New
Timekeepers Club / November 29, 2022

Cuervo y Sobrinos Lonsdale for CronotempVs Collectors x The Lounge by Watchonista

A cigar-inspired, retro-styled, limited-edition watch and presentation case for CronotempVs Collectors x The Lounge by Watchonista by Cuervo y Sobrinos in collaboration with Eric Giroud’s Somewhere.

Born out of a shared passion for the worlds of watchmaking and premium cigars, the Lonsdale watch and its presentation case are the brainchildren of two seasoned cigar smokers: Scaramanga, co-founder of CronotempVs Collectors international watch collectors club, and Marco Gabella, chairman and publisher of leading online watch magazine Watchonista, and its luxury lifestyle sub-platform The Lounge.

These two watch collectors and “brothers of the leaf” were savoring a couple of Cuban vitolas as part of a virtual cigar “herf” on Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic when they came up with an idea to merge the two worlds that brought them together in a unique manner: collaborating with a watch brand to create a timepiece and presentation case that took cues from the realm of fine cigars. Two years later, the Lonsdale is born.

Made by Cuervo y Sobrinos – the only luxury Swiss watchmaker with Cuban heritage – the Lonsdale is an understated time-only watch oozing vintage appeal thanks to its old-school design, inspired by classic Cuervo y Sobrinos references spawned during Havana’s mid-20th century heyday.

The result is an entirely new design that revisits the Swiss brand’s Cuban legacy from an alternate vantage point: A distinctively shaped 40mm case with prominent lugs in polished stainless steel, paired with textured metallic dials with Alpha hands and period typeface. The Lonsdale comprises three 82-piece, small-batch limited editions, each named after shades of traditional cigar wrapper leaves: Candela, with a silvered and green dial; Claro, with a champagne dial; and Oscuro, with a brown dial. “Uno de 82” is engraved on each caseback.

Genesis of The Lonsdale: CronotempVs Collectors x The Lounge by Watchonista


Most watch enthusiasts tend to be renaissance men and women. Beyond their fascination for horology, they often have a range of interests about which they are passionate and knowledgeable: An appreciation of art and design, a taste for fine wine, good food and high-end spirits, or a need for speed met by superlative cars and motorbikes.

And it was with this in mind that Watchonista chairman and publisher Marco Gabella created The Lounge by Watchonista, a Watchonista sub-platform devoted to watch-adjacent lifestyle topics through editorials, photoshoots, and videos, as well as events and co-creations with friends and partners of The Lounge. So, naturally, it was while indulging in one of Gabella’s own non-watch pursuits – cigar smoking – that the seeds for the Lonsdale was sown.

He and fellow cigar aficionado Scaramanga – co-founder of CronotempVs Collectors, known for its special-edition collaborations with watch brands – were enjoying an online cigar smoking session during lockdown in 2020 when their conversation turned to cigar-inspired watches. Why not join forces, they thought, and work together with a watch brand to create not just a special timepiece but also a special presentation case inspired by the world of fine cigars? Gabella and Scaramanga immediately thought of Cuervo y Sobrinos.

Cuervo y Sobrinos: Swiss Manufacture, Latin Heritage


Today, Cuervo y Sobrinos operates out of its watchmaking atelier in Capolago, Switzerland. But its story began in 1882 when Don Ramón Fernández Cuervo, having emigrated from Spain to Cuba, established a jewelry boutique in Havana along with his six nephews, or sobrinos in Spanish.

Offering a mix of its own-branded, Swiss-made watches as well as dual-branded watches – made by the likes of Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Longines – Cuervo y Sobrinos went on to enjoy huge success, especially during Havana’s roaring 1950s.

Nowadays, the modern-day brand expresses its “Swiss manufacture, Latin heritage” tagline through its Art Nouveau and Art Deco-styled timepieces. Plus, with their tobacco tones, champagne hues, and flamboyant flashes of color, Cuervo y Sobrinos’ pieces are delivered in watch boxes that can be repurposed as humidors.

Scaramanga says: “We were familiar with Cuervo y Sobrinos’ rich Cuban history and its cigar-inspired watches and accessories today. But to our knowledge, it hadn’t yet made a co-creation with passionate cigar smokers like us, so we proposed a collaboration, feeling we were a natural fit for one another.”

Inspiration for The Lonsdale


With Cuervo y Sobrinos on board, the next step was to work on the watch design. While the watchmaker was open to exploring different designs, some wilder than others, CronotempVs Collectors and The Lounge by Watchonista were both intent on creating something in line with the roots of the brand.

Scaramanga says: “Thanks to the brand, as well as friends who are vintage watch collectors, we were aware of Cuervo y Sobrinos’ historical references that it had offered at its Havana boutique as it flourished between the 1930s and ‘50s. Two pieces in particular caught our eye because of their mid-century elegance: The ‘Tradition,’ for its eye-catching case, and another unnamed piece, for its clean, understated dial.”

He continues: “Marco and I asked Cuervo y Sobrinos if it would be possible to take the case and dial designs of these two references from yesteryear and recreate them in the form of a neo-vintage watch that transported us back to the heady times of 1950s Havana. Cuervo y Sobrinos shared our enthusiasm for reviving these seductive designs from the past.”

Distinctively Shaped Case


One of the first things you notice about the Lonsdale is the distinctive shape of its stainless-steel case, freshly developed for this project. The lugs’ lateral lines are straight and fan out along the caseband, lending the case a slight tonneau profile. However, the case is visually slimmed thanks to step-like grooves cut into the sides at 3 and 9 o’clock – just like on the Tradition back in the day.

While the Tradition’s diameter was around 34mm, the Lonsdale’s is 40mm, that contemporary sweet spot that wears well on most wrists. Lug pin to lug pin, it measures 44.6mm. Apart from these updated dimensions, there are plenty of period details to admire, each a throwback to the mid-20th century.

The case surfaces, for example, have been entirely polished, while the sapphire crystal is double domed in a protruding box style, accounting for 1.9mm of the watch’s overall 10.5mm height. On the caseback, an engraved “coin slot” acts as a nod to the erstwhile system for opening up the back eight decades ago. The Lonsdale’s caseback is actually screwed down, but the screws are concealed in order to remain aesthetically faithful to the original.

Clean, Retro-Styled Dial


The eye-catching case serves as a superb frame for the Lonsdale’s clean, elegant dial, available in three colorways, each named after different shades of capa, i.e., cigar wrapper leaf: Candela, with a silvered dial and green numerals and hour-minute hands; Claro, with a champagne dial and cream numerals and hour-minute hands; and, finally, Oscuro with a brown dial and gilt numerals and hour-minute hands.

Nearly every detail of the visually-balanced dial is in keeping with the historical reference on which it is modeled: The dial plate features a smart vertical brushing, the central hours and minutes are indicated via Alpha hands, and the hour numerals are in a retro, sans serif typeface. Even the Cuervo y Sobrinos Habana logo is presented as it would have been back in the day. Next to the recessed, concentrically decorated small seconds are the words “Unicos Importadores” in reference to Cuervo y Sobrinos’ former status as sole importers of luxury watches in Cuba.

Completing the indications is a printed railroad track around the dial periphery for displaying minutes. And, in a rare touch of modernity, the hour-minute hands, numerals, and dots at 6 and 12 o’clock all feature a colored Super-LumiNova that glows green in the dark for enhanced legibility.

Tried-and-Tested Automatic Movement


Powering the time-only indications is the automatic CYS 5158 calibre which, at its base, is a Sellita SW 261-1. This Swiss-made workhorse of a movement, with its 38-hour power reserve, guarantees owners tried-and-tested reliability.

Adaptable Calfskin Strap


The Lonsdale is delivered on a hand-stitched brown calfskin strap with a quickrelease spring bar and polished stainless-steel pin buckle. Owners will receive two long and two short strap pieces that can be combined to make an overall strap that matches large, medium, or small wrist sizes.

The Lonsdale Name


The Lonsdale watch is named after the premium cigar type of the same name – and with good reason. Like the Lonsdale watch, the Lonsdale cigar is quite slim, typically six to seven inches long and with a ring gauge of 42 to 44. And like the Lonsdale watch, the Lonsdale cigar is evocative of a bygone era, for it was at the height of its popularity among smokers many decades ago.

Presentation Case: Like a Cigar Box, and Bearing the Touch of a Design Master


When owners receive their Lonsdale watch, the experience will be akin to that of receiving a box of limited-edition, premium smokes. That’s because the watch’s presentation case is fashioned in the style of a high-end cigar box.

Crafted from Spanish cedar – known for its ability to lock in moisture, thus helping cigars to age – the case has a leatherette cover decorated with a smoke swirl pattern conceived by none other than Eric Giroud. This celebrated watch designer has started a personal side project – Somewhere – dedicated to his designs for non-watch-related objects. His sinuous, modernist motif for the case of the Lonsdale is Somewhere’s first design commission.

Inside the case, owners will find not only the Lonsdale watch but also three accessories sure to delight cigar fans: a cigar rest, a cigar case, and a NATO watch strap to fit the Lonsdale. Connoisseurs will note the strap’s resemblance to the silk ribbon used to bundle high-end cigars. The case contents are presented on a tray that can be taken out, allowing the case to transform into an attractive vide-poche (or travel case) for storing, protecting, and carrying around accessories, collectibles, and other personal effects.

Presentation case


Contents

  • The Lonsdale watch Leatherette travel pouch with embossed CronotempVs Collectors logo
  • Blackened and gilded aluminum cigar tube
  • Blackened aluminum cigar rest
  • Yellow NATO strap emblazoned with “Cuervo y Sobrinos”, “La Habana 1882” and “Lonsdale”, accompanied by a pair of loose spring bars

Specifications

  • Dimensions: 290mm x 175mm x 54mm
  • Solid Spanish cedar case covered with black leatherette
  • Decorated with gilded, embossed smoke swirl motif by Eric Giroud’s Somewhere
  • Inside of lid decorated with embossed Cuervo y Sobrinos logo
  • Removable leatherette-covered tray with compartments for above contents
  • Magnetic fastening

Limited to 246 examples – 82 pieces for each of the three dials – the Lonsdale and its presentation case can be pre-ordered today by visiting the CronotempVs Collectors online shop and committing to a 50-percent down payment on the €2,500 sale price, excluding taxes and shipping.

Click the following links to pre-order the Candela, Claro, or Oscuro edition of the Lonsdale.

Technical specifications


Cuervo y Sobrinos Lonsdale Candela for CronotempVs Collectors x The Lounge by Watchonista

Limited edition of 82 pieces

Case

  • Material: Polished stainless steel
  • Diameter: 40mm
  • Height: 10.5mm (1.9mm of which is accounted for by the double domed sapphire crystal)
  • Lug pin to lug pin distance: 44.6mm
  • Inter-lug width: 20mm
  • Glass: Double domed box sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflection coating
  • Crown signed with Cuervo y Sobrinos logo
  • Caseback: Horizontal coin slot, engravings “Cuervo y Sorbrinos Havana”, “Uno de 82”, gilded “Lonsdale”
  • Water-resistant to 50m (170ft/5atm)

Dial and hands

  • Silvered dial, black hour-minute hands treated with mint green Super-LumiNova
  • Mint green Super-LumiNova numerals
  • Black small seconds hand
  • Vertically brushed dial plate
  • Central hours and minutes
  • Small seconds at 6 o’clock, recessed and concentrically decorated
  • Peripheral printed railroad track for minutes
  • Super-LumiNova-treated hour-minute hands, numerals and dots at 6 and 12 o’clock

Movement

  • CYS 5158 caliber, base Sellita SW 261-1
  • Winding: Automatic
  • Diameter: 25.6mm
  • Height: 5.6mm
  • Power reserve: 38 hours
  • Number of jewels: 31
  • Balance frequency: 28,800 vph (4Hz)

Functions/Indications

  • Hours, minutes, seconds

Strap and buckle

  • Hand-stitched brown calfskin strap with quick-release spring bar and polished stainless-steel pin buckle, length can be adapted to the owner’s wrist size

MSRP: EUR 2'500 (excl. taxes)

Technical specifications


Cuervo y Sobrinos Lonsdale Claro for CronotempVs Collectors x The Lounge by Watchonista

Limited edition of 82 pieces

Case

  • Material: Polished stainless steel
  • Diameter: 40mm
  • Height: 10.5mm (1.9mm of which is accounted for by the double domed sapphire crystal)
  • Lug pin to lug pin distance: 44.6mm
  • Inter-lug width: 20mm
  • Glass: Double domed box sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflection coating
  • Crown signed with Cuervo y Sobrinos logo
  • Caseback: Horizontal coin slot, engravings “Cuervo y Sorbrinos Havana”, “Uno de 82”, gilded “Lonsdale”
  • Water-resistant to 50m (170ft/5atm)

Dial and hands

  • Champagne dial
  • Blued hour-minute hands treated with cream Super-LumiNova
  • Cream Super-LumiNova numerals
  • Blued small seconds hand
  • Vertically brushed dial plate
  • Central hours and minutes
  • Small seconds at 6 o’clock, recessed and concentrically decorated
  • Peripheral printed railroad track for minutes
  • Super-LumiNova-treated hour-minute hands, numerals and dots at 6 and 12 o’clock

Movement

  • CYS 5158 caliber, base Sellita SW 261-1
  • Winding: Automatic
  • Diameter: 25.6mm
  • Height: 5.6mm
  • Power reserve: 38 hours
  • Number of jewels: 31
  • Balance frequency: 28,800 vph (4Hz)

Functions/Indications

  • Hours, minutes, seconds

Strap and buckle

  • Hand-stitched brown calfskin strap with quick-release spring bar and polished stainless-steel pin buckle, length can be adapted to the owner’s wrist size

MSRP: EUR 2'500 (excl. taxes)

Technical specifications


Cuervo y Sobrinos Lonsdale Oscuro for CronotempVs Collectors x The Lounge by Watchonista

Limited edition of 82 pieces

Case

  • Material: Polished stainless steel
  • Diameter: 40mm
  • Height: 10.5mm (1.9mm of which is accounted for by the double domed sapphire crystal)
  • Lug pin to lug pin distance: 44.6mm
  • Inter-lug width: 20mm
  • Glass: Double domed box sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflection coating
  • Crown signed with Cuervo y Sobrinos logo
  • Caseback: Horizontal coin slot, engravings “Cuervo y Sorbrinos Havana”, “Uno de 82”, gilded “Lonsdale”
  • Water-resistant to 50m (170ft/5atm)

Dial and hands

  • Brown dial
  • Rhodium-treated hour-minute hands treated with gilt Super-LumiNova
  • Gilt Super-LumiNova numerals
  • White small seconds hand
  • Vertically brushed dial plate
  • Central hours and minutes
  • Small seconds at 6 o’clock, recessed and concentrically decorated
  • Peripheral printed railroad track for minutes
  • Super-LumiNova-treated hour-minute hands, numerals and dots at 6 and 12 o’clock

Movement

  • CYS 5158 caliber, base Sellita SW 261-1
  • Winding: Automatic
  • Diameter: 25.6mm
  • Height: 5.6mm
  • Power reserve: 38 hours
  • Number of jewels: 31
  • Balance frequency: 28,800 vph (4Hz)

Functions/Indications

  • Hours, minutes, seconds

Strap and buckle

  • Hand-stitched brown calfskin strap with quick-release spring bar and polished stainless-steel pin buckle, length can be adapted to the owner’s wrist size

MSRP: EUR 2'500 (excl. taxes)

For more information, please visit cronotempvscollectors.com

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