The Queen’s Baton Relay is the Commonwealth Games’ answer to the Olympics’ torch relay. It sees the Queen’s Baton, which carries a message from the reigning British monarch (and Head of the Commonwealth) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on a globetrotting 294-day journey as it stops in each of the 72 countries that take part in the Commonwealth Games. The Queen handed the baton to the first relay runner on 7 October 2021 at Buckingham Palace. The Games are scheduled to take place from 28 July to 8 August in the English city of Birmingham.
As the official partner and timekeeper of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the Swiss watchmaker Longines welcomed the Queen’s Baton to Malaysia on 20 January this year. Swimmer Welson Sim was Malaysia’s representative batonbearer, and the baton arrived at KLCC on 24 January where it stayed on public display until the 28th. The baton continues its worldwide trek until it arrives in Birmingham, just in time for the Games’ opening ceremony.
Longines is a Commonwealth Games veteran, with the association first starting in 1962. In more recent times, the watchmaker has partnered up with the Games since 2014, and is on track to do so until 2030.
Commemorating this year’s Games is a special edition of Longines’ contemporary diver in the HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games (RM7,650). Limited to 2,022 pieces, it is largely identical to the regular steel-cased 41mm HydroConquest, including its 3 o’clock date window, unidirectional bezel, screw-down crown, bracelet, and, of course, 300m water resistance. The automatic movement sports a silicon balance spring.
The differentiation is the splash of colour on the bezel markings and minute track: a vivid, gradated yellow and teal that is a match for the Games’ logo. A yellow-tipped seconds hand completes the colourful highlights; combined with the sunray-textured black dial and black ceramic bezel, it makes for a dramatic and playful contrast.
The Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games is currently only available for pre-order at the Longines KLCC boutique.
