Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern has sparked controversy by labeling critics of the watchmaker's new Cubitus collection as "haters."
In an interview with the Swiss business publication Bilanz, Stern stated, "I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me. We all get attacked every time we launch something new. The haters are mostly people who have never had a Patek and never will. So that doesn't bother me. What counts for me is the result. And I'm confident about the Cubitus because I have a good nose and a lot of professionals around me who told me it would work."
Stern dismissed claims that the Cubitus is a mere "twin" of the Nautilus ref. 5711, which Patek Philippe discontinued in 2021. "The Cubitus is a brother of the Nautilus and the Aquanaut, but it is not a square Nautilus," Stern said. "It has its own identity. You notice this the longer you see it, the longer you wear it."
While acknowledging that the watch market is experiencing a "slowdown," Stern rejected the notion that it could be considered a "crisis."