featuring an instantaneous grand date, day, and moon phases (requiring no fewer than six patent applications), not surprisingly encased in platinum.
During a press roundtable event in Munich, where the brand officially revealed the Cubitus, Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern said when he conceived the piece, which retails for $88,380, he knew that he wanted platinum for the case, but that the bracelet would have to be made of another material—in this case, a navy-blue strap in a composite material, embossed with a fabric motif, a perfect complement to the model’s blue sunburst dial with horizontal relief embossing.
“To be frank, the first prototype had a platinum bracelet,” Stern said. “It was too heavy. I didn’t enjoy it to wear. And price-wise, it was too high also. It’s such a complex bracelet that I said, ‘Listen, forget about the bracelet.’ I think a nice composite bracelet, a little bit up-to-date, should really be very beautiful.”
Like all Patek Philippe platinum models, Ref. 5822P features a diamond set into the bezel at 6 o’clock. For the first time, it’s a baguette diamond. It’s hip to be square, indeed.
Top: Patek Philippe unveiled its new Cubitus collection of square-faced watches, including the new Ref. 5822 in platinum, in Munich on Oct. 17. (Photos courtesy of Patek Philippe)
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
