From a City Frozen in Time Comes a Timeless Timepiece
HAVANA 1882
Known as the “Pearl of the Caribbean,” at the end of the 19th century, Havana became a center for good living and luxury.
Intellectuals, adventurers and businessmen, as well as the crème of high society from all over the world came to Havana to enjoy parties and exciting social scene. The wonderful atmosphere, the glamour and the exquisite, international feel molded Havana into an exclusive and exceptional destination. In this select climate of sophistication, Armando Rio y Cuervo, with the help of his family, managed his uncle, Ramon Cuervo’s, watch and jewelry shop. (Hence the name Cuervo y Sobrinos—Cuervo and Nephews.) Their skill and dedication brought great success and the business thrived. In the spring of 1882, the family opened th “La Casa” boutique on Havana’s prestigious Fifth Avenue.
In less than half a century, the combination of the quality of its products and the brand’s Latin spirit made it so famous that Cuervo y Sobrinos decided to extend its production network. Three offices were opened at different nerve centres in Europe: Pforzheim, Germany, where the precious stones are chosen, in the heart of Paris in the Rue Melzay, where the most prestigious pieces of are made and, later on, in Switzerland, where the company founded its own factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a place where nearly all watchmaking creations are still born. Over these years, as well as their own creations, Cuervo y Sobrinos distributed and sold the most important brands in global watchmaking. Therefore, the Cuban firm made a place for itself among the most outstanding watchmaking brands in the world, becoming an international reference point.
HAVANA TODAY
Cuervo y Sobrinos boasts a spectacular shop/museum in Havana, where the prestigious brand was first established at the end of the 1800s. Its inauguration was an historic event, as Cuervo y Sobrinos is the first international luxury watchmaking brand to open its own shop in Havana. This large space, which is called “El Reloj Cuervo y Sobrinos”, occupies an emblematic 19th century building in the central Calle Muralla, facing the firm’s former head office.
The sales area, where the most emblematic models from the Cuervo y Sobrinos watch and writing materials collections are exhibited, also houses a museum of old watchmaking pieces and an elegant bar for meetings. Within the refined atmosphere created by the Art Deco style, the original Cuervo y Sobrinos safe stands out. It was moved here from the old shop on Calle San Rafael and fits in perfectly with its new surroundings.