Independents

When I bought this last October I had an enjoyable conversation with CEO Massimo Rossi. He shared a 45-minute film on the history of CyS (and asked me not to pass it on as it was under embargo at the time). It's a fine documentary: grounded in and sensitive to Cuban voices in its watch market, former employees, cultural and economic historians, and more. In fact in parts its genuinely moving. The company is small and perhaps because of this has still made a real effort to restore the last functioning premises of the CyS in Havana. It's very nicely done.

I would love to see, for instance, Patek Philippe back an editorially independent film on the contribution that Gondolo e Labouriau made to its success for three decades at the beginning of the last century. This would be far more interesting than the usual brand-centric narratives. CyS and GeL - together with Serpico y Laino in Venezuela - were giants that played a crucial part in the fortunes of some of today's most vaunted brands. CyS itself established a footprint in France, Germany and Switzerland when it evolved from jewellery to watch retail to watch manufacturer. It always was - and continues to be - a Swiss watch manufacturer but one with a quite unique origin.

The Flameante is based on a 1950s reference and uses the same movement as its forebear. I don't recall offhand its name but its manufacturer was eventually bought out, and then the new owners were bought out by ETA. Metal for metal however it's the same movement, if not quite as exact as the Landeron that CyS brought forward for use in some of its other watches. Suffice to say that the placement of the small seconds is historically accurate, if not to everyone's tastes today.

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