Cuervo y Sobrinos was founded in 1882 by Spanish immigrant and jewellery store owner Ramón Fernández Cuervo in Havana, Cuba. After Cuervo’s death in 1907, his nephew D. Armando Fernández y Río began running the company. The brand continued to expand over the next several decades, and established facilities in Pforzheim, Germany and Paris, France.
Cuervo y Sobrinos began to decline as a result of the Cuban revolution. After a period of producing military watches for the Cuban army, the brand became dormant by 1965 until Luca Musumeci and Marzio Villa revived the Cuervo y Sobrinos name in 1997.
Highlights since the brand’s return included their first exhibition at Baselworld in 2002, the unveiling of their first in-house chronograph caliber CYS 2450 in 2005, establishing their headquarters in Ticino, Switzerland, and the opening of their Havana museum and boutique in Cuba. Cuervo y Sobrinos was acquired by a team of investors in 2018, with Massimo Rossi serving as the current CEO.
Cuervo y Sobrinos has made timepieces in honor of historical clients and more recent friends of the brand including Winston Churchill, Earnest Hemingway, Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta, Mexican aviator Emilio Carranza, Cuban free-diver Pipin Ferraras, and American artist Scott Jacobs.
Cuban Grand Prix
The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Gran Premio de Cuba 1957 (ref. 3142.1GP.57) was announced in January of 2023, and celebrated the inaugural Cuban Grand Prix. The vintage-inspired Historiador served as the base, wth the dial featuring colors inspired by Juan Manuel Fangio‘s winning Maserati 300s and the Gran Premio 1957 de Cuba insignia stamped on the case back. The limited timepiece had a production run of 162 pieces, echoing the 162-mile distance of the race.
Giuseppe “Nino” Farina
Cuervo y Sobrinos released the Historiador Nino Farina (ref. 3198) in 2023. The limited edition timepiece paid tribute to the first Formula One world champion Emilio Giuseppe “Nino” Farina, who won the first title with Alfa Romeo. With a limited run of just 50 pieces, the first Nino Farina chronograph features a light blue and brown dial inspired by the racing overalls often worn by Farina, with the perforated matte leather strap inspired by vintage racing gloves. Farina’s signature is printed on the exhibition case back.
After the original Historiador Nino Farina sold out, the Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Nino Farina II (ref. 3144.1NF) was launched in the fourth quarter of 2023. Housed in a slightly more updated case, the second Nino Farina chronograph featured a predominantly silver dial while retaining light blue accents similar to its predecessor. This time around, green accents were included in the chronograph seconds hand and on the tachymeter scale in honor of Alfa Romeo’s green quadrifoglio emblem. The Historiador Nino Farina II also showcased Farina’s printed signature on the case back, with a larger run of 158 pieces.
References
https://www.cuervoysobrinos.com/en/content/10-our-history
https://masterhorologer.com/?s=Cuervo+y+Sobrinos+
https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-cuervo-y-sobrinos-historiador-gran-premio-de-cuba-1957-specs-price/
https://www.cuervoysobrinos.com/en/stories/40-cuervo-y-sobrinos-pays-tribute-to-nino-farina-with-limited-edition-watch
https://www.cuervoysobrinos.com/en/nino-farina-ii/130-nino-farina.html
https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-cuervo-y-sobrinos-historiador-nino-farina-ii-vintage-racing-chronograph-automatic-specs-price/
https://masterhorologer.com/2024/01/27/cuervo-y-sobrinos-historiador-nino-farina-ii/