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Continuing a long tradition, Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre is represented on the finest polo
fields by its ambassadors, fired up by sporting ambition. Within their various teams, they proudly sport the Reverso, designed over 80 years ago to be able to withstand blows while losing none of its elegance.

Lia Salvo is one of the world's best polo players. Born in Argentina, where she was quickly smitten with polo fever, her love of horses and sport led her to turn professional. Of her horses, she says that they possess "beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity... and all the human virtues, without their vices. Undoubtedly, the horse is man's greatest conquest. "

Success very quickly followed for this fine South American player (from Buenos Aires province). First in mixed teams, where she excelled alongside players such as the Merlos brothers, then in women's tournaments, she turned out to be one of the most talented players of her generation. She has chalked up one tournament after another, from Argentina to Malaysia and Great Britain. In December 2011 she was ranked as one of the world's five best players.

Rather reserved when out of the saddle, she is strongly assertive on horseback, where her
accuracy and efficiency continue to contribute to the success of her team. For these qualities, Jaeger-LeCoultre is proud to count Lia among the Friends of the Brand.


Q & A with Lia Salvo

1. What makes polo such a particular sport?
I believe polo is one of the most complete sports, that joins not only the skills of a good
rider on a horse but also the talent to hit a ball with a mallet at full speed.

2. How are elegance and feminity put forward through polo?
They deal together really well. Polo is a very elegant sport itself, that allows us women
not to lose femininity when practicing it. Nowadays there is a new generation of players
that not only worry about heating the ball or playing well, but also keeping their most
important thing, which is being a woman.

3. How strong is your relationship to your ponies?
I think that is the main relationship in polo and is the one that lets you improve in this game. I believe that in polo history the best players had been those who had been amazing riders more than those skillful with the ball. So in my opinion, to succeed at polo you have to have the best connection possible with the horse. In my case, it’s an everyday work to keep my relationship with the horses alive. Same as me, horses have
their own days and none of them is like the one before, although I've been playing them
for a long time. When I play abroad I have to get used to my new string of horses as
fast as possible and establish this relationship to get better use of them in the field. This
is the only way to get good results in a game.

4. You are breeding your own ponies. Do you have a special way to educate and train
them?
My father had been breeding for some years and I am also into it. Breeding is an art
that takes lot of time to see results. That's what makes it so interesting. Everything starts
with the "imprinting" when they are born. This stage is when I introduce myself to the
foal for the first time. At the age of three we bring them in, at four we show them a
mallet and a ball, we start to stick and ball them, until they play their first chuckers.
although they are playing it doesn't mean the work is finished, it takes a couple of
seasons, depending on each horse, to become a "polo pony".

5. What makes Argentinian polo ponies so much better than others? And Argentinian
players?
I think the biggest reason is that Argentina is one of the cheapest countries to keep a
horse, there is plenty of land around and many horse being breed every year. Having
such a big production of horses, the percentage of good horses is really high. What is
also true, that in my country there is a very strong horse culture that is transmitted
generation by generation. Most of the players start riding at the age of four, and start
playing their first chuckers when they are ten, that’s what make Argentinian
players different.

6. Polo is a traditional sport. What has changed the most in recent years? And especially
within Ladies polo?
Polo, as every other sport, passed several transformations. One of the main ones happened when it became a professional sport many years ago. However for ladies polo is something quite new. Nowadays women players are taking things seriously. Being a professional player requires having a good organization behind, a very good team work
and the best string of horses possible.

7. Do you have a special way to get prepared before the games? Like a superstitious
thing?
I like going to the field with all my equipment cleaned and organized. I enjoy arriving on
time to a game, and being the first one to get on the horse. I would say my superstition
is to listen to a good song that really inspires me on the way to the field.

8. What is your favorite role on the field?
I enjoy very much playing attack position, but when I play women’s polo I usually play
more at the back, as number 3 or 4, keeping the goals and organizing the team, this is a
job I've learned to enjoy as well.

9. Which destination is your favorite to play a tournament?
I pretty much enjoy playing anywhere I'm a big fan of new cultures, and I always make
my time to visit every place I go. But I have to say I really loved playing in the US, Palm
Beach from where I just arrived. I liked the weather, the fields are amazing and the
group of players is fantastic as well as the polo.

10. What is your relationship with time? Are you someone who always keeps track of time, being on time or on the contrary?
I love being on time. I always need to know what the time is, no matter where I am,
time is one of the main things to consider before, during and after a polo game.

11. 11. Tell us a few words about the Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece you wear and maybe a memorable moment of your life related to it?
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra lady is the timepiece I choose because it joins both
of my sides, the sportive one and the glamorous one. It is a watch I wear on the field
and off the field, at the most elegant places. I will never forget when I played a thirty
goals match in Sotogrande, with six of the top polo players in the world. I was the
captain of my team with Adolfo Cambiaso, Juan Martin Nero and David Stirling, who
years later, joined La Dolfina Polo Team, the latest winner of the Argentine Open. It
was my biggest pleasure to play for Jaeger-LeCoultre team with such amazing players.


Jaeger-LeCoultre, official watch sponsor of
The Polo Circuit in Malaysia

The Swiss watchmaker stamps its mark for the fifth time as the official timepiece partner for two major Polo tournaments

Kuala Lumpur, June 2012 – Jaeger-LeCoultre Malaysia conquers the polo circuit once again as official timepiece sponsor of the Malaysian International Polo Tournament and the Malaysian Ladies International Polo Championship 2012 for the fifth year running. On the polo fields, Jaeger-LeCoultre welcomes its Polo ambassador Lia Salvo.

The two world class tournaments took place on the historic ground of the Royal Selangor Polo Club located right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Open this year featured some of the top-class goalers from Argentina, Thailand and Singapore alongside polo players from Malaysia. The participating teams have displayed some of the best polo play in this region and showcased Malaysia as one of the growing esteemed polo nation.

After a week of excitement and challenge on the polo grounds, the final witnessed KotaSAS defeating The Royal Pahang to be crowned as the champion of the Malaysian International Polo Tournament. KotaSAS walked away with a whooping MYR50,000 worth of prizes including Jaeger-LeCoultre gift watch certificates, saddle blankets and other prizes from La Martina and Julius Baer.

Thai Polo claimed the 2nd runner up spot. This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre also presented the
tournament’s most outstanding player and best patron award to HRH Tengku Amir, who took home a specially engraved Reverso Grande Taille.

The Malaysian Ladies International Polo Championship had the pleasure to see Jaeger-LeCoultre brand ambassador Lia Salvo playing in the tournament. La Boheme battled the Jaeger-LeCoultre team in a highly competitive final. La Boheme claimed victory by inching the Jaeger-LeCoultre team to a 5-4 score line. Jaeger-LeCoultre team played exceptionally well to be awarded the most valuable player award and a specially engraved Grande Reverso Ultra Thin.

“Two years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre successfully organized the first ladies exhibition match in
Malaysia and this year saw the very first ladies tournament. The popularity of the sport has
increased tremendously in Malaysia and the introduction of the inaugural Jaeger-LeCoultre
Ladies International Polo Championship is timely this year. Jaeger-LeCoultre is committed to the development of polo in Malaysia and looks forward to a bigger tournament next year,” said Alexis-DeLaporte, Managing Director of South East Asia & Australia for Jaeger-LeCoultre.

“We are delighted to have two top five world polo lady professionals to take part in this championship. Firstly, is our very own young and talented polo professional Lía Salvo
representing the Jaeger-LeCoultre team and the renowned professional polo player Sunny Hale from the United States playing for La Boheme,” added DeLaporte.

In conjunction with the Malaysian Ladies International Polo Championship and the Golden
Goals Charity Cup, Jaeger-LeCoultre contributed a timepiece that is specially engraved with a pink lacquered ribbon in support of the Breast Cancer Welfare Association and the Tengku Azizah Fertility Foundation.

Over the years, the Reverso has evolved from being a sports watch, to an iconic classic of the Art Deco movement. The unification of sports and fine watchmaking has produced this unique and legendary watch that embodies all the key characteristics of all fits: universality, practicality, fine craftsmanship and pure sophistication.

Jaeger-LeCoultre and the world of polo
No watch can claim to be closer to the world of polo than Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso. It was designed in 1931 at the request of British players in the Indian Army, who had had enough of having their watches shattered during their games. The famous reversible case was invented to protect the dial and the glass, exposing the metal back to possible shocks. Ever since, the ties between the legendary swivelling case and polo have remained ingrained in the very fibers of the Reverso, which has proved capable of constantly evolving and adapting to each new era. Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre is more closely linked to polo than ever, through regular sportingpartnerships in a number of countries thanks to it’s internationally recognized ambassadors. Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassadors display their brilliant skills in the world's greatest competitions.

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre
A major player in watchmaking history since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre is the first Manufacture to have been established in the Vallee de Joux, Switzerland. It played a pioneering role by uniting the full range of technical and artistic professions under one roof and made an indelible imprint on the watchmaking development of the entire region. The Manufacture has an impressive range of world firsts, superlative creations and legendary models to its credit, including the Reverso, the Duoplan, the Master Control, the Memovox Polaris, the Gyrotourbillon and the Atmos. Guided by time-honored know-how and a constant quest for technical enhancements, the master-watchmakers, engineers and technicians craft each watch in harmony with the same passion. Each masterpiece, heir to 178 years of expertise, benefits from cutting-edge technologies while being crafted in harmony with the noblest traditions of the Vallée de Joux. Building on a vast heritage encompassing 1,231 calibres and 398 registered patents, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains the reference in high-end watchmaking.


Original Language: English