Cuervo y Sobrinos Chronograph Aga Blue Classic

Cuervo y Sobrinos has introduced a new timepiece, the Chronograph Aga Blue Classic, that channels the spirit of vintage motoring. This watch is designed as a direct nod to the romance of classic road trips, aiming to evoke the sensory details of mid-century grand tourers, from the patina of worn leather seats to the precision of analog dashboard instruments. It’s a mechanical chronograph that wraps a specific automotive history in the brand’s unique Swiss-Cuban identity. The watch heavily leans on a specific color palette and set of materials to build this narrative, connecting the function of a sports timer to the aesthetic of a bygone motoring era.



The design inspiration is specific, drawing from the feel of polished wood dashboards, the gleam of chrome, and the tactile nature of a steering wheel warmed by the sun. The Chronograph Aga Blue Classic attempts to bottle this feeling, translating it into a wearable format. The entire concept hinges on this transportation of nostalgia, using color and texture to remind the wearer of analog gauges and the mechanical feedback of a classic car. It’s a watch built around a story of motion, precision, and a particular period in automotive design.



To understand a watch from Cuervo y Sobrinos, one must first understand the brand's unusual history. The company was founded in Havana, Cuba, in 1882. This origin story is central to its identity, setting it apart from the purely Swiss-based manufacturers. For decades, Cuervo y Sobrinos wasn't just a watchmaker but a premier luxury retailer in the Caribbean, a destination for wealthy patrons, celebrities, and adventurers who passed through the vibrant city of Havana. This "Latin soul" is a core part of the brand's marketing and design language.



This heritage gives the brand a unique narrative. While many watchmakers speak of alpine workshops and uninterrupted generational traditions, Cuervo y Sobrinos's story includes the glamour of 1940s and 50s Havana. This history was interrupted, and the brand was eventually revived, establishing its modern headquarters and manufacturing in Switzerland. This move created a hybrid identity: the precision and mechanical standards of Swiss watchmaking fused with the warmer, more expressive character of its Cuban roots.



This new chronograph is a clear product of that dual identity. The mechanical internals are thoroughly Swiss, but the watch's personality is all about expressive storytelling. The name itself, "Aga Blue Classic," is a direct reference to a very specific piece of automotive history. This isn't just a generic "racing watch"; it's a specific tribute. The color "Aga Blue," or "Agablau" in German, is a famous, deep petrol-blue shade used by Porsche in the 1960s, most notably on the iconic 911 models. It was a color (code 6608) that represented understated performance.



By choosing this specific and somewhat niche historical color for the dial, the brand anchors the watch to the golden era of motorsport. It’s a deliberate choice meant to resonate with enthusiasts who appreciate both classic cars and mechanical timepieces. The watch becomes a wearable piece of that specific history, tying its identity to the sophistication and speed associated with those legendary vehicles.



The case of the Chronograph Aga Blue Classic is crafted from stainless steel and features a fully polished finish. It measures 41 mm in diameter, a versatile size that sits comfortably in the modern-classic category, appealing to a wide range of wearers. Perhaps more telling of its character is the height, which comes in at 15.24 mm. This thickness is largely dictated by the automatic chronograph movement inside and gives the watch a substantial, robust presence on the wrist, feeling more like a tool or an instrument than a slim dress piece.



The case construction includes a double-curved sapphire crystal, which has an anti-reflective coating to aid legibility. This curvature can often create pleasing, subtle visual distortions at the dial's edge, a trait common in vintage watches that used acrylic crystals. The watch is rated for 5 ATM (50 meters) of water resistance, making it perfectly capable of handling daily wear, splashes, and rain, though it is not intended for swimming. The lugs have a sculpted, flowing shape that integrates cleanly with the round case body.



Visually, the dial is the centerpiece of the watch's narrative. The main surface is finished in that deep Aga Blue, serving as the backdrop for the chronograph functions. The layout is a classic 12-6-9 "tricompax" configuration. However, the brand made a distinct choice to only render the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock sub-dials in a contrasting silver-white. This vertical alignment of the counters gives the watch a "bi-compax" or "panda" style appearance at a glance, prioritizing the chronograph's elapsed time registers.



The 12 o'clock sub-dial is the 30-minute counter, while the 6 o'clock sub-dial tracks the elapsed hours, up to 12. Tucked neatly into this 6 o'clock counter is a date window, a practical feature that is well-integrated without requiring a separate, dial-cutting aperture. The 9 o'clock sub-dial is for the running small seconds, and it is finished in the same Aga Blue as the main dial, allowing it to blend in and let the chronograph functions stand out.



What truly activates the dial's automotive theme is the use of bright orange accents. This color, reminiscent of the stitching on vintage leather racing gloves or seats, is applied with precision. The central chronograph seconds hand is a sleek silver shaft with a bright orange tip. More prominently, the small hands within the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock sub-dials are fashioned as bold orange arrows, making them immediately readable against their silver-white background.



This orange highlight is also used on the outer flange of the dial, which contains the tachymeter scale—a requisite feature for any racing-inspired chronograph, used for calculating speed over a fixed distance. The primary hour markers are large, applied Arabic numerals at 2, 4, 8, and 10, with applied indices for the other hours. The main hour and minute hands are polished, leaf-shaped (or "feuille") hands filled with Super-Luminova for low-light visibility.



Powering the Chronograph Aga Blue Classic is the CYS 5100 movement, which is based on the venerable Valjoux 7750. This is one of the most successful and widely used automatic chronograph movements in the history of Swiss watchmaking. First introduced in the 1970s, it is revered for its reliability, robustness, and ease of service. It’s a true workhorse caliber that has powered countless sports watches over the decades.



The Valjoux 7750 operates at a modern frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), which translates to a smooth 8-tick-per-second sweep for the chronograph hand and provides a good foundation for accuracy. The movement is built with 25 jewels and offers a power reserve of 48 hours, a solid standard that will keep the watch running for two full days off the wrist.



One of the 7750's defining characteristics is its cam-and-lever system for operating the chronograph, as opposed to a more intricate column wheel. This system is known for being durable and cost-effective to produce, and it gives the chronograph pushers a firm, decisive "click" when actuated. Many enthusiasts also note the "wobble" of the 7750's unidirectional rotor, a trait that lets the wearer feel the movement at work on their wrist.



Cuervo y Sobrinos has not hidden this workhorse movement. The watch is equipped with a screwed see-through case back fitted with a sapphire crystal. This exhibition window reveals the automatic caliber inside, which has received some brand-specific finishing. The oscillating weight (rotor) features a fan decoration and is adorned with a 3N (yellow gold colored) CyS emblem. The case back crystal also features a printed "Aga Blu Classic" logo.



Complementing the watch head is a strap explicitly designed to reinforce the motoring theme. It is a black perforated calf leather strap, often called a "rally" or "driving" strap. This style, with its large perforations, was originally designed to allow for ventilation and comfort during spirited driving.



The strap is given a crucial visual link to the dial through its contrast stitching. Bright orange thread is used along the edges of the strap, perfectly matching the orange accents on the dial's hands and tachymeter scale. This color coordination ties the entire package together. The strap is secured with a stainless steel folding buckle, which is more secure than a traditional pin buckle and helps reduce wear on the leather. This deployant clasp is engraved with the Cuervo y Sobrinos emblem.



This is not a standard production watch. The Cuervo y Sobrinos Chronograph Aga Blue Classic is a limited edition of only 82 pieces. This small production run makes it a fairly exclusive item for collectors. The number "82" is a clear reference to the brand's founding year of 1882. As is traditional for the brand, the watch is delivered in a distinctive package: a standard humidor box, paying final homage to its Cuban heritage.



The Chronograph Aga Blue Classic is priced at $5,700.00. For this, the buyer receives a watch that is less about pushing technical boundaries and more about celebrating a very specific aesthetic. It’s a piece for the enthusiast who has a crossover interest in classic automotive design, particularly from the 1960s. It combines a legendary Swiss chronograph movement with a unique color story and the brand's distinctive Havana-meets-Switzerland heritage.



Case: Stainless steel, 41 mm diameter, 15.24 mm height. Double curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Screwed see-through case back with sapphire crystal. Water resistant to 5 ATM.

Movement: Automatic Valjoux 7750. 30 mm diameter, 7.90 mm height. 48-hour power reserve, 25 jewels, 28,800 A/h. Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds (9h), date (6h), chronograph with 30-minute (12h) and 12-hour (6h) counters.

Dial: Aga blue with silver contrast counters at 12h and 6h. Silver leaf-shaped hour/minute hands with Super-Luminova®. Orange tipped central chronograph hand. Orange arrow hands on 12h and 6h sub-dials.

Strap: Black perforated calf "driving style" strap with orange stitching. Stainless steel folding buckle engraved with CyS emblem.

Price: $5,700.00

Reference Number: 3141.1AB

Notes: Limited Edition of 82 pieces. The dial color is inspired by the "Aga Blue" (Agablau) paint used on 1960s Porsche 911 models. Comes in a standard humidor box.