Good things come to those who wait. But for watch enthusiasts who waited two and a half decades for a new Patek Philippe collection, the recent release was underwhelming at best.
We've seen negative knee-jerk reactions and stressed-out write-ups from Hodinkee to Robb Report to Reddit. If Patek can only deliver some interpretation (“improvement” would be a stretch) of the Nautilus, what took them so long?
Criticisms span the design, size, unoriginality, dial layout…and back to the design. But Patek Philippe, the “rich man’s Rolex” and arguably the world’s most prestigious watch brand, as a rule, knows what they’re doing.
Who are we to judge?
The facts
Before we let opinion dictate the narrative, let’s look at what we’re working with.
Patek Philippe released a 2024 collection made up of three new cushion-cornered square-faced watches. In the series is:
- A platinum model with a sunburst blue dial and navy blue composite strap
- A two-tone rose gold and steel version, with a sunburst blue dial and bracelet
- A stainless steel model with a bracelet and sunburst olive green dial. (For the record, this is our favourite of the lot.)
No surprises here, but CEO Thierry Stern said he was obviously inspired by the Nautilus, Patek’s best-known watch. He said: "I wanted a sports watch, let's say sporty chic, and I couldn't really find the right creative angle. But we have the Nautilus and the Aquanaut, so why look elsewhere? That's our DNA.”
Ready to cater to a whole new generation of watch enthusiasts, this is Patek Philippe’s first collection in 25 years. The pressure was on. And when the line-up finally landed, the crowd went wild.
But not in a good way…
“An extremely disappointing step for Patek”
We were hard-pushed to find any glowing reviews for the new Patek Cubitus.
Is this the most shocked reaction in the luxury watch industry since the 2019 Audemars Piguet Code 11.59? It could well be. And in some aspects, the bad press might be justified.
The dial seems to ignore basic design rules
You might hold the watch and get a sense that something just feels off.
It’s hard to see any intention behind the layout of the subdials. If you were to draw an invisible line between them, you’d get an awkwardly-angled triangle. The Cubitus has been bold enough to break traditional design guidelines; all rules of thirds and golden ratios have gone out the window.
A bit of controversy is a great way to get people talking (and, if nothing else, the Cubitus does that). However, the lack of balance can be jarring at first. It’s so unsubtle that a person with no design background would subconsciously pick up on it at first glance.
The era of oversized watches is long gone
We’re living in the moment of the small vintage watch.
Preferences in the watch world are always shifting. And a square watch that measures 45mm in diameter doesn’t follow the crowd; it’s got watch pundits all in a frenzy.
Luckily, at 8.3mm in thickness, the Cubitus is thin enough to be wearable.
There’s no denying that this isn’t one of the brand’s understated classics. But we expect it to go down a storm amongst people who want everyone to know they’re wearing a Patek.
It’s too similar to the Nautilus
“The Nautilus but square” is the overarching first impression of the Cubitus.
When the Nautilus was released in 1976, it was one of the key pieces to welcome in the era of high-end, stainless steel sports watches. It remains a favourite among collectors – but is it time Patek Philippe stopped riding a 47-year-old wave?
Maybe.
In our opinion, the Cubitus should be a standalone product, which would create a new audience for Patek Philippe. It already has the size and off-balance dial to tick off long-standing audiences, and we think using the old-school Nautilus bracelet is a mistake.
Why not take the rebellion the whole way?
What if Patek Philippe is just two steps ahead of the market?
Henry Ford is said to have said: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
And of course, the market has a hold over the watch industry’s movements, but at some point, the expert has to take the reigns.
A lot of the time, as Steve Jobs said, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. Since 1839, Patek Philippe has proven we’re in safe hands. Time after time, the brand has demonstrated outstanding artistry in the world of watchmaking.
Could it be that they’re steps ahead? Maybe the market simply isn’t ready for their latest design.
The real magic happens under the hood
There are arguments to say the Cubitus is just a less aesthetically pleasing Nautilus.
But a look behind the metal to the watch’s beating heart tells us exactly what kept Patek busy over the last two-and-a-half decades.
The collection introduces all new movements. One of those was years in the making and demanded the filing of six new patent applications.
The Ref. 5822P-001 platinum version is powered by an all-new self-winding movement, Caliber 240 PS CI J LU, which is an iteration of the ultra-thin Caliber 240. In an advanced, high-tech move for the watch industry, the movement combines an instantaneous grand date with day and moon phase displays, letting wearers correct any display without impacting the rest.
The other two watches are powered by the brand’s self-winding 26-330 S C caliber with stop-seconds function and 21-karat gold rotor.
The watch brand that’s ahead of its time
“It’s arrived on the scene, unafraid to take up space.”
A quick look back through history reminds us that lots of Patek’s creations were unpopular to start with. The Aquanaut wasn’t a hit in 1997 and now it can’t stay on the shelves. Even the golden child, Nautilus’ sales were just okay when it landed in 1976.
Even if the Cubitus is largely unappealing right now, there’s no doubt that it’s interesting. This is a conversation starter people are keen to see in the metal (which, we hear, does the watch more justice than social media can).
It’s arrived on the scene, unafraid to take up space by challenging the aesthetic norms of today. This approach reminds us of a Mr Picasso, who put eyes and noses in all sorts of strange places, yet some of his work sells for around $100 million. There’s no doubt that Patek has landed on something fresh and bold, without completely losing sight of its heritage.
Here’s the thing: If we can count on anyone to start a new trend, it’s Patek Philippe. And in five years, we predict a widespread change of opinion and a lot of love being sent to the big cube-shaped collection. Maybe we’ll get used to the unusual design, and even start to prefer it. Maybe this is our first glimpse at a new norm.
Our final thoughts
Ultimately, what we have here is an affordable Patek, meaning this watch will sell.
It comes with the name, history and bragging rights without the huge prices (at retail, of course). So, for Patek, this release makes sense. So many of their watches are sitting under retail, only being bought by diehard fans. The Cubitus lowers the barrier to entry and is guaranteed to be a seller.
How low that barrier goes depends on the model. Right now, the green and the bi-metal Cubitus are selling for three times the retail cost. Yes, even through the cries that it’s the most shocking release since 11.59. We put the inflation down to hype and novelty. We expect the costs to come down, although they’ll probably hang somewhere above retail price for the foreseeable.
Let’s face it: All 3 models are in high demand now, and could - dare we say - go down as legendary at some point in the future. It just has to open a few minds in one of the planet’s most traditional industries, first.
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