The New Ellerstina Piaget Team Makes its Debut

The New Ellerstina Piaget Team Makes its Debut 

Piaget, the Haute Horlogerie Manufacture, shares a mutual passion with the world of polo that has a history of nearly 35 years. Piaget has been part of some of the most significant milestones in polo’s history.  The enthusiasm around the next Triple Crown Tournament is here once again, in which the legendary “black shirts” will be displaying the Piaget logo on their shirts. This is the beginning of a new era where Ellerstina and Piaget join forces to shine. 

The Ellerstina Piaget team will compete in the next 2013 Triple Crown Tournament in the upcoming Tortugas, Hurlingham and Palermo Open. The new team will be, without a doubt, a key player in the upcoming season of “big polo” which begins on September 24th and lasts until December 7th.  

The team with a total of 39 handicap, is comprised of Facundo, Gonzalo and Nicolás Pieres, with Mariano Aguerre completing the quartet. The new Ellerstina Piaget was introduced officially in an unforgettable event and it is getting ready to defend the winner’s title once again. 

Piaget has been associated with the sport of kings for over three decades. In 1979 Piaget presented a distinctive, innovative and fashionable collection that created a revolution in the international jet-set community: the legendary Piaget Polo. Thirty years later, in 2009 to celebrate the 30th anniversary, Piaget once again introduced a new collection that became an instant success: the Piaget Polo FortyFive, representing elegance, boldness and sportiness; all embodying the spirit of polo while proudly maintaining its status as a watch icon that appeals to the most demanding connoisseurs of Fine Watchmaking.

In 2013, the bond between Piaget and the polo world and its fans – takes a new turn by becoming the La Ellerstina sponsor. Each player will wear with nobility the Piaget brand on their backs, perfectly blending the success of the two entities and illustrating them as the leader, making the greatest plays, most courageous stunts, jumps and runs along with the spirited attacks that define the game which will surely lead to yet another championship.  This association is the natural and perfect culmination of La Ellerstina’s success and Piaget’s strong and profound presence in the Palermo Open and in the polo world.  

Piaget has participated in tournaments in the US, Argentina, China and throughout Europe. Piaget hosted Gold Cup in Palm Beach, the brand is the principal partner of the International Polo Club of Palm Beach since 2006. 

A Brief History of Piaget and Polo

The Piaget brand pioneered sponsorship of elite sports under the direction of Mr. Yves G. Piaget, by associating its name with the world of polo in the early 1980s. Dedicated to promoting this extreme sport which reflects its own values of bold and daring, high standards and faultless accuracy – Piaget has been involved in the world of polo at Palm Beach from the start, initially by supporting the World Cup and now by sponsoring the famous USPA Gold Cup named after it. 

Piaget has also been present at Punta del Este for several years, by supporting the tournament held at the prestigious Medellin club. It has succeeded in enriching the sport with its very own aura of glamour and its sense of generosity. In the 1980s, Chukkers for Charity, a team composed of movie and TV stars, was engaged in spectacular fund-raising efforts under the Piaget colors. This was a first in the polo world and has left an indelible mark on the collective memory of the sport, including their surprising and unexpected horse-back appearance on New York’s 5th Avenue in 1985.

Since its founding in 1874, Piaget embodies a unique know-how combined with abundant creativity. From the famous ultra-thin Calibre 9P created in the 1950s to the world’s thinnest tourbillon movement, Calibre 600P, the exceptional talent of the Piaget craftsmen lies in their ability to reinvent time-honored horological techniques. Originally a movement manufacturer, the Maison has not merely chosen to apply its rigorous quality criteria and its keen sense of innovation to the hidden part of timepieces. Instead, making a clean break with the accepted codes of its profession, it has made a major contribution to watchmaking by offering a new way of wearing time, endowing watches with a stunning array of precious and original cases, wristbands and dials. Piaget has patiently cultivated this jewelry expertise within its workshops over the decades, paving the way for amazing projects – a true delight for the brand’s designers who express their boundless creativity through both watches and jewelry.

Ellerstina Polo Team

Over the past twenty years, Ellerstina became one of the most important teams in the history of polo. With different formations (Gonzalo Pieres’s father, Adolfito Cambiaso, Carlos Gracida, Lolo Castagnola and Novillo Astrada, among others), have won 23 Triple Crown tournaments: 10 in Tortugas, 7 in Hurlingham and 6 in the Argentine Open in Palermo.

The Players

Facundo Pieres

Date of birth: 05/19/1986

Handicap: 10 (since 2005)

Statistics in the Palermo Open:

Debut: 2003

Played: 10

Goals: 256

4 times finalist: (2005 – 2007 – 2009 to 2011)

3 times champion: (2008 – 2010-2012)

PROFILE: Facundo Pieres, Handicap: 10 goals is talented, dedicated and young. The second son of Gonzalo Pieres and Cecilia Rodríguez Piola, despite his young age, is considered one of the best polo players worldwide.

Facundo has won the most significant tournaments around the world and is sought out by major brands to associate their image with his.  He is the polo player with one of the best projections and the most visible face of this new generation of players.  Facundo Pieres’ career has been mostly divided between Argentina, United States and England. He also competes in other countries such as France or Spain as his presence is requested by many organizations from different locations.

Facundo Pieres in 2013: He has won all the tournaments he has played to date; he won the Nations Cup representing Argentina (together with Gonzalo Pieres), the U.S. Open in Palm Beach (for the 2nd year in a row with the team Zacara), the Queen’s Cup in England (with the Zacara team), the Gold Cup Final against Dubai, the Silver Cup and Gold Cup in Sotogrande (both with the Ellertson team).  He managed an unbeaten 19 games. 

Gonzalo Pieres 

Date of birth: 12/17/1982

Handicap: 10 (since 2005)

Team: Ellerstina.

Statistics in the Palermo Open:

Debut: 1999

Played: 15

4 times finalist: (2005 – 2007 – 2009 to 2011)

3 times champion: (2008 – 2010-2012)

PROFILE: Gonzalito, Handicap: 10 goals, was born on December 17, 1982 in Buenos Aires raised in a family of polo players.  He is the eldest son of the polo legend Gonzalo Pieres and his wife Cecilia Rodríguez Piola. His siblings are Tatiana Pieres (married to Mariano Aguerre), Facundo Pieres, Nicolas Pieres and Cecilia Pieres.

He debuted in the Argentine Polo Open Championship in 1999 with Ellerstina every year. After losing the Argentina Open final in 2005 and 2007 (always extra chukka), the Ellerstina team is considered a strong match for the team of La Dolfina and in 2008 they exceeded expectations.  La Dolfina 13-12 beaten by a golden goal in extra chukker made by Gonzalito.

Other teams he played for are Audi, Loro Piana, Outback, Ellertson and Black Watch. He has won tournaments in Sotogrande (Spain), Deauville (France) and England. In 2008, he won the Argentine Open Polo Black Label Ellerstina and the Queen’s Cup for the first time with Ellertson. In 2010, with his brother Facundo, Pablo Mac Donough and Juanma Nero, Ellerstina won the Triple Crown in Argentina, winning the Palermo Argentinean Open final beating Adolfo Cambiaso’s La Dolfina.

Gonzalo Pieres in 2013: In April he represented Argentina and won the Nations Cup (with Facundo Pieres).  They played in Palermo against a team comprised of players from around the world.  In Sotogrande, Spain, he won the Silver Cup with the Ellertson team (together with Facundo Pieres). In late August he won the Gold Cup with the Ellertson team again with Facundo Pieres.

Nicolás Pieres

Date: 1/15/1991

Handicap: 9

Team: Sao Jose and Ellerstina (2011)

Statistics in the Palermo Open:

Debut: 2010

Played: 3

1 time finalist (2011)

1 time champion (2012)

PROFILE: Nicolás Pieres – Handicap in Argentina: 9 goals, Position: No. back (4) . Titles: Palermo Open 2012. 2012 Tortugas Open, Tortugas Open 2011, Jockey Open 2006, U.S. Open 2009, USPA Gold Cup (USA) 2011 Gold Cup in Sotogrande (Spain) 2010, House of Representatives Cup 2008, Open Forum 2006, 2005 and 2006 Intercollegiate.

Mariano Aguerre

Date: 5/25/1969

Spread: 10 (1998) (2005) (2013)

Team: Ellerstina

Statistics in the Palermo Open:

Aguerre began playing professionally in 1986 (in 1987 he won the USPA World Cup), and reached the 10-goal handicap in 1998. He won Palermo 8 times and was a finalist 3 times. He played 18 times in the Palermo Open.

He was the Argentine Open champion nine times: Ellerstina (1994, 1997 and 1998), Indian Chapaleufú I (2001) and La Dolfina (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009), Ellerstina (2012), played the Triple Crown for Ellerstina, which shone during the decade of the 90s.

It is unnecessary to introduce Mariano Aguerre to those familiar with polo.  In this underworld it is known that he is one of the best polo players in the last two decades. Mariano won the most important title of world polo eight times (the Argentine Open) and did so with three different teams: Ellerstina (1994, 1997 and 1998), Indios Chapaleufú I (2001) and La Dolfina (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009). Among the active players, he is only surpassed by Adolfito Cambiaso, who has nine.

Aguerre started playing polo in 1986, and in 1998 reached the 10-goal handicap. In 2009, after winning the Argentine Open with his goal in extra chukker, he took the surprising decision to leave the team. “I was afraid that one more year in La Dolfina would be too much. We had won several times fairly, even with a little luck, and I thought: what is next, if we lose a game will we then have a fight? The best thing that could happen to us as a team was a change so I decided to step aside. I talked to them and everything was all right.”

In 2010 he took risks and joined the Alegría team, who had no direct access to Hurlingham and the Palermo Open. It was an unusual situation: one committed polo player, with a handicap of 10 goals, playing a qualifying championship. For two years, Aguerre took over the team which led him to the last two tournaments of the Triple Crown. In the battle with the best Argentine polo quartets, he rescued three wins against Indios Chapaleufú II but suffered a defeat of 10-9 goals.

At the end of the 2011 season, after thirteen years, he returned to Ellerstina, which was one of the two super teams (the other was La Dolfina) who played the last five Argentine Open finals. His relationship with the Pieres was not limited to being a team member with Gonzalo, Facundo and Nicolás.  Mariano is married and has three children with Tatiana Pieres, Gonzalo’s daughter.