As we mentioned in our last review (seen here), Cuervo y Sobrinos is a proudly Cuban (or at least Cuban-inspired) watch brand. A formative event in Cuba’s history is the Spanish-American War, which involved Cuban Independence. To celebrate the intrepid cavalry unit known as the Rough Riders, we have the limited-edition Cuervo y Sobrinos Rough Riders.
Cuervo y Sobrinos Rough Riders: aesthetics
There is no denying that the Cuervo y Sobrinos Rough Riders is a watch that stands out on the wrist. This stems, in large part, from the 45mm case. It’s done in two tone, being a combination of titanium and brass. From this bold foundation you have the bright green dial.
Over the top of that, you have generously-sized indices and handsets, making the reading of the watch a cinch. Should you need to wind it or reset it, you also have an oversized crown, making it easy to work with.
The Rough Riders Tie-ins
The most obvious cue – when you’re wearing the watch – are the crossed cavalry swords on the lower portion of the dial. Flip the watch over, and then it’s very,very clear. The engraving says it’s a tribute to the Rough Riders, and then there’s the artwork. There, you’ve got the old-school soldier uniform, the large US flag, and the letters “US” on the bag the soldier is carrying. In other words, it couldn’t be any clearer.
The hardware
As we mentioned earlier, the large case is bronze, with titanium making up the attached lugs and the caseback. With the titanium there, you shouldn’t have to worry about the bronze discoloring your skin.
Inside the case (and under the artwork) is the Cuervo y Sobrinos version of the Soprod M100. It’s not a particularly over-worked movement, but it will get the job done with a 38 hour power reserve. Around the front, on the dial, you’ve got plenty of Super Luminova used to light things up.
Wearing the Cuervo y Sobrinos Rough Riders
There is no way around it – the 45mm case is large. Fortunately, the lugs are set low on the case, and curve down. Combine that with the fairly soft and flexible leather/suede strap, and it was pretty comfortable. It does sit proudly, so if you have tight cuffs, you might have some issues.
This is one I wore in the WFH setup, as well as in to the office. It worked well for it all. And sure, I prefer stuff closer to 40mm these days, but when I started writing about watches, it was all about over 42mm cases made from steel, so I’m used to bigger, heavier watches on the wrist. So, for me it worked, and the combination of colors from the materials gives a look that can be either warm or cool, depending on how you style it.
Wrapping things up
So, who is the Cuervo y Sobrinos Rough Riders for? We think it’s really for someone who likes the Rough Riders era of American history, or is really into the Spanish-American War. Past that – while the styling is unique – we can’t imagine someone not knowing that history being happy about putting $4,800 down on the counter to put this on their wrist.
If that’s you, you’ll be part of a select club. Only 125 of these have been made. So, that means when you see one out in the wild, you’ll be identifying a very particular type of history aficionado. You can check out more over at cuervoysobrinos.usa.com
Cuervo y Sobrinos Rough Riders Tech Specs
- MOVEMENT
- CYS 5103, base Soprod M100, 11 ½’’’
- Automatic
- Diameter: 25.6 mm
- Height: 3.60 mm
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- 25 jewels
- Frequency: 28800 A/h
- Finished oscillating weight with applied logo
- CASE
- Titanium and bronze
- Diameter: 45mm
- Height: 12.4mm
- Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistant to 5 ATM
- Screwed see-though case back with a depiction of a cavalryman holding a US flag
- DIAL
- Green dial with SLN (Super-LumiNova®) GL old tritium Arabic numerals
- 11 x SLN dots, a CyS emblem at 12 o’clock
- Nickel double swords ‘Rough Riders’ emblem
- Stamped pattern at centre of dial, presented in relief.
- STRAP: Calf Barbour style
- BUCKLE: pin buckle featuring aged treatment and engraved with CyS emblem
- FUNCTIONS: hours, minutes, centre seconds and date
