Cuervo y Sobrinos: a Cuban brand with a Swiss movement for cigar connoisseurs

Wrist Watch

Cigars and watches are, in fact, very close in spirit and philosophy. This is evidenced by the frequent collaborations of watch and cigar brands. For example, Zenith and Bell&Ross recently introduced their cigar-themed watches. But for us, the most "cigar" watch brand is Cuervo y Sobrinos.

Let's start with history. Why cigars and a watch brand?

Cuervo y Sobrinos is a Cuban brand with an exotic history. The first Cuervo y Sobrinos watch boutique was opened in the center of Old Havana - a large and bustling port city - at the end of the 19th century and quickly gained the status of a fashionable place. American merchants, writers, politicians and representatives of golden youth looked here. The boutique on Havana's Fifth Street was visited at various times by Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Clark Gable, Pablo Neruda... In Cuba, one could always have fun: drink rum and smoke a Cuban cigar.

By the way, in fact, in Cuba there is enough humidity not to store cigars in a humidor - a special wooden box that maintains a certain level of humidity for cigars. And here is an interesting fact that unites Cuervo y Sobrinos watches with cigars: when you buy a watch, you get it in a chic wooden box. Inside it is leather, and the watch itself is stored in a portable leather case. We take out the inner leather insert and get a full-fledged humidor in which we can store cigars. And there is a limitation here. It's comfortable! And in the kit there are humidifiers and a hygrometer (mechanical, not electronic).

The fame of the brand quickly grew around the world. A few decades later, his stores appeared in Germany, Paris and, of course, Switzerland - in the heart of the Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaking industry. It is in Switzerland, in the tiny village of Capolago, that the production of Cuervo y Sobrinos is now located. However, the concept of "slow time", characteristic of the Cuban mentality and embedded half a century ago in the DNA of the brand, has remained unchanged.

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“Slow time” is the ability to appreciate the moment, take your time and not rush things, see beauty in small things and simply be able to enjoy life. And it is in the process of savoring a cigar that you realize this - there is no need to rush with it. Everything should happen smoothly, measuredly, without a phone. Either in good company, or alone with your thoughts and a cigar. It is a kind of meditation process.

This is the mood that the Cuervo y Sobrinos watch models convey. The brand even has collections named after famous cigar formats: Torpedo, Espléndidos, Prominente, Robusto, Robusto Cronómetro.

Regarding cigar brands: the favorite is probably Trinidad. The top three cigars from their line are:

  • The first is Media Luna. Very nice format. Small, enough for 45 minutes. Pleasant mild taste. Unobtrusive.
  • The second one with an absolutely sexy name is Esmeralda. Here the format is bigger. Cigar for at least an hour, but very pleasant. True, with a dimly expressed evolution. Some will find it boring.
  • And the most interesting is Fundadores. Thin, long. With evolution and pleasant taste. Moderately strong.

Watches are not only emotions and style, but also technology. Doble Luna watches use ETA calibers. The power reserve is small, 38 hours, but how pleasant it is to look at this mechanism through the sapphire crystal! The rotor is especially beautiful, matching the tone of the dial. It has the emblem of the brand and the stars. If you are considering this watch in terms of technology, then this is not your format. This is about style and aesthetics.

The case is made of steel with a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 11,25 mm. It is fully polished and has unusual watch lugs in the form of bull horns. By the way, VC has a historical model of a similar shape, though the ears are smaller there. In any case, they attract attention, but only connoisseurs of the brand will appreciate them.

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The watch sits nicely on the wrist. And how happy the unusual case and emotions from the watch as a whole! In fact, in watches, it is the sensations that you get that are important in the first place, and then everything else!

The belt is made of Louisiana alligator leather: lacquered, dark blue. Fits perfectly on the dial. Double clasp with the emblem of the brand. It opens when you press two pushers (it is very convenient that they do not stick out - they will not cause discomfort when worn). The inside of the clasp is also processed. It's nice.

Clock face! The so-called "Paris nails" pattern. There is an applied steel satin ring. It has two windows with day of the week and month indicators. At 6 o'clock, a double moon phase indicator. Of course, hardly anyone is now following the position of the moon, but it looks very beautiful. The date indicator, of course, is present and is indicated by an arrow around the dial. Almost everything unusual is collected in this watch. There are also overhead indices in combination with Roman numerals.

At "12 o'clock" there is an applied coat of arms of the brand. All the beauty of the dial is visible through the sapphire crystal. And, of course, a domed sapphire is used here to emphasize the vintage design of the model.

Let's recap:

This watch is not for every day. They should not be the only watch in the collection, not the second or even the third. If you are considering them in terms of recognition, then they are not for you either.
They are suitable for those who have already tried different brands and want something unusual with an interesting story. Something aesthetic and sophisticated. A watch is still not just a tool for measuring time, but also an accessory that must match its owner.

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