Mario Girardi: Cuervo y Sobrinos, the Watchmaker That Never Forgot Cuba

There is something deeply nostalgic about a watchmaker whose most valuable legacy lies in its roots. At the 2026 Salón Internacional Alta Relojería (SIAR) in Mexico City, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, Cuervo y Sobrinos reminded us that the value of a watch doesn't always begin with its movement. Sometimes, it begins with the stories it carries and everything time has yet to erase.

For Mario Girardi, who has owned the brand since 2025, preserving the identity of Cuervo y Sobrinos means more than revisiting historical designs. It means keeping alive a legacy that began in Havana and, more than a century later, continues to find new ways to tell its story.

In an exclusive interview with Topics That Transform during SIAR 2026, Mario Girardi shares his perspective on the heritage of Cuervo y Sobrinos, collectors' growing interest in watchmakers with a distinct identity, and the importance of forming an emotional connection with watchmaking. What begins as a conversation about archives, limited editions and Cuban culture gradually reveals something far more personal: his dream of returning to Havana and bringing Cuervo y Sobrinos back to the place where its story began.

^{_{Cuervo y Sobrinos Gran Premio de Cuba 1958 / Courtesy of Cuervo y Sobrinos}}

A Living Archive

It's no secret that, in recent years — particularly since the pandemic — watchmaking has found an almost endless source of inspiration in its own archives. Iconic collections are being reinterpreted, while historic movements and complications are finding their way back into contemporary watchmaking. Yet for Mario Girardi, Cuervo y Sobrinos' relationship with its past has little to do with a passing trend. It is part of an identity that has never really left the brand. "Many brands are going back to their archives, but we don't need to do that because we are the archive," he explains. It's a statement that captures his understanding of a watchmaker whose history doesn't need to be reinvented to remain relevant.

After all, long before establishing its place in watchmaking, Cuervo y Sobrinos was already part of Cuba's history. Although its watches are now made in Switzerland, the brand's Cuban origins continue to shape its collections, design language and Girardi's vision for its future. "Cuervo y Sobrinos is much more than a watch brand. It's part of Cuba's heritage, and we're proud to be the guardians of that legacy." For him, preserving that heritage doesn't mean leaving it untouched. It means recognizing the value of a story that still has so much left to tell.

Perhaps that's why, when we asked what first drew him to Cuervo y Sobrinos, his answer didn't begin with a watch. It began with its history. "We don't need to reinvent Cuervo y Sobrinos because the brand already has its own history and heritage. Our responsibility is to look after them." It's a philosophy that allows the brand to evolve without leaving behind what has defined it for generations. "Before talking about watches, we want to tell the story of Cuervo y Sobrinos. We want to carry that legacy forward through watchmaking."

Stories That Stand the Test of Time

For Cuervo y Sobrinos, every collection offers an opportunity to revisit a chapter of its past. Beyond the design codes that have come to define the brand, there is a particularly close connection between its watches and Cuban history. One that Mario Girardi considers essential to understanding its identity. "Our story goes far beyond watchmaking," he explains. In fact, he acknowledges that many people are still unfamiliar with the brand's origins and the role it once played in Cuban culture. "When I first started learning about Cuervo y Sobrinos, I was surprised myself. Even today, I discover something new about the brand every day."

One of the latest examples of that connection was unveiled at SIAR 2026. The brand introduced Gran Premio de Cuba, a limited-edition timepiece inspired by the motor races held along Havana's Malecón in 1957 and 1958. That chapter also includes one of the most extraordinary incidents in motorsport history: the kidnapping of Juan Manuel Fangio during the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix. "When we start explaining the story behind the watch, we talk about the races along the Malecón and what happened to Fangio. That's when collectors get excited," Girardi recalls. It's a reaction that shows how a timepiece can capture someone's imagination not only through its watchmaking credentials, but through the historical moment it represents.

Perhaps this is what makes Cuervo y Sobrinos particularly interesting: its watches aren't simply designed to evoke the aesthetics of another era. They keep the stories behind those designs alive. As Girardi himself puts it, "When someone buys one of our watches, they always have a story to tell about it."

The Value of Being Different

There's something interesting about people who have spent years collecting watches. After discovering the major watchmakers, their movements and some of the industry's most celebrated complications, what they're looking for begins to change. It's no longer necessarily about finding the next watch, but about discovering one that offers something different. At least, that's how Mario Girardi sees it. "Many of our clients already own watches from other brands. When they come to us, they're looking for something unique," he explains.

And in that respect, Mexico seems particularly drawn to watchmakers that offer something outside the expected. When asked about Mexican collectors, Girardi is careful with his words. "My impression is that Mexican clients want something different. That doesn't mean everyone else is boring; they're simply looking for something new." In an industry filled with established names, finding a watch that doesn't look quite like anything else has an appeal of its own. "Mexico is a very important market for us. I think we can connect with a particular audience because they're looking for something different, and we are different."

Cuba, Beyond the Wrist

But that difference goes beyond what's on the wrist. At Cuervo y Sobrinos, even the way a watch is presented has a direct connection to the brand's origins. When we ask what creates that emotional connection, Girardi answers almost immediately: "Cuba. Cigars. Rum." Three references that, in many ways, capture the essence of the brand.

Each watch, for example, comes in a genuine humidor, a detail that pays tribute to one of the island's most recognizable traditions. "It's not simply a box inspired by a humidor. It's a real humidor," he explains. Ultimately, there are many ways to stand apart in watchmaking. For Cuervo y Sobrinos, one of them is not trying to resemble anyone else, but remaining a proudly Cuban watchmaker.

Epilogue

There's something particularly special about a conversation on watchmaking that eventually moves beyond watches altogether. Towards the end of our interview, Mario Girardi shared something much more personal. And, perhaps fittingly, his answer took us back to where it all began. "Our original store is still there in Havana. The space remains, although there are no watches anymore. It even has the original safe," he tells us. A place that, despite the passing years, still stands as a reminder of a history Girardi hopes to bring back to life.

"My greatest wish would be to return to Cuba one day and reopen that store. I would love to be there, cut the ribbon and say that Cuervo y Sobrinos is back in Havana." After talking about archives, collections and movements, it's striking to discover that one of Girardi's greatest ambitions has nothing to do with creating a new watch. Instead, it's about returning to the place where the brand's story began. Some stories, after all, don't need to be reinvented. They simply need the chance to continue. And Cuervo y Sobrinos is certainly one of them.