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11 JULY 2022 | EDITOR - ERNEST JONES
As expected, Longines retained its position as the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the Commonwealth Games 2022 for the fourth and not final time (Longines has also been confirmed for the 2026 and 2030 games too). For watch enthusiasts that can mean only one thing: getting a look at the limited edition timepiece, Longines has created this time around. It’s called the Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games and in terms of the historic precedent set by former Longines watches, this one’s pretty upbeat.
When it comes to classic watch brands, there are few more so than Longines – its sharp line-up of its Heritage models is suave but understated. At least, that was the case until the new Ultra-Chron. More accurate than a chronometer and highly resistant to shocks, scratches and water pressure – it benefits from a rich horological heritage that stretches back over 100 years.
What Makes the Longines Hydroconquest XXII Unique?
Basing the design on the standard HydroConquest, Longines steers clear of any classic design cues and instead goes for a strong retro appeal. This has more to do with the neon colours on the Commonwealth Games logo, which adorn the bezel’s markings along with the dial’s minute track.
The automatic 3.5Hz Calibre L888.5 found inside the new HydroConquest’s 41mm case has a 72-hour power reserve and a silicon balance spring for improved performance and resistance to magnetic and temperature-based variation. And being Longines’ leading diving watch, it has a few more talking points than just the neon-coloured bezel. For starters it's water-resistant to a solid 300 metres and comes with all the standard features you’d expect in a diving watch: a unidirectional bezel, a screw-down crown and case back, a security folding clasp and an integrated diving extension piece.
The Longines Hydroconquest Commonwealth Games watch is limited to 2022 pieces (see what they did there?) and as with most official timepieces for such events, there’s the official logo etched onto the case back giving it, even more reason to pass from generation to generation.
When are the Commonwealth Games?
Celebrating one of the world’s greatest sporting events, every four years over 70 Commonwealth nations and territories come together to compete. Taking place in Birmingham, the Commonwealth Games 2022 will start on Thursday 28th July and end on Monday 8th August. Otherwise known, as the 'Friendly Games’, the 2022 event will feature 280 events across 20 different sporting categories and Longines, with centuries of watchmaking experience, will time the athletes with optimum precision, a responsibility given to only the finest timekeepers in the industry.
The 2022 Launch of the Longines Ultra-Chron
The Ultra-Chron is a contemporary rebirth of Longines' late '60s ultra-precise sports watch, with a liberal splash of red. This bodes well considering, the colours are decidedly popular in the land of horology at the moment. Within the Swatch Group, Longines has been the quieter of the horological wizards, but the new Ultra-Chron is louder and prouder, tapping into the rising vintage-cool zeitgeist. The key ingredients are all there: With red accents and a cushion case associated with the vibrant seventies, this is all about the age of retro colour palettes.
A well-timed summer hit – a diver’s tool with a touch of tomato red. The Ultra-Chron has bright red markers on the classic diver’s bezel, in tough-wearing ceramic. A huge Regulator-style minute hand in the same shade pops against the granulated black textured dial and sets a new tone for daring colours within the Longines range.
But the Longines Ultra-Chron is not just about colour. Being the reissue of its super-accurate '60s Chronometer, the tech specs are present to back it up. Its accuracy is within one-tenth of a second, so while it might be the perfect pop of colour you need, its high accuracy heart will win you over. The third part of the triple threat of the Ultra-Chron comes in the way of the bold 43mm tonneau case with a 300m depth rating, as well as the option of a leather strap, canvas strap or steel bracelet.
In Safe Hands
This year is an exciting time for Longines. From their long-awaited return to the Commonwealth Games and the introduction of the limited edition Hydroconquest XXII, to the much-anticipated launch of the stylish new ULTRA-CHRON some 54 years after its predecessor, there is much to be excited about for this ever-evolving brand that shows no signs of slowing. Book an appointment with our watch experts to find out more.