As the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Longines presents the HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games. This exclusive edition, limited to 2,022 pieces, celebrates one of the world’s greatest sporting events, which sees athletes from over 70 Commonwealth nations and territories compete against each other.
The story between Longines and the Commonwealth Games began in the past century, with the 1962 Games in Perth (Australia). It continued with the 2014 edition in Glasgow (Scotland) and 2018 edition in Gold Coast (Australia). A new milestone was set in 2020 with the conclusion of a historic partnership, in which the brand will continue to use its timekeeping expertise in the 2022, 2026 and 2030 Games.
Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games
Longines will be the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (England). As a tribute to this major multisport event, Longines has designed a special edition watch as part of the HydroConquest collection.
The Case and Dial
The watch features a round stainless steel case that measures 41mm in diameter. Its design is chunky with thick asymmetrical lugs, ‘flared’ side profile and protruding crown guards; a rather sporty appearance. The finish is versatile: not one that vies for attention with minimal area of polished surfaces.
The Hydroconquest sports a handsome black sunburst dial. It uses dot hour markers with accompanying 12, 6, 9 arabic numerals. A snowflake shaped hour hand and lollipop seconds hand are some other diver watch features seen here. A fun difference for this special edition is the matching rainbow colored minutes track that pairs with the colors in the ceramic bezel inlay.
Readibility is good with applied indices and hands. They are filled with Superluminova, ensuring legibility in all situations. To top it off, a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating protects the mien.
The watches in this line are distinguished by their daring design, taking up the codes of diving and aimed at demanding athletes. Water-resistant to 300 metres, a unidirectional rotating bezel, a screw-down crown and case back, and a double security folding clasp with an integrated diving extension-piece are all features that emphasise the style of these timepieces.
To accentuate the uniqueness of this model, the case back is engraved with the Birmingham 2022 logo and “Limited Edition – 1 out of 2022”. A stainless steel bracelet completes this timepiece with sporty and modern lines.
The Movement
The watch uses a mechanical self-winding movement Calibre L888.5 (ETA A31.L11). The 21 jewels movement beats at 25’200 vph and has a power reserve of around 72 hours. It uses a silicon balance-spring which is not only light and corrosion-resistant but also remains unaffected by normal temperature variations and magnetic fields. Its unique properties improve the precision and longevity of the movement and comes with a 5 year warranty.
Concluding thoughts
The new Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games is a limited edition of 2022 pieces and retails at S$2860. It is a colorful variant to an otherwise common dive watch design, and benefits from a rather robust 3-day automatic movement. Fit on a bracelet and water resistant to 300m, the watch is versatile and sporty, and rather ideal as a daily beater.
