It is common for watch brands to associate with mega sporting events by providing timekeeping expertise. The latest one that’s set to come into the spotlight is Longines, which is the official partner and timekeeper of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, to be held from July 28 to August 8, 2022, in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
It was first in 1962 that Longines joined hands with the Commonwealth Games, and more recently, in every edition starting 2014 (going up till the future 2030 Games), Longines has been the event’s official partner and timekeeper. To commemorate the 2022 edition, the Swiss watchmaker recently unveiled the Hydroconquest XXII Commonwealth Games, a diving watch with a water resistance of 300 metres. A definitive sports watch albeit with a dressy edge, the 41mm piece features a sunray black dial with a date window at 3 o’clock. The colours of the Commonwealth Games logo—a spectrum of yellows, greens, and blues—make their presence felt on the unidirectional diving scale on the ceramic bezel, as well as on the minute track. Its hour makers and hands are filled with Super-LumiNova, and the watch has a screw-down crown and caseback. It is flanked by a stainless steel bracelet with a double security folding clasp with an integrated diving extension.
The automatic watch is driven by the self-winding movement Calibre L888.5, which has a silicon balance-spring to ensure high-precision and lesser wear and tear; it also provides the watch a 72-hours power reserve. Finally, to drive home the significance of the milestone, the caseback is engraved with the ‘Birmingham 2022’ logo, and the edition number of the timepiece. The watch is limited to 2,022 pieces.