This is the Cuervo y Sobrinos Robusto Day-Date Churchill limited edition watch.

Is it the lugs?  Is it the dials? – Is it the dials or the lugs? The lugs on a Cuervo y Sobrinos watch are beyond curvaceous.  The dials on a Cuervo y Sobrinos watch have unexpected features as standard. Each piece in the portfolio of this brand is unusual and distinctive, characteristic of a heritage of Swiss Precision and Latin Presence.

This piece is a tribute to Winston Churchill, just one of an eclectic list of clients of what was considered to be an exotic watch brand back in the day.  Rarely seen without his “trademark” cigar, it is befitting that Mr Churchill should be honoured by a watch company which not only names its models after famous Havana cigar shapes, but also presents them in fully functional finely crafted humidors.

Perhaps I should mention that meticulous attention to detail and remarkable watch case construction are also synonymous with CyS watches.  This one has a complex modular case, made from titanium and steel and measuring 43mm across.  That neatly tucked-in crown is in fact not a crown at all but a winding “key”, a feature added for durability, but one which also ensures an undisturbed profile face-on.

The pristine ivory dial has Craquele styling – a vintage feature which to you or I simply means cracked, broken even – but don’t let that put you off, the swirly painted numerals and finely detailed minute track are splendid – pure Cuervo y Sobrinos.  A curved day date window slips in above the brand’s traditional crest with a perfectly proportioned date aperture at 3 o’clock.  Inside is the Swiss ETA Calibre 2834-2 with a power reserve of 38 hours and a Caiman croco strap completes this very retro piece.

The Cuervo y Sobrinos Robusto Day-Date Churchill will be a limited edition of 200 pieces, individually numbered on the dial side.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

New for 2012 is the Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Pequeños Segundos 130° Aniversario.

The  piece celebrates the 130th Anniversary of the brand, yet for four decades in its history no watches were designed, manufactured or sold by the Cuervo family – as with many of the watch brands that we know and appreciate today, Cuervo y Sobrinos were a victim of world events – events which would see a family business abandoned as the Cuban Revolution unfolded.

When he founded his watchmaking business on the Avenida Quinta in downtown Havana, Don Ramon Rio Cuervo had the vision to realise that in that golden age of travel, the many affluent visitors who would pass through that vibrant city would be compelled to purchase one of his distinctly Latin-styled timepieces. The business was a successful one, so successful that he was able to enlist the assistance of his nephews, hence the name over his door became Cuervo y Sobrinos.  The watches produced were no token souvenirs, watch movements were sourced and produced in La Chaux-de-Fonds and the cases and dials were designed and produced in Havana using traditional methods and were of the highest standards.

Cuervo y Sobrinos remained in the hands of its founding family for three generations until the revolution in 1959 when the watchmaking trade, like many other luxury businesses in Cuba ceased production. The company lay dormant for four decades until Luca Musumeci purchased the marque and its assets, and in partnership with Mario Villa recommenced production in 2001.

That’s a bit of an introduction – if you think that maybe we like this brand, you’d be right – our feeling is that with the respective attitude given to the “new” portfolio, together with the re-discovered and  preserved blueprints and components which continue to be used as references, that Cuervo y Sobrinos are one of the most authentic re-birthed brands in existence.  And the Historiador Pequeños Segundos 130° Aniversario? – An understated mix of Swiss precision/Latin presence, and a worthy addition to the historical collection.

Mmmm …  is it the generous tucked back lugs, or the slender rounded case?  Both are distinctive, pure Cuervo y Sobrinos. This piece has all the features of a superb dress watch – a skinnied case, svelte markers and eyelash-slim hands.  On the “velvet black” dial applied 1,3 and 0 numerals are both unusual and symbolic of the anniversary.  At 6 o’clock a barely-there small seconds indicator features the dates 1882 and 2012 which form part of the cross-hair styling.

Inside is an ETA 7001 hand-wound decorated movement with 42 hours of power reserve and water resistance of up to 30m.

The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Pequeños Segundos 130° Aniversario is presented in an 18 Karat pink gold 40mm case and is secured using a Louisiana Alligator leather strap.

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The Cuervo y Sobrinos Robusto Manjuari – yes they even make divers watches, this one is a superb combination of jagged edges and smooth ripples.

Popularity: 4% [?]

It’s been a while since they have produced a new divers watch but the Cuervo y Sobrinos Robusto Manjuari has an abundance of unusual design details, from its jagged-edged bezel to its subtly rippled lugs – it has the special mix of Swiss precision and Latin presence that got us hooked on this brand in the first place…….

Cuervo y Sobrinos are perhaps better known for creating retrospective pieces – dress watches with big curvy lugs and unexpected dial designs – than for divers watches.  The brand was revived by businessman and enthusiast, Luca Musumeci and watch industry savvy Mario Villa after it had lain dormant for over forty years.  When production resumed in Switzerland in 2001, it was with the authentic accuracy of the drawings, designs and original watch cases and components discovered by Luca Musumeci in the Cuervo’s derelict shop on Havana’s Avenida Quinta, from which the family had hastily fled when the revolution took hold in Cuba – a momentous discovery, which provided the blueprint for the rebirth of Cuervo y Sobrinos and is perhaps what makes the watches produced by the brand today so special.

The Robusto Manjuari measures a very manageable 43mm across, its modular case is constructed from sections of steel, titanium and rubber.  On the titanium bezel the unidirectional rotating ring has a sapphire crystal inlay and is operated via the crown.

On the black dial, an ensemble of fine features – “sharpened” hour markers and chunky indices, a GMT subdial at 6 o’clock, its bright blue rim replicated in the background colour of the big date aperture, the Cuervo coat of arms logo, red script and the unique sword-shaped hands.  This is a watch which is built to withstand the depths and be highly legible yet unlike many divers watches available it won’t look like you have a survival device strapped to your wrist – its size and distinctive styling make it a wear-anywhere piece, and it’s dapper enough to get noticed too.

Inside the Robusto Manjuari is the automatic CyS 2511 Calibre, based on an ETA movement to which a GMT function and big date module have been added.  Power reserve is 42 hours.  The case back features an engraving of the big scary Cuban fish, the Manjuari, from which the piece takes its name.  In honour of the year Don Armando Rio Cuervo first founded his watchmaking business in downtown Havana, the piece is water resistant to 1882 feet or 600m.

The Cuervo y Sobrinos Robusto Manjuari comes presented on a black rubber strap with constrasting red stitching.

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Cuervo y Sobrinos – Johnny’s biography of the brand, a great story….

Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador Semanal

The Torpedo Historiador Pequenõs Segundos

The Historiador Retrograde

Popularity: 4% [?]

Cuervo y Sobrinos present the Historiador Retrograde which will be formally unveiled at BaselWorld 2011.

There are some in the industry who are a little scornful about the Cuban connection with the Cuervo y Sobrinos name of today.  The brand name and assets were purchased back in 1997 by Luca Musumeci, and when production began in 2001 it did so in Switzerland not Havana.  Perhaps if Cuba had not experienced such a political shake-up, the Cuervo family store would still be welcoming clients from around the world but alas nothing pours cold water on the luxury goods industry quite like a revolution.  The Cuervo y Sobrinos business like so many others in downtown Havana in the 1950′s and 60′s fell into decline quickly followed by disappearance.  Since its re-birth the portfolio of timepieces released under the original name have taken design inspiration from their historical pieces.  This one is no exception.

The stainless steel case is a modest 40mm and features those much admired big distinctive polished lugs.  On the dial are three retrograde displays: date at 3 o’clock, power reserve at 6 and day of the week at 9.  These are set on a quite beautiful “Clous de Paris” guilloché centre section.  Blue hands contrast with the silver.  Inside is the automatic CYS 240 movement with 42 hours power reserve.

Regardless of their origins, Cuervo y Sobrinos watches are uniquely styled and meticulously crafted and we at the WatchPress think that they haven’t produced a dud yet.  The Historiador Retrograde comes presented on a black Louisiana crocodile strap.

Popularity: 5% [?]

From charismatic Cuban watchmakers, Cuervo Y Sobrinos came a rather unusual press release today, in that it contained news on the release of a stunning limited edition of luxury writing instruments in honour of the legendary Mille Miglia motor race which was contested competitively between 1927 and 1957 and which now winds it’s (now significantly reduced) route through the Italian countryside each May.

The pens are the result of a collaboration between Cuervo Y Sobrinos and renowned manufacturers of luxury writing implements Elmo & Montegrappa and this limited edition of just 1609 (to reflect the 1609 Km of the original 1000 mile race) feature stainless steel detailing invoking thoughts of radiator grilles of the period and also carrying the Mille Miglia motif on their flanks as well as the Cuervo Y Sobinos motif embossed onto various components of the pen case.

With the official timing partner of the classic event being Chopard, I think that Cuervo Y Sobrinos have taken a clever route to gain association with the Mille Miglia – even so far to have the pens created in the same red colour as the detail on the race’s logo and by calling their new instruments Freccia Rossa – or Red Arrow – which is itself an integral element of the same logo.

Don’t forget to click on the image below to enlarge….

Here is a look at the press release from Cuervo Y Sobrinos:

“Cuervo y Sobrinos and the Mille Miglia 2010

The prestigious watch brand Cuervo y Sobrinos has demonstrated during the last years an unfailing attachment to the world of the classic car by being involved in several national or international classic cars events and competitions. The world of the vintage cars and the values of the Latin brand with Swiss heart are very close: tradition, elegance, glamour and performance:

The legendary race “Mille Miglia”, also called “Freccia Rossa” (red arrow because of the typical logo), denominated “the most beautiful car race in the World” by Enzo Ferrari, was held for the first time in June 1927, travelling from Brescia to Rome and back for a total of exactly 1000 miles.

Today the “Mille Miglia” stands for Italian passion, elegance, glamour and spirit of adventure.

Cuervo y Sobrinos is proud to announce a very prestigious partnership with this famous competition by creating a distinguished line of writing instruments Cuervo y Sobrinos “Mille Miglia”.

Marzio Villa, president of the Swiss brand, has a long and strong expertise in the world of classic cars. This year 2010 he participates for the 4th time in a row with his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint from 1956.

The 2010 edition of the started on May 5th with a gala dinner for all international participants together with the local authorities and selected clients from Cuervo y Sobrinos.

The race starts on May 6th from the Piazza della Loggia in Brescia, a very nice and typical square in the center of the city. It is in this unique environment that Cuervo y Sobrinos was presenting the new Mille Miglia writing instruments to the public. All products are produced in a limited edition; the design is very exclusive and underline the racing character of the products. As guarantee for the high quality of the products, it is noteworthy to mention that production of the Mille Miglia writing instruments has been done by the prestigious pen manufacturer Elmo & Montegrappa.

After a step in Bologna, the participants reach Rome on May 7th, with all cars arriving at the one of the more emblematic buildings of the Italian capital: Sant Angelo.

Cuervo y Sobrinos has created a limited edition of 1609 pieces, a clear tribute to the 1000 miles (=1609 kilometers).

The following day back from Rome to Brescia where the race finished on Sunday May 9th.

The final ceremony, together with the prizes award, was held in the prestigious Museum Mille Miglia where are all the information, archives and pictures of this historical race.

For Cuervo y Sorbrinos the association with the Mille Miglia is a further confirmation that the brand is consistently growing and is becoming an international success story.”

Popularity: 5% [?]

Cuervo y Sobrinos present a new piece the Torpedo Historiador Pequenõs Segundos.

This latest addition to the portfolio offered by the re-emerged Cuervo y Sobrinos brand follows the successful release of the Torpedo Historiador Semanal reviewed by the WatchPress on Feb 8th with its notably busy dial consisting of five different scales, yet the Historiador Pequenõs Segundos could not be more different in styling.  This is an understated piece – styling inspiration taken from the brand’s historical models of the 1950′s results in a modest 40mm case size with slightly curved sapphire crystal and the highly distinctive Cuervo y Sobrinos lugs.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador Pequenõs Segundos

The Cuervo y Sobrinos logo appears at 12 o’clock, date window is at 3 o’clock with the small seconds (or pequenõs segundos) at 6 o’clock and the dial features elongated applied hour markers.  Overall styling of this piece could be described as classical, elegant, refined or maybe even plain…….were it not for the history of this special brand. This piece remains true to the unique spirit of Cuervo y Sobrinos, a fulfillment of the new owners of this re-awakened brand when after forty years of hibernation, original watch drawings were discovered in the old premises on Avenida Quinta, Havana – drawings destined to be used in the current Historiador Collection.

The Torpedo Historiador Pequenõs Segundos is available in stainless steel case with black dial (released in April 2010), or rose gold case with white dial (due for release in September 2010)

Popularity: 6% [?]

One of my favourite and eclectic brands, Havana-based Cuervo Y Sobrinos, have announced their new Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador Semanal in anticipation of the 2010 BaselWorld industry exhibition in March.

Well, when I say ‘new’, it is in fact a modern interpretation on one of the marque’s distinctive 1940′s models. The Torpedo Historiador Semanal, according to the company themselves, uses a movement only slightly modified from the 1945 original and reflects the style of the brand’s watches in this era – at which time Cuervo Y Sobrinos were enjoying their best years until the 1959 revolution in Cuba which saw anything associated with the trappings of wealth fall from favour with the new socialist rulers.

Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador Semenal

This new release from the brand is an eyecatching piece indeed. There’s a lot going on in that dial. The watch face features five scales which display (from centre to bezel) arabic numerals, a continuous day of week (which means that the red ‘horseshoe’ pointer only completes a circuit once a month), then date, month and finally, at the bezel the week number.

The 40mm round stainless steel case (rose gold is an option) features a crown at the expected 3 o’clock position as well as two further crowns at the 8 (for setting the week and month) and 10 (date) positions.

Cuervo Y Sobrinos are inherently proud of their Cuban roots and if the styling is a little more flamboyant than many of their Swiss counterparts, it is no more than an expression their latin culture, and is something the brand does as  naturally as they would breathe in the Havana air.

Technical Specifications (from Cuervo Y Sobrinos press release)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Cuervo Y Sobrinos

The Watch Press are always pleased to feature watchmakers whose watches and history are often somewhat less than conventional, and on this occasion we would like to introduce to readers who might not be familiar, to Cuervo Y Sobrinos.

Our story takes us back to the heat and humidity, the noise, the colour and bustle of late 1800s Cuba and its’ capital city Havana. Just over 125 years ago, the city was a vibrant cosmopolitan melting pot where travellers from the world over found kindred souls as they worked, adventured and explored their way across new lands in search of unfound treasures. It was on Avenida Quinta, in the heart of the city, and close to the station and the port where stood La Casa, the watchmakers shop of the Cuervo family and where our story begins.

La Casa, Avenida Quinta, Habana

As with all cities, there was wealth and poverty living side by side, but Havana had another side to it, an indefinable flavour of life and living which was heightened by the sounds of the jazz culture, the sweet, strong liquors and the odours of the equally robust fine cigars which were to become synonymous with the city ever since. Havana in its heyday was obviously unlike any other city on earth, and because of its many and varied attractions and the philosophy of El Tiempo Liento (or time which passes slowly), there was a continuous stream of international visitors who hungrily soaked up the city’s uniquely Caribbean atmosphere.

The watchmaker Don Ramon Rio Cuervo found ample business among the local and visiting businessmen and his distinctive designs brought many to his doors on a deliberate mission to buy his wares. By 1882, his new store on the prestigious Avenida Quinta had nephew Don Armando Rio Cuervo at the helm and the sign over the door bore the legend Cuervo Y Sobrinos, or Cuervo and nephews.

Sourcing and eventually overseeing production of their watch movements in La Chaux-de-Fonds, meant that Cuervo Y Sobrinos could offer to their customers timepieces which were distinctly Latin in their design, yet which possessed the reassuring Swiss made mechanical movements.

The watches became legend and so the incredible and eclectic list of clients who would become aficionados of this exotic brand began to swell. Among the records in the “Golden Book” of Cuervo Y Sobrinos wearers were to be found names such as Hemmingway, Churchill, Einstein and Caruso along with many other illustrious charcacters in that new and exiting golden era of world travel.

Period Cuervo Y Sobrinos Robusto Advertisement

Benefitting from a tightly-run management Cuervo Y Sobrinos became an important player to the finer watch and clock makers who enjoyed significant sales through the store in the early 1900s, and the business grew in Havana until international demand for the watches heralded time for expansion, and new Cuervo Y Sobrinos shops were opened in Baden Germany, Paris and in La Chaux de Fonds in the heart of Swiss watchmaking country.

The distinctive shapes of the Cuervo Y Sobrinos wristwatch found favour across the more arty Europeans and Americans of the time who cherished the unconventionality of the Cuban brand during a time of growing enthusiasm for fine Swiss watches. Cuervo Y Sobrinos held an edge over their competition in that their watches were quite unlike the offerings from Switzerland and as an added benefit, the family business provided a highly respected sales channel for many of the most revered watchmakers both in their prestigious European shops as well as the US and Latin American clients who continued to ‘escape’ on their vacations to the heady culture of Havana.

Period Cuervo Y Sobrinos Esplendidos Advertisement

It is often true that many of the great watch brands would have had a continued and uninterrupted history were it not for outside influences affecting and changing the course of their businesses – not to mention the course of world history too! So as it was for many fine Swiss, French and German watch houses in the early and mid 1900s, the war years, so the Cuervo Y Sobrinos company eventually encountered their own upheaval when their homeland, and still their base, Cuba fell into the throes of revolution in 1959.

High-society very quickly fell out of favour on Cuba, and the trappings of wealth and luxury lifestyle became symbols of all that the revolution was not about. Cuervo Y Sobrinos were forced from their flagship store and most of the family fled the city in which their name had become part of the fabric.

Bearing in mind that now the business built from 1882 was now in the third family generation, and also considering how many family businesses survive the handing down from generation to generation, the Cuervo Y Sobrinos brand suffered heavily from the unceremonious routing from their homeland, unable to maintain the continuity from their home in exile in Europe, and in the following short years, the once celebrated marque fell into decline and eventual quiet disappearance.

As the years passed, the Cuervo Y Sobrinos name and the wonderful timepieces once so loved by so many of the worlds most sought-after clientele became a footnote in watchmaking history. For four decades the brand simply ceased to be.

And perhaps it might still be a forgotten treasure had it not been for the intervention of Italian businessman and historian Luca Musumeci in 1997, Luca Musumeci recognised the potential of restoring life into the Cuervo Y Sobrinos marque when he purchased the now derelict brand and whatever assets still belonged to it. On visiting La Casa, the original shop on Avenida Quinta, Havana, he found a veritable treasure trove, including old watch designs and drawings, movements and cases which had been stored away in three enormous trunks. Perhaps more than he had expected to find, and it was not until 2001 that he and his partner Mario Villa, an experienced distributor of luxury timepieces, recommenced the production of Cuervo Y Sobrinos timepieces in the new production facility in La Chaux de Fonds and began to develop and stimulate new sales grounds in Europe and further afield.

Taking great care to ensure that the new Cuervo Y Sobrinos models remained true to the spirit of the original watches, the new patron’s attention to the original philosophy meant that once again the distinctive Cuervo Y Sobrinos designs began to appear in the store windows of luxury watch specialists, initially in Italy and Spain before being rolled out to over 25 countries, including Russia and the US.

As the re-emerged Cuervo Y Sobrinos found a small but dedicated following, enthralled both by the colourful history of the company and by the distinctive designs in pink gold and steel as well as the variation of complications offered, so the brand grew in popularity among collectors and watch lovers whose requirement for unusual yet stunning styling was amply catered for.

The policy of using traditional manufacturing methods which had been synonymous with the brand since its early days, such as the remarkable extraction of the case from a single block of either steel or gold, undergoing several steps in the hands of the Cuervo Y Sobrinos craftsmen before being signed off and numbered and fitted with its movement.

The Cuervo Y Sobrinos Esplendido Monopulsante

When the Esplendidos Monopulsante single pusher chronograph was unveiled, it marked another significant milestone for Cuervo Y Sobrinos, for this was the first watch to carry an in-house ‘manufacture’ movement. The CyS Caliber 2450 brought the brand into the rarified air of the legendary watchmakers, and was to show that the reborn marque had serious intention.

The Esplendido flagship range, which, like the other models, dates back to the company’s early days and which includes dualtime, retrograde variations and even a handless model – the Esplendido 1882 – bolstered an existing selection of truly exotic models. Today these include the round cased Torpedo and Robusto models as well as the stunning overlong rectangular Prominente. Although drawing heavily on their heritage with these models, Cuervo Y Sobrinos are keen to propose that they are indeed  their “New Period Watches”.

Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Pulsometro

One thing which strikes you when looking at the range – as well as the styling – is the use and combinations of luxuriant coppers, bronzes and ivory colours in the dials, which themselves are hand made from enamelled porcelain, and how almost each and every combination compliments the look and feel of the Cuervo Y Sobrinos timepiece.

In the summer of 2009, Cuervo Y Sobrinos re-opened the doors of La Casa on Avenida Quinta as its flagship store and museum. Restored to the splendour of the halcyon days when the flamboyant watchmaker originally entertained the brave and the beautiful. Among the standout features of the new location stands the magnificent double-doored safe which had been brought up from the vaults.

Only ten years after the rebirth of the brand, Cuervo Y Sobrinos has succeeded in establishing itself as a watch maker to take note of. Proudly retaining the manufacturing values of the original Havana family business, it is this which sets the marque apart from many of its more conservative European contemporaries.

Popularity: 9% [?]