Square Root

It has been 25 years since Patek Philippe unveiled a new collection. The protracted wait is over with the Cubitus joining the Genevan manufacture's lineup.

- Asaph Low

For a watch manufacture that has hallmarked its illustrious history with prominent collections tied to various shapes, it was only apt that Calatrava was the genesis of the approach in 1932 with its archetypal round case, while the Golden Ellipse of 1968 integrated the Golden ratio into its curved rectangular case. In 1976, Patek Philippe's porthole-shaped sports watch, the Nautilus, redefined luxury watches, while the Gondolo of 1993 harked back to the Art Deco era. The Aquanaut and Twenty-4 from 1997 and 1999, respectively, were the two most recent new model launches for Patek Philippe, though that is about to change 25 years on with the launchn of the Patek Philippe Cubitus.

As its name strongly suggests, the Cubitus is Patek Philippe's interpretation of a square watch with rounded corners. While archival pieces in the Patek Philippe Museum had references to quadrangularshaped watches, a square watch was missing from Patek Philippe's contemporary portfolio. "A square watch was my number one target," says Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe.