Patek Philippe has played with quadrangular shapes such as squares, rectangles, trapezoids and cushions in designing the cases of its iconic watches. Based on the square and blending a circle and an octagon gives an original geometry for the brand new Cubitus.
The Geneva-based maison, which dates back to 1839, indeed takes time to conceive each watch family.
A new era, led by the Stern family, began with the round Calatrava in 1932. The Golden Ellipse and Nautilus followed much later in 1968 and 1976 while the 1990s saw the birth of the Gondola, Aquanaut and Twenty~4.
In 2018, Patek Philippe introduced the Twenty~4 Automatic in a round case whereas the original cuff-style quartz model shimmers with two rows of diamonds on its cambered rectangular case.
Last year was about time to release a new range that expresses its 21st century haute horlogerie. In October, the Cubitus in a square-shaped case debuted as a contemporary reinterpretation of the elegant-sporty style.
With a diameter of 45mm, it is larger than the Nautilus, which has epitomised Patek Philippe's elegant sports watch for almost 50 years.
The case of the Nautilus with a porthole construction is complemented by a rounded-octagonal bezel and a horizontally-embossed dial.
The signature horizontal decoration on the dial and gold rotor.
The design of the Cubitus features a square bezel with rounded corners and two attachments, one on either side of the case. A height of 8.3mm attains an elegant look and a slim fit on the wrist.
With its two-part construction and a screw-down crown, it is water-resistant for aquatic activities to a depth of 30m.
The bold geometry is enhanced by the craftsmanship as the finishing techniques require some 55 manual operations per watch.
The vertical satin-brushed finishes on the flat of the bezel and the front of the case contrast with the polished finishes on the bezel's chamfer and the case flanks.
Two inaugural models with a sweep seconds and a date display are worn with an integrated metal bracelet that shares the same pattern of alternating finishes on the main and central links.
Patek Philippe's designers aesthetically enriched the sunburst dial with horizontal relief embossing, and chose an olive-green colour for the steel timepiece and blue for the two-tone version in steel and rose gold.
Legibility is enhanced by white luminescent coating on applied baton-style hour markers and rounded baton-style hour and minute hands.
Steel Cubitus with an olive-green face and matching cufflinks.
The signature horizontal decoration on the dial reappears on the movement's central gold rotor. Engineered with a stop-seconds mechanism, the caliber 26-330 S C also boasts other technical innovations, particularly related to the winding system.
The sapphire crystal on the caseback reveals the architecture and meticulously finished and decorated parts of the self-winding movement, which delivers a power reserve up to 45 hours.
The Cubitus collection further includes matching cufflinks with their frame echoing the shape of the case and the sunburst centre adorned with an embossed horizontal motif.
Two-part case with a height of 8.3mm for a slim fit on the wrist.
Patek Philippe, 5821/1AR_001_DET Patek Philippe Cubitus.
