The Patek Philippe Cubitus collection is finally here

It's finally here. After weeks and months of intense speculation, Patek Philippe's first new collection in 25 years has been unveiled in Munich, Germany. Say hello to the Patek Philippe Cubitus. So, what is Cubitus?

At the most basic level, the Patek Philippe Cubitus, as it stands today is a collection of three watches. Reference 5821/1A is s stainless steel watch, with a green dial and an integrated bracelet, Reference 5821/1AR is a two tone model in steel and rose gold with a blue dial, and Reference 5822P is the top of the tree, a platinum piece with a handful of calendar complications and a blue composite strap.

Design-wise, the Cubitus has a curious familiar unfamiliarity about it. It's brand new, obviously, but it feels like it could have been in the Patek Philippe catalogue for years. There's a lot of shared DNA in the watch from the ever-popular Nautilus collection — the bracelet, the dial design, with its prominent horizontal striping, Even the case, with its proudly brushed bezel and the tell-tale 'ears' draws from that most famous of sports watches. Cubitus is effectively a sibling for the Nautilus, one that feels perfectly at home in 2024.

So if those are the similarities, what about the differences? The most obvious change is, naturally, the shape. The Patek Philippe Cubitus is a square watch, but not aggressively so. The corners are softened, and any hard corners have been trimmed off, leaving a silhouette that doesn't sacrifice on-the-wrist comfort in the name of geometric purity. Speaking of comfort, the Cubitus has a presence on the wrist, measuring 45mm across. It's large, but this width is offset by the slim height. The uncomplicated references wear at a remarkably slender 8.3mm. Patek Philippe's sports watches have always been at their best when worn on the wrist, and this tradition looks set to continue with the Cubitus.

Speaking of continuity, the references 5821/1A and 5821/1AR use a new movement, the 26-330 S C, based on the calibre found in the Nautilus, the 26-330; the S C here refers to the hacking seconds hand. The platinum hero model has quite a lot going on. In addition to the small seconds, the day and moon indicator, there's a brand new display for the brand, an instantaneous grand date, which, thanks to clever energy management, sees the date change in actual milliseconds. The movement putting in this work is the 240 PS CI J LU, based on the legendary calibre 240, though this new version has six patents to its name, mostly based around that date display.

That's the top-line summary, which is all pretty easy facts and figures. The bigger questions, like 'What does this mean for the brand?' and 'Is this good design?', are harder to answer. In part because they're fundamentally subjective but also because, as of the time of writing, Cubitus is mere hours old. It's clear from the comments section of pretty much all the social media platforms that the dust is far from settling around this release, and that's absolutely OK. It will be interesting to compare these initial thoughts to community consensus a few months down the track when people have a chance to see Cubitus in real life. One final thought to end on: when Patek Philippe released the Aquanaut in 1997 (on a rubber strap, no less), it did not receive unanimous praise. Today, the Aquanaut is a beloved part of the catalogue. Where will Cubitus be in 26 years' time?