At first, Benjamin J. Adams thought the image must have been Photoshopped.

Earlier this month, when an advertisement in Fortune magazine for a new line of watches by the Swiss luxury brand Patek Philippe made its way online, Mr. Adams was skeptical. Patek Philippe had not produced a new collection in 25 years, after all, and the brand was not commenting. Was it an elaborate hoax?

Last week, though, Patek Philippe made it official: The three watches that made up its new Cubitus collection would soon be available (presumably to the über-rich) for suggested retail prices ranging from $41,240 to $88,380. Mr. Adams was floored.

“Some of the biggest watch news in a while,” he said.

But Mr. Adams was personally taken aback for another reason. Though he knew it was a total coincidence, he could not help but notice that the Cubitus — specifically, the stainless steel version with an olive green dial that Patek Philippe identifies as reference model 5821/1A — bore a resemblance to another watch: his own.

Mr. Adams, 27, is the founder of Benjamin James, a small watch company that he and his wife, Maxine, run out of their home in Birmingham, England. Earlier this year, Mr. Adams unveiled his first watch, the Scarifour, named after a family cottage. Like the Cubitus, the Scarifour features a thin, angular case in stainless steel, a ridged dial and an integrated H-link bracelet with polished center links.

The original price, as listed on Mr. Adams’s Kickstarter page? About $350 for a quartz version and $600 for one with a hand-wound movement. His first production of 300 watches sold out.

Benjamin Baron, a watch enthusiast from outside Zurich, was among those who purchased one. And last week, as the Cubitus began drawing so much attention, Mr. Baron posted several photos of his Scarifour on Instagram along with a reminder that Mr. Allen “had the design first!”