I just recieved my vintage Lorett watch with a Swiss ETA 2452 movement after an extensive stay at the watchmaker. I bought it because of the Cuban connection given my parental heritage. Cuervos y Sobrinos were originally pre-Castro jewelers, hence Habana on the dial. Could be totally fake, but why fake a $100 watch? The crown, crystal, and second hand are new and I put in loud Hirsh strap on it. Googling has not provide much information on the brand, any thoughts would be appreciated.
Someone just printed it on the dial...hate to the bearer of bad news, but that watch has as much of a connection to Cuba as I do...which is zero.
Always thought it was a real possibility, still going to enjoy the watch as a beater. The timeline seemed off given the 1959 revolution and the age of the watch. Appreciate your insight.
I disagree. The original Cuervo y Sobrinos (sobrino = nephew) actually redialled some new watches with their name. There were a few manufacturers that made dual-branded dials for CyS like Longines and Roskopf, but most were pretty ham-handed attempts. You can see many examples of these watches here: https://translate.google.com/transl...o-y-sobrinos-cuba-historia-97340/&prev=search https://translate.googleusercontent...LkJrhh7PLbe7X6_6N_YoIUcAZfOo8G-Qg#post1177768 In other words, there is a good chance that the OP's watch is legit. Unfortunately, there really is no way to prove the origin of these watch to Old Habana. gatorcpa
What is a Lorett, and was CyS dual branding no name Swiss watches? I thought they were high end? I'll stand by my assertion that someone took an insignificant watch and tried to add value with the CyS printing.
Looking at some of the watches from the links @gatorcpa posted it's obvious that they had a very wide range of watches/brands. The rough print/font on the OPs watch is also familiar when looking at the many examples shown. I'd like to see the OPs movement.
I love OF !!!! So much fun reading these articles. OP watch is just cool. Seems plausible that it’s legit .. just oozes character.
This. It’s just a cool little watch, and as I said, to be used as a beater. I also love this forum and all who contributed to the thread!. I have no picture of the mevement, but it is just a generic ETA 2452. In highest regards, Ignacio
I think part of the confusion is that Ravens and Nephews now is a completely different company than the pre-Castro jeweler. Probably no connection other than the name.
Thanks @gatorcpa, this is great information. I assume by your name and logo you have a Florida connection. I’m in the DC area, but miss the home state. Ignacio
Well, based on that one article, I guess all of those "fake" CyS watches on ebay are actually real...would explain why so many watches from the post 1959 time are branded such. I guess we need to make the distinction between pre and post revolution. Some of those watches were straight redials.
Maybe yes, maybe no. It’s why I would steer clear of these entirely. If you want something actually sold by CyS in Cuba, get one of the older Longines pocket watches. The dials are porcelain and unique to that company. While not exclusive to Cuba, the niello silver cases seem to have been the fashion there in the early 1900’s. gatorcpa