If you are not a Spanish speaker, it takes a few goes to actually pronounce the brand name! In addition, if one is not a watch nut you may not even be aware of the brand – the genesis of which occurred when one Ramon Cuervo left Spain and set up a jewellery store in Cuba in 1862. He was then joined by various relatives, and by 1882 Cuervo Y Sobrinos (Cuervo & Nephews) was born. The business made jewellery and imported watches (Vacheron Constantin, Patek Phillipe and Rolex were in fact double-signed, reflecting the prestige CYS was held in) and was one of the most fashionable boutiques in Havana. In the 1920’s and 30’s, offices were established in Germany, Paris and Switzerland – the former to source gems and the latter in 1928 (in La Chaux de Fonds) to make their own watches. A little later these sported “cows horn” shaped lugs that were quite fashionable at the time. However, due to Castro’s rule, the business was nationalised and started to decline. The quality of gems reduced to semi-precious, and Russian watches and movements were now imported and marketed under the CYS name. In the end the business shut and became dormant between 1965-1996.
In 1997, two Italian entrepreneurs acquired the name, with the aim of re-commencing watchmaking – not in Cuba, but Switzerland. By 2001 watches had been designed and retailers were being established. In 2002 several models were exhibited at Baselworld with some success. The next main event was in 2005, with the release of the Torpedo chronograph (ref 3044) with an in-house movement – caliber 2450. By 2008 the brand established its headquarters and atelia on the shores of Lake Lugano at Capolago. A year later the brand opened a boutique and museum in central Havana. Production quietly progressed with more models being designed, and on occasions in precious metals to mark various anniversaries. In 2018 however a major change occurred, with investors from the watchmaking world acquiring the business and the brand relocated to Le Noirmont in the Swiss Jura region. Massimo Rossi became CEO. In 2019 the Historiador 1519 was launched to mark Havana’s 500th birthday. In 2022 CYS marked its 140th anniversary.
At the time of writing, the brand has around seven available models with variants within – including Buceador (a colourful diving piece), the previously noted 1519, two “tank” types (Prominente and Vitola), Vuelo (GMTs and Chronographs) and the Churchill (some with a more modern and sporty design). Most are in stainless steel, with a few available in gold. One prominent feature of the Historiador models are the horn-like lugs, which as touched on earlier, hark back to 40s/50s models.
I got wind of the brand a few years ago, but initially dismissed it as a bit gimicky – yet another re-emergence using past glories as a nebulous and cynical marketing ploy. However, as I researched a little more, my views changed. Yes, the business did make much of the past, however, at least there were some valid cues to its Cuban roots, and the watches were well-made and designed, and at a fair price point. At about this time the Historiador range was released, and moreover, the 1519 with three attractive dial options. One in particular caught my lazy eye – reference 3195.IBL. This displayed a very vibrant blue dial, apparently inspired by the cornflower-hued skies that were to be found over Havana. In addition, the watch came in a really well-designed and attractive wooden box – that also doubled as a fully functioning cigar humidor! As someone who uses such a receptacle, and knows how much they cost, this aspect did not pass me by! At the time though, I failed to act – still perhaps fretting over the fact that they were a little-known brand.
Fast forward to, well, a couple of weeks ago. I was, as usual, scanning all sorts of watch outlets as is my wont. I decided to have a peek at retailer Sellors as they have a huge range of brands – including CYS. I was scrolling about further when I then noticed that the very model I had been drawn to previously was still available, and more beguilingly, on sale! In fact it was down from some £2,280 to £1,550! I made a note of some details and then decided to cross-reference back to the CYS website to see if it was still actually in production, which it was, and at the noted Sellors rrp. I then called back and spoke to a nice chap called Tom. In addition to providing my credentials (a collector and writer) and querying a few aspects, I also asked if there may be a little more wiggle room on the price? I explained that I usually reviewed watches I bought on my site and would be happy to mention the source. Well, if you don’t ask etc! After Tom checked with another department, he reported they could come down a little bit more – to £1,450! Needless to say I agreed to buy, and the watch duly arrived a couple of days later.
So to the detail. The watch case is 40 x 9.9 mm in size, and is made of polished stainless steel and is basically round. The unusual “horn” shaped lugs are quite prominent and are welded (or could be bolted) to the case. They taper nicely, allowing the strap to hang down at a good angle. The crown is of a conventional shape (which I prefer), nicely knurled and the cap sports the brand logo. The glass is anti-reflective sapphire, slightly raised. On the reverse is a sapphire exhibition window – not the largest – but adequate, and secured by four recessed screws. Waterproofing is to 30 meters.
Turning to the dial, the initial impression is more dressy than anything else. As already noted, the blue dial is a lovely shade and is broken up into four main finishes. The outer band is ribbed, the next seems plain, then the next one more granular, then there is a track picked out with some red numerals, and finally the central circular portion with, what I would call, a guilloche bursting flower petal (chrysanthemum?) shape. Wonderful! There are gold (plated I imagine) dagger-shaped indices with minute dots in between. The main hands are Breguet style, with the sweep a simple needle – again all in a gold finish. At 12 o’clock there is the CYS logo – shield-like in red and gold. Then at 6 o’clock, but quite high, is a tapering-shaped date window, with red numerals on a white background. Lastly, under the central hand pinion is a silver key – an element from the Havana coat of arms and denotes when the Spanish governor handed over the keys to the city to the people. All in all it displays everything quite legibly and with a classy air.
Moving to the motive side of things, this is via a CYS 5104 movement, based on an old Perseux 244 caliber and now manufactured (and owned) by ETA. It boasts 28 jewels, beats at 28,800 vph and offers some 38-40 hours of power. I am not personally that au-fait with this caliber, but it seems to be a decent workhorse and was used by quite a few other brands.
Regarding the strap: this is of a dark blue colour and made of Louisiana Alligator. The securing mechanism is of a deployant type, with adjustment using strap holes and via a Patek-like pin button sporting the brand logo. The action works well and the lock/unlock is via two flanking spring buttons.
That’s about it. Thoughts? Well, I like the whole package: the size, aesthetics, comfortable wear, and seemingly decent quality. The icing on the cake though is probably that humidor box and the lovely leather cream-coloured travel pouch. All this packaging seems of good quality and is usually only found with much more expensive watches. In fact, I am unsure how they do it all at the price – and that makes my eventual outlay even more amazing!
Lastly, in my probing around, I discovered that CYS have produced three Historiador chronograph propositions available as limited editions. More interestingly, they have movements that are vintage Landeron caliber 248s from the 1960’s! At the moment I am not quite sure whether they are NOS units, or simply good used movements (further enquiries to be made. Ed). Either way, they have been renovated to as near as new as is possible. There are three models – one in yellow gold with a white dial, and another two (limited to 100 each) in stainless steel with white and black dial options (the latter reverse Panda type) at prices of some £22,000 and £4,500 respectively. Now, if I could get a deal on one of the stainless steel versions I could be very tempted. However, at the moment – according to the CYS website, they have all sadly sold out! That said, a retailer may still have some stock so it could be worth looking into!
P.S. With regard to the Landeron there is a happy ending! Watch out for a further posting in due course.
Rating: 4.5/5
Unless noted otherwise, all Words and Images: The Writer
My thanks to Sellors for efficiently supplying the watch at a keen price.