Short on time? Launched in October 2024, the Cubitus was Patek's first entirely new collection in over 25 years. The 5821/1A-001 is a 45mm, 8.3mm-thick square steel sports watch with an olive green embossed dial, integrated bracelet and the automatic calibre 26-330 S C. It divided opinion at launch. In person, it makes a lot more sense.
Backstory
Patek doesn't launch new collections often. The last time it did anything this big, a lot of today's collectors weren't collecting yet. So when the Cubitus arrived in October 2024, the reaction was instant and loud, and not all of it was kind.
The shape was the sticking point. Patek already has two of the most famous sports watches in the world in the Nautilus and the Aquanaut, both with rounded, octagonal cases. The Cubitus went square. Some people called it a Nautilus that had been put in a press. Others loved it straight away.
Key Details
The steel case measures 45mm from 10 to 4 o'clock, which sounds enormous. What saves it is the thickness: just 8.3mm. It's a big footprint but a very slim profile, and the square shape means the corners do a lot of the visual work.
The dial is the bit that'll feel familiar. That horizontal embossed pattern is a clear nod to the Nautilus, and in olive green with applied white gold batons and luminous hands, it's both sporty and smart. The green really is the colour to have. It's warmer than blue and less severe than black.
The bracelet is integrated and flows straight out of the case, finished with Patek's fold-over clasp. There's a sapphire caseback so you can see the movement.
The Movement
Inside is the self-winding calibre 26-330 S C, with sweep seconds, a date at 3 o'clock and a stop-seconds function for setting the time to the second. It's a modern, well-proven Patek automatic. Water resistance is 30 metres, so think of it as a sports watch for real life rather than for swimming laps.
On the Wrist
This is where opinions change. The slim case and the integrated bracelet make the Cubitus wear smaller than its number suggests, though it's still a statement on a smaller wrist. The square shape catches the light differently from a round watch, and the green dial looks great from a distance.
Will it age as well as the Nautilus? Nobody knows yet, and that's part of the fun. It's the first chapter of something new, not the hundredth.
Final Thoughts
The Cubitus is the most interesting thing Patek has done in years, and the 5821/1A in green is the launch model in its best colour. Love it or not, it's a watch people stop and look at. We think the doubters will come round.
Ours is an unworn 2025 example, a full set. See it here.
