Longines timing excellence at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

WHERE PRECISION MEETS PERFORMANCE ON A GLOBAL STAGE

Longines proudly reaffirms its enduring commitment to world sport as Official Timekeeper, Official Partner, and Official Watch of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, an international gathering of 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories. The Swiss watchmaking house brings its renowned expertise in precision timekeeping to life through advanced technologies, ensuring every performance is measured with absolute accuracy. This presence extends across the brand’s activities at the Games, from its role in key disciplines as Presenting Partner to Longines House in Glasgow, where visitors can discover the brand’s expertise in sports timekeeping through a dedicated exhibition and a programme of talks exploring diverse themes. Marking the occasion, Longines presents a special limited-edition HydroConquest dedicated to Glasgow 2026. Its “Behind Every Emotion” campaign highlights the link between timekeeping and human experience at the Games, where every fraction of a second holds both technical and emo- tional significance. Together, these initiatives reflect the brand’s commitment to capturing decisive moments where performance, precision, and emotion meet.

A LEGACY OF PRECISION IN SPORT

For more than six decades, Longines has been intrinsically linked to the Commonwealth Games, beginning with its first role as Official Timekeeper at Perth 1962 in Australia. Over time, this collaboration has grown across multi- ple editions, including Glasgow 2014, Gold Coast 2018, Birmingham 2022 and now Glasgow 2026, reflecting a shared vision of fairness, inclusivity and techni- cal excellence. At Glasgow, Longines’ role extends beyond timekeeping also serving as Presenting Partner of athletics and rhythmic gym- nastics, two cornerstone disciplines of the Games where precision and consist- ency remain paramount. The Glasgow 2026 edition stands as one of the most inclusive in the history of the Games, featuring a highly integrated parasport programme where para- athletes compete alongside all athletes within the same competition structure. Across disciplines such as athletics, swimming, and cycling, this integrated approach makes inclusivity a defining characteristic of the event.

A TIMEPIECE SHAPED BY THE SPIRIT OF THE GAMES

To celebrate this enduring partner- ship, Longines unveils a special-edition HydroConquest, available in 39 mm and 42 mm sizes and limited to 2,026 pieces each. Inspired by the vibrant colours of the Glasgow 2026 Games, the timepiece captures the spirit of athletic excellence and sporty elegance that has defined Longines’ bond with the Commonwealth Games since 1962. At the heart of its design is a polished teal gradient dial, inspired by the visual identity of the Games. Its shifting tones evoke movement and momentum, reflecting the emotional journey from anticipation to achievement. Framed by a black ceramic unidirectional bezel and enhanced by Super-LumiNova® details, the watch combines bold aesthetics with optimal legibility. Powered by the Longines exclusive calibre L888.5 — a self-winding move- ment featuring a silicon balance-spring for enhanced magnetic resistance and offering up to 72 hours of power reserve — the timepiece ensures reliability in all conditions. Water-resistant up to 30 bar (300 m), it features a screw-in crown and screw-down case back and is completed with a black rubber strap and a double-folding safety clasp with micro-adjustment.

LONGINES IS BEHIND EVERY EMOTION

As Official Timekeeper and Official Partner, Longines unveils its new cam- paign, “Behind Every Emotion,” a tribute to the profound link between timekeep- ing and the human experience at the Games. Drawing on a legacy of precision and elegance, the brand goes beyond measuring performance to embody the emotional journey that defines every athlete’s path to excellence. From the quiet intensity of anticipation before the start, where focus sharpens and expectations rise, to the electrify- ing thrill of competition where every fraction of a second matters, Longines is present at each decisive moment. Its unwavering precision ensures fairness and accuracy, capturing not only results but the very essence of performance as it unfolds.

At the finish, time gives way to emotion - triumph, relief, pride, and euphoria. These are the moments that transcend sport, becoming lasting memories of human achievement. Through its role, Longines stands as a silent yet essential witness, preserving the exact instant when effort turns into accomplishment. With “Behind Every Emotion,” Longines underscores its pursuit of excellence, highlighting that every recorded second carries a deeper meaning. It is not simply about measuring time but about captur- ing the emotions that give each moment its significance, from the first heart- beat of anticipation to the final surge of victory.

PRECISION TECHNOLOGY IN MOTION

At the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, Longines showcases its pro- prietary timekeeping technologies — expertly developed and continuously refined by the brand — across disciplines including athletics, para-athletics, track cycling, para-track cycling, swimming, and basketball. In athletics and para-athletics, races begin with the Longines Electronic Starting System (E-gun), an innova- tion designed to replace the traditional starter’s pistol and eliminate discrep- ancies caused by sound delay – the time it takes for sound to travel along the start line from the nearest to the farthest athlete. The system transmits the start signal simultaneously to speakers behind each athlete, ensuring perfectly synchronised starts. For athletics events, Longines deploys the Longines Photo-Finish-Scanner Ultra at the finish line. It is capable of capturing up to 40,000 digital lines per second to determine the finishing times and order with absolute precision, even in the closest races. This is a vast improvement on the Longines Photo- finish Scanner used at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which captured up to 10,000 digital lines per second.

In track cycling and para-track cycling, Longines continues to deploy photo-finish technology at the finish line, with the Longines Photo-Finish-Scanner capturing up to 10,000 digital lines per second. Unlike a conventional still cam- era, the photo-finish system functions as a time-measuring device rather than a single-image capture: it records a con- tinuous sequence of vertical lines at the finish line, effectively translating time into image data to determine the exact order of finish. Originating from early chemical photo-finish systems that relied on film development, this technology has evolved into advanced digital solutions, enabling immediate image processing and enhanced precision. This advanced system records exactly what occurs at the finish line, enabling judges to determine the finishing order with absolute precision. It is paired with track-integrated timing loops and transponders mounted on each bike, ensuring accurate detection of every passage at key intervals. Together, these technologies ensure highly accurate lap tracking and definitive race results. In swimming and para-swimming, Longines Touchpad Technology, installed at the end of each lane, transforms a swimmer’s finish into an exact time measurement. These pres- sure-sensitive panels, designed and calibrated by Longines, instantly detect a deliberate touch and transmit the signal to stop the clock. Complementary inno- vations, including false-start detection sensors in starting blocks and visual start systems, further ensure fair and accessible conditions for all athletes. This is a system that combines preci- sion engineering with an athlete-centred philosophy. Unlike many sports where timing is triggered externally, swimming places control directly in the hands of the competitors. The official race time is recorded at the exact moment a swimmer applies a decisive push to the touchpad, meaning that each ath- lete effectively stops their own clock. This direct interaction ensures a trans- parent and immediate link between performance and result, reinforcing both fairness and trust in the outcome. Across selected disciplines, Longines’ Real-Time Tracking System (RTTS) extends measurement beyond start and finish. For athletics and para-ath- letics (except wheelchair events), the system uses lightweight transpond- ers developed for elite competition, to continuously capture athletes’ position, speed, and distance, delivering live per- formance data to officials, broadcasters, and spectators. PRESS RELEASE — JULY 2026 All results are delivered through Longines’ Next-generation graphics systems, engineered to transform com- plex timing data into clear and dynamic visualisations that enhance both com- prehension and viewer engagement. Introduced for the first time at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year, these live, continuously updated on-screen displays have become an integral and indispensable element of the modern broadcast experience. The principle is that the TV operator works on one control screen to trigger the required on-air graphics based on the TV producer’s live instructions, while a second screen displays the graphics output. This computer device also supplies video signals to the outside broadcast van.

In athletics and track cycling, one of the most enduring signals of competition is also among its simplest: the bell. Rung to announce the final lap, it marks the moment when strategy gives way to deci- sive action and the race enters its most critical phase. Clear and universal, its sound reaches every athlete simultane- ously, ensuring a shared understanding of the moment regardless of position. First introduced as a reliable means of communication, the bell remains an integral part of modern competition despite the evolution of advanced elec- tronic systems. Beyond its functional role, it has become a powerful symbol, instantly recognisable and embodying the anticipation and intensity of the clos- ing moments of a race. Echoing traditions that date back to Longines’ earliest involvement in the Commonwealth Games in 1962, the bell continues to resonate as a timeless reminder that, even in an era defined by ever-greater precision, some signals remain unchanged in their significance. Together, these proprietary technolo- gies — developed through decades of innovation — operate within a unified Longines framework, ensuring consistent standards of precision, reliability and fairness across all events while accurately reflecting athletes’ perfor- mances and upholding the integrity of competition at every leve

LONGINES HOUSE: PRECISION AT THE HEART OF GLASGOW

Complementing its presence at compe- tition venues, Longines welcomes guests and the public to Longines House, an immersive space located next to the AC Marriott Hotel in the heart of Glasgow and open throughout the Games. Designed as a gateway into the brand’s universe, it invites visitors to discover watchmaking craftsmanship, explore timekeeping innovations, and experience Longines’ rich sporting heritage through a curated exhibition. A dynamic programme of special events brings audiences closer to the precision behind performance, creating a direct link between tech- nological excellence and the emotion of sport. Highlights include record celebrations, Heritage Talks, and a dedicated Longines Timekeeping Heritage Exhibition open to the public from 09:00 to 18:00, as well as panel discussions featuring athletes and time- keeping experts.

Extending its presence beyond the com- petition venues, Longines invites guests to discover the elegance and heritage of the brand throughout Glasgow. A dedicated pop-up, located just outside Scotstoun Stadium offers visitors the opportunity to explore Longines’ latest timepieces in an atmosphere of sporting excellence. In the heart of the city, the Longines Boutique on Buchanan Street provides a refined setting for guests to experience the brand’s timeless crafts- manship, rich history and enduring passion for performance.

About Longines

Longines has been established in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, since 1832. The watchmaking house boasts expertise forged in tradition, elegance and high performance. With its long-standing experience as official timekeeper of world sports championships and partner of international sports federations, the Swiss watch brand has forged strong and lasting links with the sporting world over the years. Renowned for the elegance of its models, Longines is a member of Swatch Group Ltd, the world’s leading manufacturer of timepieces. The brand with the winged hourglass as its emblem has outlets in over 130 countries.