Think of the game of polo and you think of the princes, presidents and A list celebrities that play the game and turn up in their exotic sports cars to cheer the players on. A whole world of unbridled bridle leather luxury has grown up around the sport, from the up market designs of Polo Ralph Lauren to the ingenious Reverso watch from Jaeger-Le Coultre.
But if you were expecting the makers of the world’s finest polo boots to be working in Swiss haute horology style pristine cleanliness and comfort, well you would be in for a shock. The workshops of Casa Fagliano – for it is this small company in Buenos Aires Argentina that do indeed make the world’s finest boots – work in a state of higgeldly piggledy old timey disarray. Their workshops are cluttered with leather hides, crammed with ancient equipment, overly stacked shelves hang on grimy walls that haven’t seen a coat of paint since the start of the century – and that’s the 20th century.
When Casa Fagliano, comprising brothers Roldolfo, Eduardo and Hector say they do things the old fashioned way, it is not merely a warm and fuzzy advertising line, they live it. Everything is made by hand, the only concession to any whiff of modernity is a faithful old Durkopp sewing machine that assists with the stitching.
The small close-knit Fagliano family, with Sicialian origins, work closely to produce their tiny annual quota of the world’s most immaculately polished and perfected polo boots.
The waiting list for a pair of these princely boots – and that’s a literal term because they are worn and adored by princes and other members of the highest reaches of royalty and no doubt rock star royalty- is a year, and the wait is getting longer.
Founded in 1892, Casa Fagliano have resisted all attempts to be snapped up by the modern world, where sleek new manufacturing processes could easily see their output soaring into the thousands annually. Instead they are content to keep some of the world’s most wealthy and revered men waiting, and just focus on producing around 90 pairs of boots a year to the very best of their considerable ability. The Sultan of Brunei once ordered 120 pairs, maybe he is still waiting for them.
Of course they also make boots requiring moderately less attention to detail as handy breadwinners – the classic or Texan boot variety has a waiting list of merely 6 months.
Casa Fagliano also has a boutique where they sell shoes and beautiful rich leather hand-made belts – but again, there are no plans for expansion, they seek no take up of the deluge of offers from some of the world’s most prestigious department stores to carry their brand.
So it’s to this small stubbornly old fashioned company that Jaeger Le Coultre came to produce the leather straps for the new Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Face.
JLC Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Face Blue
Jaeger LeCoultre were keen to rekindle their links with the world of polo, so they decided to approach one of the most respected suppliers of polo accessories, Casa Fagliano, to produce the leather watch straps for the new Ultra Thin DuoFace.
Exclusively available from Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques, the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface Blue is unique in several respects. Its extraordinary blue-lacquered dial picks up the exact shade of the colour appearing on the original model from the 30s.
Made from extremely refined cordovan leather, the strap from Casa Fagliano shares a similarity with the world leading watch brand. They are still located in the exact same spot where both companies were established in the 19th century. JLC in the La Valle de Joux, Casa Fagliano in Hurlingham, Buenos Aires.
In 2013, the year of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 180th anniversary, the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface Blue celebrates the very essence of the watch with the swivelling case: aesthetic design codes loyal to the original, a new even slimmer case, and a particularly useful function appearing on the back in the shape of a dual time-zone display.
With the exceptional partnership between the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre and “Casa Fagliano” in Buenos Aires, the Reverso reconnects with its sporting origins and makes another important contribution to the polo world.
