Watch maker Patek Philippe launches first new collection in 25 years

Storied Swiss watch maker Patek Philippe announced its first new collection in 25 years this week, dubbed the Cubitus line.

The new collection comes at a time when luxury watch prices have largely stabilized, fueled by strong demand. Younger investors and collectors began buying up luxury time pieces during the Covid-19 pandemic, but secondhand prices have more recently slumped.

The new lineup from Patek Philippe includes three different models — two in steel casings and one in platinum — and is meant to “offer a new reinterpretation of the ‘elegant sporty’ style,” according to a press release. The two steel versions, one two-toned with rose gold to create a more vintage feel and the other purely steel, play into the line’s sporty inspiration and feature colorful faces.

The third model separates itself with a platinum casing and different face design, including a large-format date and a dial tracking the moon phase and the day of the week.

Patek Philippe said it incorporated new technologies in the watches, ranging from an ultrathin and self-winding mini rotor to an instantaneous-jump mechanism that ensures the different displays match up within 18 milliseconds. The brand said it has filed six patent applications for the new tech.

Patek Philippe’s new collection also includes new cufflinks, designed to match the watches with a white-gold frame that reflect the case’s shape.

Patek Philippe, founded in 1839, is often referred to as one of “The Holy Trinity” in watch making, along with Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin.

The brand’s last new collection before the Cubitus line was back in 1999 when it released the Twenty~4 design. That lineup was “dedicated to the young, active and modern woman,” according to Patek Philippe’s website.