It was the year 1882 in Havana, Cuba where the story of watchmaker Cuervo y Sobrinos began. A few years before that, Ramon Fernandos Cuervo, an immigrant from northern Spain established a jewellery store in Hanava and it was this business that became the precursor to the Cuervo y Sobrinos watches that followed. The brand with Latin DNA has a strong and recognisable signature look which mixes traditional watchmaking values with its Latin legacy, evoking quality, creativity and elegance. In 1882 Don Baldomero, Don Teodomiro, Don Jose Maria, Don Armando, Don Placido and Don Lisardo all joined the business which, at the time, was located on a small street. Soon the business grew and established a reputation for itself. Styled on the wrists of some of Hollywood’s favourite stars, the company soon began enjoying its height of success. Many prestigious brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe and Rolex desired an association with the company and had created exclusive watches for Cuervo y Sobrinos, bearing its name upon their dials.
Within the next decade, the company had relocated and the founder had passed away, handing the company down to his nephew. Having expanded its business in various locations by 1920, facilities in Paris and Germany were opened before a factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland opened in 1928. By the 1940s the Cuervo y Sobrinos name was well-respected throughout America and since Havana was one of the Caribbean’s most luxurious cities, it drew in many connoisseurs from elite watch collecting circles, adding solidity and authenticity to the Cuervo y Sobrinos name.
Sadly, in the 1960s the company met its demise, closing its doors as a result of changes in Cuba’s political regimes. In addition to this, the crushing quartz crisis was arriving, which swooped in over Switzerland, wiping out many prestigious brands renowned for handcrafting their own exquisite mechanical timepieces. It took until 1997 for Cuervo y Sobrinos to open its doors once more. Luca Musumeci and Marzio Villa breathed new life into the company, reviving it and establishing authorised retailers in Italy and Spain. 2002 was a prominent year for the Havana-born watch brand. It launched three remarkable collections, the Esplendidos, the Prominente and the Torpedo.
The Cuervo y Sobrinos Esplendidos watch collection pays homage to the Cuban capital from which the Maison derived and focusses on the finer things in life. Crafted in tobacco shades, the collection nods to Havana’s manufacture of luxury cigars, evoking glamour, class and style with its line of uniquely shaped cases. The watches are characterised by inner minute tracks and beautifully patterned dials. Similarly, the Prominente watch collection owes its name to one of the largest Cuban cigars and features a line of distinct, slightly convex rectangular-shaped cases.
In 2005 Cuervo y Sobrinos created its first in-house movement, the CYS 2450, followed by celebrating its 125th anniversary just two years later with the Robusto Tourbillon watch. Cuervo y Sobrinos was also the first international watch brand to initiate its own store on the island of Cuba and created its own museum and boutique to celebrate the brand’s unique heritage. A special Historiador limited edition model was launched in 2012 to mark Cuervo y Sobrinos’ 130th anniversary. The first Historiador Landeron watch was created in 1948. Since then several limited-edition timepieces have paid tribute to this collectable design, and now each Historiador watch from Cuervo y Sobrinos’ current catalogue is a replica of this vintage 1950s favourite, telling its own unique story of the Maison’s Latin heritage.
Cuervo y Sobrinos also offers an exclusive lady’s watch collection called the Senora Clasico, inspired by costumes of beautiful Cuban women. Exquisitely curved lines and elegant shapes form the profile of each Cuervo y Sobrinos Senora watch. A selection of carefully hand-crafted leather straps is also available from this range, as well as captivating mother of pearl dials.
