brandon.c
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New 5822P & First Impressions
This weekend I was able to pick-up a 5822P. I’ve only owned the watch for about a day, so I am sure my thoughts will evolve, but I wanted to give my first impressions.
I bought the Cubitus with the expectation that it will have the vibe of a Patek sports watch but more wrist presence and a bolder style than a Nautilus. Additionally, I love collecting Patek Philippe and I love collecting platinum watches with blue dials. The 5822P-001 is both of those things! That may not be a sophisticated collecting philosophy, but it’s mine.
The first thing you notice wearing this watch is that it is heavy! When I first saw the pictures I was disappointed that it did not include a platinum bracelet. Now after wearing it for an entire day, I think the strap was the right idea. The 5822P weighs 193g on my scale, which surprisingly is exactly the same weight as my 5811/1G (sized for my wrist with several links removed). For comparison, I have a few other platinum Pateks on straps and they weigh around 150g.
Second, I find the Cubitus to be far more “flashy” than the Nautilus. Overall, the Cubitus has a much more faceted appearance and has long, straight polished edges that pick up light in a more noticeable way than the Nautilus does. A small detail with a big effect is that there is a more pronounced vertical step from the bezel to the “wings” on the sides of the case. This small difference really highlights the faceted appearance of the case and I feel gives the Cubitus its own personality.
Third, I like the way the Cubitus looks with a strap even though I really dislike the Nautilus on a strap. On the Cubitus, the bezel covers the majority of the case and the “lugs” are quite short and have a fairly straight taper. This shape of the case, to my eye, flows quite naturally into the strap. The Nautilus, on the other hand, has a rounded bezel and a longer more concave tapering of the “lugs”. This looks great on a bracelet, but I always found that it looked odd with a strap - almost as if part of the bracelet was there but the rest was swapped for leather. I saw this photo on Instagram where someone had both a 5980G and the 5822P right next to each other and it is easy to see what I am talking about.
I don’t have a strap-equipped Nautilus, but you can see how much of the case serves as the beginning of the bracelet.
The Cubitus more quickly tapers into the strap.
Much has been written about the Cubitus and how it could be changed or improved, but the only thing I really would reiterate is that I really wish there was a quick-change strap system. Like I mentioned above, I think the Cubitus looks good on a strap and if I had one of the bracelet models I would be disappointed that I couldn’t easily swap back-and-forth to a strap.
Looking forward, I think a big strength of the Cubitus compared to other models is the dial offers a large canvas for complications. In particular, I think an annual calendar chronograph would be a great fit for the Cubitus, and I hope we see such a model sooner than later.
Wish-list: In-line perpetual calendar paired with a 5208-based chronograph module for an automatic-winding, perpetual calendar chronograph sports watch. And throw in a 5316-esque sapphire dial with the horizontal line pattern etched in 🙃.
