Cuervo y Sobrinos: history, models and value

Founded

1882

Founder(s)

Ramón Fernández Cuervo and his nephews

Owner / group

Independent

Cuervo y Sobrinos: origins and founding

The story starts in Havana. In 1862 Ramón Fernández Cuervo, an immigrant from Asturias in northern Spain, opened a jewelry shop on Calle de la Amistad. In 1882 his nephews joined him and the company Cuervo y Sobrinos ("Cuervo and Nephews") was established, with a shop at Calle del Teniente Rey 13. It sold jewelry and watches.

Founders and family

After Ramón Fernández y Cuervo died in 1907, his nephew Armando Fernández y Río took over the business. The family expanded to Europe in 1920 with a site in Pforzheim, Germany, for buying stones and an office in Paris. Escapement Magazine reports that there was also a base in La Chaux-de-Fonds where watches were made. In 1932 the firm became a public limited company.

Cuervo y Sobrinos history and milestones

By the 1940s and 1950s the Havana boutique was one of the best-known in the Americas, and the brand says famous visitors such as Hemingway, Churchill and Einstein came by. After the Cuban revolution the boutique was nationalized. The company went dormant from 1965 to 1996, apart from making military watches for the Cuban army.

• 1997: Luca Musumeci and Marzio Villa revived the name in Switzerland.
• 2002: first appearance at Baselworld, with the Espléndidos, Prominente and Torpedo collections.
• 2005: first own chronograph calibre, the CYS 2450.
• 2008: headquarters and atelier at Capolago on Lake Lugano, Ticino.
• 2009: museum and boutique opened in Old Havana.
• 2018: bought by a group of watch-industry investors, with Massimo Rossi as CEO.
• 2025: Marco Longhi and Mario Girardi became owners and partners.

Famous Cuervo y Sobrinos models

• Historiador – classic watches and chronographs based on a vintage design of the late 1940s and 1950s.
• Prominente – slightly curved rectangular cases, named after a large Cuban cigar.
• Espléndidos – distinctively shaped cases in tobacco tones, a nod to Havana's cigar makers.
• Robusto and Buceador – sportier modern watches, including divers.
• Special editions dedicated to Hemingway and Churchill.

Movements and technique

The modern brand is an "établisseur": it designs and assembles watches but buys movements from Swiss suppliers such as ETA, Sellita, Soprod and Technotime. Some special editions use old-stock vintage movements, for example Landeron chronograph calibres. Watches from the Havana era also used Swiss movements.

Cuervo y Sobrinos today

Cuervo y Sobrinos is an independent Swiss brand in the mid-to-upper price segment. In 2018 its CEO put the core range between CHF 2,000 and CHF 8,000. The Havana boutique still exists.

Cuervo y Sobrinos prices on the pre-owned market

There are two very different markets. Vintage watches signed Cuervo y Sobrinos from the Havana era, before 1960 are collected, especially gold pieces and chronographs, and value depends on originality and the quality of the movement. Modern watches made since 1997 usually sell well below their retail price, like most smaller independent brands. Limited editions, complications and pieces with box and papers sell best.

How to recognise a genuine Cuervo y Sobrinos

Modern pieces should have "Swiss Made" on the dial and a model reference and individual number on the caseback. For vintage Havana-era pieces, have a watchmaker open the case: the movement should be a Swiss calibre of the right period, and the dial should not be redone. Redials and mixed parts are a common problem with old watches of this kind. More tips: how to spot a fake watch.

What is your Cuervo y Sobrinos worth?

Whether it is a 1950s piece from Havana or a modern Robusto, you can start with our free watch value estimate from a few photos. For an estate or insurance, we also provide a written watch appraisal.

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