8’000 spectatorsDeWitt is Official Timekeeper of the Queen’s Cup
Blue sky, refreshing little breeze and the beautifully prepared polo field of Smith’s Lawn. On Sunday (June 13) and for DeWitt’s first major event as “Official Timekeeper” of the Guards Polo Club, the setting at Windsor Great Park was just perfect for the Grand Finale of the mythical Queen’s Cup. On that occasion, Jérôme de Witt had the privilege of presenting to H.M The Queen a special commemorative Dame de Pressy watch.
In front of some 8’000 spectators, the Dubai Team, led by the best player in the world Adolfo Cambiaso, clinched a 12-10 victory over Les Lions II to secure its fifth Queen’s Cup trophy. The day was all the more perfect for Adolfo Cambiaso as he notched up a record seventh win in the tournament. Together with HM The Queen, Mr Jérôme de Witt had the great honour to present Adolfo Cambiaso with the award for the « Best Playing Pony ».
After the prize giving ceremony, H.M The Queen was greeted by Mr de Witt in front of the Royal Box and presented with a commemorative DeWitt watch, specially designed for the occasion: a dazzling Dame de Pressy, fully set with diamonds and with a pink alligator strap, changed at the last moment to match the colour of the flower on her hat.
Mr de Witt showed HM The Queen the miniature logo of the Guards Polo Club, meticulously hand-reproduced on the sapphire crystal back of the watch. The “Queen’s Cup 1960-2010“ Dame de Pressy will be produced in a limited edition of only 50 pieces, the first of which will now hopefully be worn by H.M The Queen on numerous occasions. Indeed, the Dame de Pressy was presented to her in an elegant white box with a discrete drawer in its bottom displaying a selection of 6 additional colour straps.
The second timepiece specially designed by DeWitt for the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s Cup is a gentleman’s Tourbillon watch, inspired from the new Twenty-8-Eight model. The Guards Polo Club logo is this time reproduced on a small "applique" plate positioned on the dial. The reproduction of the logo on such a scale (8 mm) is literally a small work of art, requiring up to a week to apply the 12 different layers of colour, each one to be treated separately with a special coating. Furthermore, Mr de Witt introduced HM The Queen to the brand’s exclusive distributor for the UK, Linder Luxury, represented by Mrs Linda Balzanella and Mr Erik Meijer.
The day was coming to an end and Mr de Witt enjoyed High Tea with a couple of his guests on the lawn in front of the Marquee while the Queen drove away in her Jaguar Daimler Majestic, across the Park back to Windsor Castle, with the Dame de Pressy sitting on the back seat.