The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Asturias Collection

Even though the brand is headquartered in Switzerland, Cuervo y Sobrinos fully embraces its distinct Latin roots. What was started by the Cuervo family in Havana, Cuba in 1882 fell victim to the Cuban revolution and was nationalized in 1965 and vanished shortly after that. Revived in 1997, and now located in Switzerland, the brand still uses its heritage as inspiration. The new Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Asturias collection honours the birthplace of the Cuervo family who founded the company after migrating from Asturias, Spain to the Caribbean island.

While Cuervo y Sobrinos was founded in 1882, the story actually starts 20 years earlier when Ramón Fernandos Cuervo opened up a jewellery and watch repair shop in Havana. By 1882, five more Cuervo nephews joined, and Cuervo y Sobrinos was born. Being active for over 80 years, the company disappeared as a result of the nationalization by the Cuban government. Under the revived Cuervo y Sobrinos, the Historiador honours the brand’s Latin roots and is considered a cornerstone collection.

The case for the Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Asturias collections comes with that distinct Latin flair the brand is known for. It measures 40mm across and only 9.9mm in height, making this an undoubtedly pleasant watch to wear. The elongated horn-shaped lugs are another CyS signature. A domed sapphire crystal covers the dial, while a see-through caseback reveals the mechanical heart. Water-resistance is rated at 30 meters.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing about these watches are the four different fumé style dials. Not that the rest is sub-par or anything, but the smokey, radiant colours just pop. The dial comes in a dark blue, dark red, dark green or tobacco tone, all darkening towards the outer edge. Time is indicated by elegant Losangé style hands for the hours and minutes, and a slender needle-like seconds hand. The hour indices are polished, and applied, just as the CyS logo at 12 o’clock. A facetted window reveals the date, which is always a black disc with white digits for the best possible contrast.

Turning the watch over reveals the Calibre CyS 5104, which is based on the Peseux 224. This is the same movement we’ve seen in the Historiador 1519 and the Buceador Caribe. It is an alternative to the fabled ETA 2824 and delivers rather similar specifications. The frequency is 28,800vph, it uses 28 jewels and provides 38 hours of autonomy. It’s driven by a winding rotor that features the CyS logo.

The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Asturias collection is worn on a colour-matching Cordovan leather strap with a stainless steel folding buckle. The buckle features an open-worked CyS logo on the clasp. The collection is non-limited and retails for CHF 2,000. For more information, please visit CuervoySobrinos.com.