Longines Yellow Gold Conquest Calendar Watch Ref. 9005 with Original Papers from Cuba

In the late 1950s Cuba was changing. Fidel Castro began consolidating power and ushering in a new era of communism. The revolution created hundreds of thousands of new refugees, many from Cubas educated upper class who were forced to leave their lives and belongings behind, bringing only what they were wearing. One of those people was Antonio Serra who, in September 1960, took what money he could free up and walked in to Cuervo y Sobrinos in Havana. Serra purchased this yellow gold Longines Conquest so that he could come the U.S. with at least something of monetary value. The watch was rarely worn and stored away with the original warranty. Stories like these are why we are so passionate about vintage watches; they tell a lot more than just the time and date.