Thierry Stern’s post-launch message was unusually clear: the Cubitus was developed inside Patek Philippe, was intended to expand—not replace—the brand’s elegant-sporty language, and was not designed as a reaction to a market trend. He described it as a “brother” of the Nautilus and Aquanaut rather than a square Nautilus, dismissed the idea that Patek needed client approval to create it, and said the luxury-watch market was experiencing a slowdown rather than a crisis.
Thierry Stern’s post-launch message was unusually clear: the Cubitus was developed inside Patek Philippe, was intended to expand—not replace—the brand’s elegant-sporty language, and was not designed as a reaction to a market trend. He described it as a “brother” of the Nautilus and Aquanaut rather than a square Nautilus, dismissed the idea that Patek needed client approval to create it, and said the luxury-watch market was experiencing a slowdown rather than a crisis.
The subsequent arrival of smaller 40 mm models in 2025 gave one of his most important promises a concrete result. The Cubitus launch was not a single experiment with three references; it was the beginning of a collection Patek intended to develop over time.
A collection created without client approval
In the Bilanz interview summarized by Time+Tide, Stern said the people who supported the Cubitus concept were Patek Philippe personnel. He said he does not show designs to clients for approval and does not work with external designers, adding that previous attempts to do so had not worked.
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That is an important detail because it defines how Stern wanted the launch to be understood. The Cubitus was not presented as a design shaped by a public survey, a client panel, or an outside creative director. It was a top-down product decision, developed by Stern and senior figures within Patek Philippe’s own creation and commercial structure.
A separate interview with Swisswatches Magazine reported that Patek had not conducted extensive market research for the watch. Instead, the collection was developed by a small internal group that included Stern and senior Patek executives. That does not prove that no commercial analysis took place at all; it does mean the available reporting does not support describing the Cubitus as the result of formal consumer testing.
Stern’s position was therefore more than a comment about workflow. It was a defense of creative independence. Patek was willing to introduce a major new sports-watch collection based on its own judgment, even though the shape was likely to provoke immediate comparisons with the much more established Nautilus.
“A brother of the Nautilus,” not a square Nautilus
The Nautilus comparison was unavoidable. The Cubitus uses the same broad category of luxury sports-watch design, and its horizontally embossed dial, integrated-bracelet profile, and combination of polished and satin-brushed surfaces place it in recognizable Patek territory.
Stern’s answer was to acknowledge the relationship without accepting the criticism that the Cubitus was simply a geometric copy. He described the new model as a brother of the Nautilus and Aquanaut, while insisting that it was not merely a square Nautilus and had its own identity. The distinction matters: Patek’s own language places all three collections within a family, but family resemblance is not the same as identical design.
Patek’s official launch material described the Cubitus as a new interpretation of its “elegant sporty” style. The rounded-corner square case was presented as a shape combining square, circular, and octagonal visual cues. The manufacturer also emphasized the horizontal relief embossing on the dial, the contrast between polished and satin-brushed finishing, and the case’s slim profile. Those details form the basis of Patek’s argument that the Cubitus is a distinct design rather than a Nautilus with its geometry altered.
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The original 2024 collection consisted of three references:
- 5822P-001: a platinum Cubitus with an instantaneous grand date, day, and moon-phase display.
- 5821/1AR-001: a two-tone steel and rose-gold model.
- 5821/1A-001: a stainless-steel model.
All three original references used the large 45 mm case format, which quickly became one of the most discussed aspects of the launch. The size made the Cubitus visually assertive and helped separate it from the more familiar proportions of other Patek sports watches, but it also narrowed its potential wrist fit.
The launch was also a technical statement
The Cubitus was not introduced merely as a new case shape. The flagship 5822P-001 brought a complicated display layout to the collection through the self-winding Caliber 240 PS CI J LU. It combines an instantaneous grand date with day and moon-phase indications.
According to Patek Philippe’s official launch release, the movement was covered by six patent applications, and the three indications can change simultaneously in 18 milliseconds. That technical detail was central to Patek’s presentation of the Cubitus: the watch was intended to be a new expression of the brand’s sports-watch design, but also a platform for high-end mechanical development.
This helps explain why treating the Cubitus as only a reaction to the Nautilus misses part of the launch. Patek was testing a new visual language while also using the collection to showcase complicated watchmaking. The result was a product with two deliberate messages: the case could extend the “elegant sporty” family, and the collection could carry the technical ambition expected of a Patek Philippe complication.
Stern said more sizes would follow
Stern also indicated that the first three references were not the end of the story. In the post-launch interview, he referred to “endless ideas” and said a meeting had produced 20 different models. More significantly, he said other Cubitus sizes would follow.
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At the time, that was strategically important. A 45 mm case is a substantial proposition, especially for a watch with an integrated bracelet and a broad, square visual footprint. Announcing the collection in that format made the launch distinctive, but it also left open the question of whether Patek could make the Cubitus relevant to collectors who wanted the design in a more moderate size.
That promise was fulfilled in 2025. Patek introduced the 40 mm 7128/1G-001 in white gold and 7128/1R-001 in rose gold. The company described the format as a medium-size version intended to suit a broader range of wrists. The official specification for the 7128/1G-001 lists an 8.5 mm thickness, 30 m water resistance, the self-winding Caliber 26-330 S C, a 21-karat gold rotor, and a lockable bracelet-adjustment system. The 2025 Patek Philippe Watches and Wonders material provides the published specifications for these models.
Patek’s current Cubitus collection page lists the original 2024 references alongside the 2025 40 mm models. The smaller versions do not settle the debate over the Cubitus’s design, but they do demonstrate that Stern’s comments about developing additional sizes were not an empty response to launch criticism.
His answer to the backlash: slowdown, not crisis
The Cubitus arrived at a difficult moment for the luxury-watch industry, with enthusiasm and secondary-market performance no longer uniformly strong across the sector. Stern did not frame the collection as a response to that environment. He said he was not “the trend,” and he maintained that Patek would continue with its own plans.
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In reporting by The Straits Times, Stern was described as accepting the disruption caused by an early leak while remaining enthusiastic about the product. He called the Cubitus a “very cool watch to wear.” The leak meant that some of the launch campaign’s intended reveal was lost, but Stern’s comments suggested that Patek did not regard the initial noise as a reason to retreat.
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That should not be confused with proof of universal acceptance. The Cubitus generated both interest and criticism, and the available evidence does not establish universal success, universal rejection, sales results, or secondary-market performance. Stern’s confidence is best understood as management’s stated view of the collection’s long-term prospects, not as independent evidence that the market has already validated it.
Why the launch mattered to Patek Philippe
The Cubitus was Patek Philippe’s first new collection in more than two decades. That made the launch unusually consequential. A new annual reference can be absorbed into an existing product family; a new collection tests whether the company can add a major design language without weakening the identity that made its established lines valuable.
The risk was particularly visible because the Cubitus entered the same broad territory as the Nautilus and Aquanaut. Patek had to show that it could create another elegant-sporty watch without presenting the new collection as a replacement for either existing line. Stern’s “brother” description was effectively the clearest summary of that strategy: connected by design philosophy, but expected to stand independently.
The collection also gave Patek a way to broaden the conversation around its sports watches. The original 45 mm models made a strong statement, while the 2025 40 mm references addressed the practical question of proportion and wearability for a wider range of wrists. The move suggests that Patek views Cubitus as a scalable family rather than a one-off experiment.
In a 2025 interview with CNA Luxury, Stern characterized the launch as a calculated risk and said he expected the collection to attract both existing top clients and a new generation of collectors. That remains Stern’s assessment of the intended audience, not independent proof of demand or sales success. Still, it clarifies the ambition: Cubitus was meant to deepen Patek’s relationship with established clients while giving younger or newer collectors another entry point into its sports-watch design language.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Stern’s comments reveal
Taken together, the interviews amount to a defense of long-term collection building rather than a concession that the initial criticism was correct.
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- Creative control stayed inside Patek Philippe. Stern said the company did not rely on client approval or external designers to define the Cubitus.
- Patek accepts the family resemblance. Calling the watch a brother of the Nautilus and Aquanaut acknowledges the shared elegant-sporty lineage.
- The company rejects the idea that resemblance eliminates identity. Stern’s argument was that a rounded-corner square case and its specific finishing and dial treatment give the Cubitus a separate character.
- The initial size was not intended to be permanent or exclusive. The 2025 40 mm models confirm that Patek planned to extend the range.
- Patek was prepared to wait. Stern’s “slowdown, not crisis” view indicates that the company did not intend to judge the collection solely by the immediate reaction to its launch.
For anyone considering a Cubitus, the practical implication is that the collection should be assessed reference by reference rather than as a single 45 mm design. The original models and the later 40 mm versions differ materially in case size, metals, movement architecture, and overall wrist presence. Availability, allocation, and regional pricing are separate questions and should not be inferred from Patek’s product pages.
For legitimate purchase or servicing enquiries, use Patek Philippe’s official retailer directory and the relevant regional service information. The directory is an information and verification route; it does not establish that a particular Cubitus reference is in stock or available for allocation.
The bottom line
Thierry Stern’s post-launch comments present the Cubitus as a deliberate act of independence. Patek Philippe did not ask the market to design the watch, did not treat its resemblance to the Nautilus as disqualifying, and did not regard early resistance as evidence that the collection should be abandoned.
The strongest test of that position came after the interviews. Patek followed the original 45 mm launch with 40 mm white-gold and rose-gold references in 2025, turning Stern’s promise of more sizes into a visible development plan. Whether the Cubitus ultimately earns the same cultural status as the Nautilus will take years to judge. What is already clear is that Patek intended it to become a lasting member of the family—not a temporary response to a market trend.
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Did Patek Philippe test the Cubitus with customers before launch?
Stern said the Cubitus was developed by Patek Philippe’s internal personnel and that he does not show designs to clients for approval or work with external designers. Separate reporting said the company did not conduct extensive market research and relied on a small internal creation group.
Is the Cubitus just a square Nautilus?
Stern described the Cubitus as a brother of the Nautilus and Aquanaut, but insisted that it was not simply a square Nautilus. Patek positions the three collections within its elegant-sporty design language while giving Cubitus its own rounded-corner square case and detailing.
What sizes does the Patek Philippe Cubitus come in?
The original 2024 Cubitus references used 45 mm cases. In 2025, Patek introduced the 40 mm 7128/1G-001 in white gold and 7128/1R-001 in rose gold as medium-size versions intended to suit a broader range of wrists.
What did Thierry Stern say about the market reaction to Cubitus?
Stern characterized the market as experiencing a slowdown rather than a crisis and said he was not worried. That is his assessment of market conditions, not independent evidence of Cubitus sales or secondary-market performance.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Stern defended the Cubitus as an internally created, deliberately independent addition to Patek Philippe’s elegant-sporty family. His promise of more sizes was borne out by the 2025 40 mm models, while his comments about a market slowdown show that Patek viewed the launch as a long-term collection decision rather than a short-term trend play.
