What we know from Patek Philippe as a brand from multiple centuries, is that they don’t release an entire new line of watches very often. In fact in our entire lifetime, we may only see them release an All-New model range perhaps only twice or thrice – now that is rare!
And when we start to talk about a completely new sports model range, this is further rarer for Patek Philippe, a brand historically known for classic and dressy timepiece. It all kicked off with the Nautilus back in 1976, and then the world had to wait another 21 years before Patek released a new collection i.e. the Aquanaut in 1997.
So what does this mean when now after a further 26 years wait, the brand came out with a new collection, the Cubitus?
(photo credits: Monochrome Watches)
There’s a lot of noise going around with internet breaking and tearing apart with Patek’s new model being mocked and laughed at, and while I actually don’t mind a little humour; before the dust settles and the adrenaline has subsided, and the world starts to actually respond to how this new line will be seen; let me already tell you why the Cubitus is a winner recipe for Patek in the years and decades to come. Why is it so, let me try to explain!
(photo credits: Monochrome Watches)
Patek have never been a brand to introduce dramatic and extreme aesthetical changes to how their watches have looked and perceived in the collectors world over time. You can take an example of Aquanaut, it was already a watch inspired from the Nautilus (even the name, the “naut” part in Aquanaut is from Nautilus).
When the Aquanaut was released, it kept the same octagonal bezel as the Nautilus, and the changes that Patek did on it were in the dial, indices, and they made it on strap (in addition to the bracelet) to make it a little more causal, and obviously a little different from the Nautilus.
Then this year we started to hear the rumours that Patek are going to introduce an entirely new line of watches. This in my mind, never meant, that they will also introduce an entirely new looks too. So keeping the same approach what has worked for the brand in the past so well, this time, they’ve kept the same dial (aside from the shape of it), same hour markers, same case construction and also the same bracelet, but changed the case shape of the watch, and here we have it – the All-New Patek Philippe Cubitus.
Again, as this is also inspired from the very original and iconic Nautilus, the “tus” part in the name “Cubitus” comes from “Nautilus”. So I am guessing this is Cubic shape of Nautilus?
(photo courtesy of Monochrome Watches)
Now this begs the question, why such a similar watch and exactly a ditto bracelet? Well, that’s in my opinion, is a blessing-in-disguise. We all know already and I can tell you from experience that the bracelet on the Nautilus is one of the very best, if not the best, in terms of the fit, finish and comfort.
And it is iconic, signature to Patek, so why will not Patek use the same bracelet on another watch? I mean we see Oyster bracelet on literally every Rolex sports model that the brand has to offer, talk about Rolex Submariner, GMT, Explorer, Deep Sea, Sea Dweller, Explorer 2, Yachtmaster, Daytona – every single watch has exactly the same bracelet, albeit different width and the finish changes between all brushed to brushed and polished.
Now we use an example of Rolex dials as well. I mean, we know that the aesthetics and especially the dial layout (indices and hands) for the subs, GMT, Deepsea, SD43, Yachtmater are similar, if not identical, so why not use the same recipe that has worked for decades and proven the test of times for one of the biggest watch manufacturers?
So is Cubitus a future hit and a winner combination already? Well, why not?
And how do I see its future value and collectibility?
Well, its a Patek and it already retails at what the steel Nautilus used to retail at, so while it may not and likely will not fetch the same premium initially as steel Nautilus did when it was discontinued, it is not a cheaper alternative to the Nautilus as such, especially from the retail price’s perspective.
(photo courtesy of Monochrome Watches)
It is angular, it has the vibe of 70s from that TV-shaped case, it has the iconic features of the Nautilus, and last, but not the least, it is a Patek with the finest workmanship on the planet – of course it is a winner in the long haul.
But does it replace the Nautilus? It obviously doesn’t. At the very least, it will give you the Nautilus vibe and the Patek experience on the wrist, but will explain to you why at the end of the day, you will still need a Nautilus on your wrist, in addition to the Cubitus…. to know exactly what it’s all about!
The 5821/1A in steel with green dial retails at CHF 35,000 or EUR 40,575 (at the time of this blog).
The 5821/1AR in two-tone with blue dial retails at CHF 52,000 or EUR 60,257.
The 5822P in Platinum with blue dial retails at CHF 75,000 or EUR 86,908.
