Cuervo y Sobrinos - Homecoming in Havana
"We are very excited for Cuervo y Sobrinos because this provides additional prestige and profile to the brand," says Reza Liaghat, owner of Casa D'Oro Jewelers in Mars, Pennsylvania. "It's great for them and it's great for us."
Cuervo y Sobrinos's managing director Massimo Rossi explains that in addition to the new boutique being a "tangible witness to our history and heritage…we wanted to be the first mono brand watch store—and, generally speaking, the first luxury mono brand boutique—on the Cuban island." Certainly an important element since it appears the island may soon have the most enduring trade embargo in history—between the U.S. and Cuba—lifted.
"Visitors to the boutique are certainly Cubans who want to know more about the history and—particularly—the present of the brand as well as foreigners who somehow expect to find Cuervo y Sobrinos in La Habana, considering that the brand was created there. Havana is for us what Paris is for Louis Vuitton or Florence for Panerai," the head of the Lugano-based brand boasting a new factory continues.
Cuervo y Sobrinos, whose main markets have always constituted the Americas, has yet to break into the "mainstream" of European watchmaking circles. "By creating the boutique, we create a bridge from the past before the Cuban revolution to the present and also to the future. Watch aficionados and consumers interested in our unique brand now have a tangible platform from our history. The boutique in fact also includes a museum exhibiting the main milestones of our history," reports Rossi.
Donald FitzHenry, the brand's U.S. president, promises visitors to the museum a trip back in time. "They will understand how we have blended the vintage feel and presence of the brand with the best of modern watchmaking," he says.
"Beautiful craftsmanship, unique presentation, and a compelling story," exclaims John Keil of Maddaloni Jewelers in Huntington, NY referring not only to the history, but also the brand's one-of-a-kind delivery in humidors. "I cannot wait to go to Havana!"