News Central

In 2013, Jaeger-LeCoultre enjoys the honour of becoming the official sponsor and timekeeper of the 120th Argentine Polo Open of Palermo – the oldest polo tournament in the world, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. From November 16th to December 7th 2013, polo aficionados will be able to enjoy this fascinating championship featuring three weeks of competition pitting the world's eight best teams against each other.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, official sponsor of

the 120th Argentine Polo Open of Palermo

The event created in 1893 was initially named the River Plate Polo Championship and acquired its definitive name in 1923 when the River Plate Polo Association became the Argentine Polo Association. Ever since, the Open of Palermo is held each year at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo, a Buenos Aires district popularly known as the "Cathedral of polo". The polo stadium can accommodate up to 16,000 spectators during the tournament around the two grass playing fields providing an oasis of greenery amid the Buenos Aires skyscrapers.

Jaeger-LeCoultre will be involved in all the key moments of this tournament. An area dedicated to the world of the Manufacture and of polo will host spectators at the various matches.

The Triple Crown

Organised by the Argentine Polo Association (AAP), the Argentine Polo Open of Palermo is the world's most prestigious polo tournament. Together with the Tortugas Open-Argentina and the Hurlingham, the Argentine Polo Open of Palermo form the famous Argentine Triple Crown, one of the most spectacular and eagerly awaited fixtures on the annual polo calendar and reserved exclusively for teams with a 28 to 40-goal handicap.

Jaeger-LeCoultre and the polo world

No watch can claim to be as closely linked to the world of polo as the Reverso by Jaeger- LeCoultre. It was created in 1931 at the request of British colonial army officers in India who were tired of seeing their watches damaged by their polo matches – thereby sparking the invention of the famous swivelling case that protected the glass and dial by exposing only the metal back to potential knocks. Ever since, the ties between the legendary reversible case and polo have remained deeply embedded in the DNA of the Reverso watch, which has constantly evolved and adapted to changing times. Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre is more inseparably bound up than ever with polo through its regular involvement in sporting partnerships around the world thanks to its internationally recognised ambassadors such as Argentinean polo player Eduardo Novillo Astrada.

"The Reverso is the watch that means Polo. For me there is no other watch that is more related to polo. I am very lucky to wear my Jaeger-LeCoultre Squadra: it helps me not to be late! I share several values with Jaeger-LeCoultre: team work, passion, elegance – and for me

most importantly of all, a family atmosphere". Jaeger-LeCoultre Ambassador, Eduardo Novillo Astrada.

For the past ten years, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been supporting polo players and their teams in Argentina through polo-themed benefit dinners as well as various special day events.

Argentina and polo

First introduced into Argentina by British immigrants in the late 19th century, polo progressively became an integral part of the culture of the country, which has become the traditional home of the game. There is probably no more fitting image of Argentina than that of the Gauchos, the men of the central plains region of Argentina who work tirelessly to train the finest mounts: the small, agile and docile ponies of which some will take part in the most spectacular polo matches. The boys who grow up in the estancias, the vast ranch-type farming estates of South America, begin playing polo as soon as they are in the saddle.

Eduardo Novillo Astrada

In the course of his career, Eduoardo Novillo Astrada (9-goal handicap) has wielded his mallet on the most prestigious playing fields of the polo planet, earning one success after another. In 2003, he achieved an exceptional feat with his brothers by successively winning the Tortugas, Hurlingham and Palermo tournaments. This unique Grand Slam enabled the La Aguada team to win the Triple Crown and put its name in the polo history books. Edouardo enjoys a very special relationship with his horses, which he considers to be "the most extraordinary animals on earth; polo ponies are capable of doing anything you ask of them."

Coveted by the finest teams worldwide and despite frequent changes of polo pony during his matches (up to 14 in some tournaments), this polo legend keeps his Reverso firmly strapped to his wrist throughout his sporting accomplishments.

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. The Inventors of the Vallée de Joux.

A major player in watchmaking history since 1833 based in the Vallée de Joux (Switzerland), the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre currently houses the 180 skills required to entirely develop and produce the most prestigious timepieces. Driven by a uniquely inventive spirit, Jaeger-LeCoultre perpetuates the tradition of Grand Complication models illustrated by extraordinary creations and legendary watches such as the Reverso, the 101 watch, the Geophysic, the Memovox, the Master Control, the Gyrotourbillon, as well as the Atmos clock. Building on a vast heritage comprising 1,242 mechanical calibres and around 400 registered patents, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains the reference in the field of Fine Watchmaking.