Spectacular sporting flairThe Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad in the best possible hands
Hublot was well represented this weekend in Gstaad, at the polo field set up especially for the occasion beside the airport of the Bernese Alps. The Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad, Switzerland's biggest polo tournament, enjoyed the newly-returned summer heat. The teams, which each had an overall handicap of 18, distinguished themselves with their spectacular sporting flair under these optimal conditions.
The watchmaking brand Hublot, as well as being the main sponsor of the tournament, also supported a team comprising 3 Argentinian players and one Italian. Their handicaps ranged from 1 to 7. Gualtiero Giori, Francesco Menendez, Eduardo Menendez and Julio Coria did Hublot proud, by qualifying for the final on Saturday afternoon in a very tight match against Team Gstaad Palace. To cheer on the Hublot team, the Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver, as well as the Managing Director Ricardo Guadalupe, were in attendance beside the field with their families, guests, customers and friends. Won over by the values conveyed by this sport, they were keen to reassert the affinities between Hublot and polo, such as tradition, precision, perfection, elegance and above all unity, a concept close to the brand's heart!
Providing a spectacle with guaranteed excitement to delight the guests, this event with a typically Swiss colour and flavour was embellished by a party in a high-altitude restaurant where all enjoyed the chance to savour the local specialities and even have a go on the Alpine Horn in the company of the players. Sunday saw Team Bank Baring Brothers Sturdza SA emerging victorious in the final, beating Team Hublot by one point by scoring the Golden Goal after an additional chukker. Every player received a Big Bang automatic chronograph, with the logo of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad engraved on the caseback: a highly coveted trophy which made the players happy and doubtless very proud to now wear the same timepiece as the brand's Argentinian ambassadors, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Facundo Pieres, two of the world's best players.
Jean-Claude Biver, delighted by the fine sport although Team Hublot so narrowly fell short, declared: "I always appreciate the chance to attend this tournament, which is held in an exceptional setting. This backdrop of the mountains, with the perfect organisation that we owe to Pierre Genecand, is a delight every time! Congratulations and thank you to all!"
Pierre Genecand, Chairman of the Polo Club Gstaad, was also delighted with this 3rd edition under the Hublot name: "Once again we have been spoiled by the weather, but above all thanks to the loyalty shown by Hublot and the other sponsors, we have been able to maintain the very high level of this tournament and repeat the success already achieved in the last few years. The participants are delighted, and always appreciate the chance to contest the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad."