Piaget, Passion & Polo: The Swiss Watchmaker Is Tacking to Victory With Its Own Piaget Polo Team
What do polo and watches have in common? Piaget. The haute horlogerie company has been known for watches tied to the sport of kings since 1979. It began with the Piaget Polo, a brushed gold watch with a linear feel that soon adorned the wrists of many a jetsetter. To celebrate the Piaget Polo’s 30th birthday and take the concept to the next level, the company released the FortyFive collection in 2009. The collection includes a Lady’s update on the original in rose gold and a sporty rubber and titanium model that looks great on the polo field.
To add to the superlative timepieces, after three decades of sponsoring the sport of kings, it now has a superlative polo team. The foursome is comprised of the famous brothers Pieres: Facundo, Gonzalo, Nicolás, and their brother-in-law, Mariano Aguerre. Facundo is currently ranked the number two player in the world while Gonzalo and Nicolás are numbers six and seven, respectively. They play under the name of Ellerstina Piaget and were famous for their black shirts, even before they were adorned with the name “Piaget.”
“Black is my favorite color and for me, it represents the team very well,” says Facundo looking down at the sporty black timepiece on his wrist. “They’ve been very supportive to us and our team,” he continues. “We always admired the brand. We all like watches and loved the idea of having a sponsorship by Piaget for the team. Now that it is happening, we are very happy. Piaget has never won the Open so I really want to do that for them.” The Pieres brothers are prodigies of Argentina’s polo dynasty that began with their father, the legendary Gonzalo Pieres Sr. “When we were kids, we used to watch our dad a lot,” Gonzalo recalls. “He was one of the best players at that time, if not the best. I was really proud of him. It was always a dream to become a polo player professionally and while everything does come quite naturally [with the sport], we do try very hard.” “It’s a sport with a lot of passion. We have a connection with the horses and we are all together. It’s a really nice sport for sure,” says Nicolás.
So how does it feel for them to play against each other as they occasionally do? Gonzalo explains, “I prefer not to play against them because it is a dangerous game and it’s much better to not play against your brothers, but sometimes you have to. But when I get to the field, I want to win. I try to anticipate what they are thinking so I use what I know to my advantage.” Polo isn’t the only ball-and-stick sport the brothers excel at. When it comes to golf their handicaps are almost as good, even if the tables are a bit turned. Nicolás and Gonzalo are close to scratch with each boasting a 2 handicap, while Facundo trails. Gonzalo says, “We started playing with my father and now every time we can, we play a round together.”
They especially enjoy playing Trump International in West Palm Beach almost as much as they enjoy polo at the International Polo Club in Wellington, FL. “I enjoy playing here,” says Nico. “It’s really competitive and anyone can beat anyone here. Next to Argentina, it’s one of the best places to come to play polo.” And they have many places to play. The players travel all around the globe for games both on the Ellerstina Piaget team and other matches on other teams, ping-ponging between championships all over the world from tournaments in the United States to the U.A.E., France, England, Venezuela, Spain and Argentina. The must-stops, of course, include the Piaget World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen and the Piaget Gold Cup in Wellington.
