1931. In British colonial India, English cavalry officers
regularly honed their skills by playing polo, a sport that
appeared over two thousand years ago on the steppes of central
Asia. The world's first team sport won the favour of princes and
sultans, from Persia to Arabia and Tibet. Discovered by a
British lieutenant in 1859, polo soon became an eminently
English pastime. By the end of the 19th century, the Indian
subcontinent already boasted 175 polo clubs. By the early 20th
century, the lengthy reign of the pocket-watch was nearing its
close. People were beginning to wear watches on their wrist,
even when playing their favourite sport. In 1930, César de Trey
travelled to India to meet some old friends. A close
acquaintance of Jacques-David LeCoultre, this influential
businessman had recently decided to devote himself to the
distribution of high-end Swiss watch creations, including the
famous Duoplan watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre. After a polo match, a
player showed him his watch with its broken glass and beg