London, January 31, 2012 - Jaeger-LeCoultre was delighted to lend its boutique tonight for the first-ever exhibition of Ms. Astrid Munoz, friend of the brand and well-known fashion model and accomplished photographer. The exhibition featured photographs taken by Ms. Munoz in the "Gaucho" theme, which have been featured in Jaeger-LeCoultre latest publication Yearbook Five. The fifth edition of this gorgeous, large format publication pays tribute to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s iconic swiveling watch, Reverso, which drew its inspiration from British Polo players in India in the early 1930s. The world of Reverso is thus intricately linked to the world of Polo and the 80^th anniversary of the iconic watch was celebrated in Argentina.

There is probably no more fitting picture of Argentina than that of the Gauchos, the men of the Argentine heartland who work tirelessly to train some of the most amazing horses, many of which compete in the most spectacular polo matches around the world. Ms. Munoz’s talented eye -- enriched by her travel and glamorous yet natural style as an international fashion model -- captures the ruggedness and very essence of the Argentine rural countryside. Her relationship with Jaeger-LeCoultre is both artistic and personal -- lending her vision of style to inspire the aesthetic expression of Jaeger-LeCoultre, and through her partner Eduardo Novillo Astrada who is an Ambassador of the Manufacture on the international polo scene.
The event last night was attended by the close circle of friends of Ms Munoz, including illustrious names of the fashion and arts world such as Natalia Vodianova, Clive Owen, Mark Newson, Clare Milford Haven, Suzy Menkes, Poppy Delevigne, Andrea, Charlotte, Alice and Alex Dellal, Dinos Chapman, Tamara Beckwith, Giorgio Veroni, Dan Macmillan, Heather Kerzner, Patrick Cox, Sydney Finch.

Astrid Munoz, (1974) a model now turned photographer, who was a regular fixture in the most popular fashion magazines in the 1990’s. Fell in love with BW darkroom printing and took off with a Photojournalism course with Magnum photographer Joseph Rodriguez, at the ICP institute in New York City in 1998.

In her own words “Coming from a fashion background which is often full of fantasy, through my lens I aspire to convey true authenticity and like Cartier Bresson, to capture the decisive moment.”

Her passion has always been to travel, spend time with local people and photograph them in a different way of life. She has spent time in the Mexican desert, in the mountains of Peru, the valleys of the Massai Mara to the Pampas of Argentina she has captured the essence of these countries and their people, with their customs and folklore.

When Astrid is not travelling she pursues fashion photography and her work is a regular fixture in some of the prestigious fashion magazines of the world. Her work has appeared in Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Tatler, Marie Claire, and Vissionaire.

She is currently working on a book about the Gauchos of Argentina and has just returned from the Amazon jungle, where she has spent two weeks living in the deep jungle with an isolated tribe, sleeping in hammocks under the canopy of the trees and eating crocodiles and bugs for lunch.

Astrid resides now between London and Buenos Aires.