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Top -  Late 1940’s MiniMax watch.

Top - A view at the Swiss made AS 1130 mechanical movement with Incabloc of the late 1940’s MiniMax.

The history of the wristwatch brand MiniMax dates back to the early 1900s. However, to truly understand its origins and the heritage behind the name, one must go back to 1881—the birth year of Policarpo Suárez Canto. Born in Entralgo, a parish of Laviana in Asturias, northern Spain, Policarpo would later lay the foundation for a family of esteemed watchmakers and watchsmiths.

In 1898, Policarpo Suárez set sail for Cuba at the request of his brother, an officer in the Spanish army. Years later, his travels led him to Guatemala City, where commerce flourished under the enduring influence of Spain’s early colonial presence. There, he found work in a watch and jewelry store, becoming an apprentice to a Swiss watchsmith. Under his mentor’s guidance, he mastered the intricacies of watchmaking.

While in Guatemala, Policarpo married Lucia Richard, also of Spanish descent, and together they had two sons—Federico Suárez Richard and José María Suárez Richard. By 1900, he returned to La Felguera, Spain, with his sons and established La Esmeralda, a watch store that remains in operation to this day.

As they grew up, José María and his brother worked alongside their father at La Esmeralda, where José María became a skilled watchsmith. During the rise of the Industrial Revolution, the Tavannes Swiss Watch Company began producing thousands of blank-dial wristwatches, which were then sold to companies that branded them under their own names. Among these was MiniMax, a brand distributed by the Suárez family in Spain during the early 1900s.

Between the 1920s and 1930s, José María traveled frequently between Guatemala, Spain, Cuba, and Switzerland for business. Eventually, in the 1940s, he settled in Guatemala City, where he started a family. In 1940, a devastating fire consumed the Tavannes factory in Switzerland, destroying countless timepieces and historical records. The factory was later rebuilt on a smaller scale, but by then, MiniMax watches were no longer in production.

In 1948, José María Suárez established his own watch business in the rapidly growing capital of Guatemala—Relojería La Suiza. It was from this store that the MiniMax brand was revived. José María imported high-quality Swiss-made components and personally assembled each timepiece under the MiniMax name.

Despite being assembled outside of Switzerland, MiniMax watches were still classified as Swiss-made, as 100% of their components originated from Switzerland. Moreover, each timepiece was crafted by José María Suárez, a Swiss-certified watchmaker. The brand thrived for nearly four decades.

However, in early 1984, José María Suárez passed away due to complications from a ruptured hernia. Following his death, none of his children continued the family business, leading to the dormancy of the MiniMax brand once again.

Having been surrounded by watches from an early age, a deep appreciation for their design, mechanics, and craftsmanship naturally developed. Over time, an effort was made to uncover historical records and gather insights from family members, but little information surfaced. Seeking further verification, contact was made with The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, which confirmed the existence of the name dating back to the early 1900s. Additionally, an inquiry to the Tavannes Watch Co. revealed that they had no record of the name, as they had produced thousands of watches without branding, allowing other companies to place their own names on the dials. Their manufacturing approach involved mass-producing a limited range of movements and cases for private-label retailers. It was during this research that the devastating fire that once consumed the Tavannes factory was also discovered.

The search for a functioning MiniMax timepiece continued. While some family friends who had owned one in the past only had photographs, no physical examples remained. Eventually, an original MiniMax watch was found online in A Coruña, Spain, through a local resale platform. Due to Spanish export and internet sales regulations, acquiring the watch proved challenging. However, after overcoming these hurdles, the watch—one that had been originally built by a grandfather—was secured. To this day, this piece of history remains in working condition and keeps accurate time.

In early 2016, the MiniMax brand was re-established, leading to the development of its first new watch designs and prototypes. By late 2019, the inaugural production run was successfully launched. Today, Minimax Watches, LLC is headquartered and operates out of Houston, Texas. 

Top - Left to Right - Vintage Minimax, Minimax Entrepreneur, Minimax Evolution

 

Top - Minimax Engineer Prototype (watch was never mass manufactured).