Sporty, square Cubitus a very cool watch to wear'

Patek Philippe chief says its first new collection in 27 years started with a challenge to create a line as strong as the Nautilus and Aquanaut, but in a square shape

- Wong Kim Hoh

MUNICH – Mr Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe, likens launching a new watch to picking the perfect Christmas gift.

"It's like Christmas and you've prepared a gift for your kids, your lover or whomever. You don't want to tell them a week before: 'You know what I bought you?' You took the time to look for something, so why would you suddenly tell them: 'This is what I'm going to offer you?'"

"But the world is like that," he says, shaking his head in disappointment.

He is referring to a leaked image of the much-anticipated Cubitus, Patek Philippe's first new collection in 27 years, which surfaced just days before the global launch in Munich on Oct 17.

The culprit? Fortune magazine in the United States, which broke the embargo by releasing the image in a pre-issue on Oct 13, well ahead of a planned campaign in the publication on Oct 22.

"That was a major fail," Mr Stern says, addressing a group of Southeast Asian watch journalists at Patek Philippe's headquarters in Munich.

"Their mistake really destroyed the work of a lot of people in Patek and journalists who respected the embargo. We can all make mistakes, but this one was not something you can allow. Not at this level, with such a major launch where there are so many people who follow the rules."

The articulate Swiss, however, is not going to let the episode rain on his parade.

"Anyway, it's part of the game. You have to accept it. I have enough maturity, and I've seen enough not to panic or be sad about it."

In fact, he is feeling pumped about the Cubitus, a name he picked because it sounds good in many languages.

"Believe me, it's a very cool watch to wear," says the 54-year-old fourth-generation owner of the brand behind some of the world's most iconic and sought-after watches such as the Nautilus and Aquanaut.