Sunday, June 27, 2010 - Piaget co-sponsored a charity polo match in New York to benefit Sentebale, a children’s relief fund in Lesotho. Prince Harry of England is one of the patrons of Sentebale and was on hand to play the benefit match in the 90-plus degree weather.

Piaget has had a long history with polo and provided the timing for the game. The event started with a seated lunch at the side of the pitch and was attended by luminaries including Mary J. Blige, Alexis Bledel and Val Kilmer, and polo fans from as far as Dubai. In honor of the event, Piaget created a version of the Polo 45 with orange markers and New York engraved on the dial.

During the third pitch Prince Harry took a tumble from his horse, which he handled with a grace that speaks to his years of training. Harry lost his seating, yet held on to his horse at a very short rein to gain some stability as he neared the ground. After a quick (and apparently injury-free) landing he hopped right back on his horse and completed the game, even scoring a goal. The players also showed great respect for the horses on the blistering-hot day. The game ended in a tie, and instead of the usual 7 1/2 minute overtime, Nacho Figueras announced that the players wanted instead to play 3 1/4 minutes to settle the score. They did, and Harry’s team ended up losing. But the real winners here were the needy children of Lesotho.