Saalbach-SalzburgerLand, Austria, February 4, 2025. Day one of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky and the atmosphere in the finish stadium is electric. The opening ceremony has only just taken place and already the world’s top skiers are lining up for the first event; the team parallel. It’s hard to imagine the emotions, doubts, fear and determination going through the minds of these athletes as they launch onto the icy slope that separates them from the finish line. But there is one harsh reality that overrides any subjective thoughts and that is to be the fastest they can. Because every second, every hundredth of a second, counts if they are to have any chance of claiming a place on the podium. Timing these exploits with implacable precision is the job of Longines. As Official Timekeeper of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, the Saint-Imier brand builds on more than a century of constant progress in technology.
One step ahead
Throughout the two-week championships, the Longines logo is just about everywhere spectators look. After all, the brand’s reputation for sports timekeeping is virtually unrivalled, whether equestrian events or world-class skiing. “We have strong connections with sports timing that go all the way back to 1924, when Longines supplied the timing equipment for a skiing competition held near the Manufacture,” says Longines CEO Matthias Breschan. “In 1937 we installed a photoelectric cell on the finish line for the downhill event at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Chamonix. Longines was already recognised as a leader in high-frequency technology. As early as 1914 we were the first brand with the capacity to time races to one tenth of a second, then one hundredth of a second by 1916.”
Longines has continued to set milestones in sports timing technology. 1966, the brand was named Official Timekeeper for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Portillo, Chile; a prestigious title that brought with it a raft of innovations. 1977, the brand unveiled the Tele-Longines 2002, an electronic timer with integrated circuits that printed times, to one thousandth of a second, on a paper strip. 1985, an improved version of this system, the Tele-Longines 5005, timed competitors in downhill races at the FIS World Cup. 2017, a new technology, Longines Live Alpine Data (LLAD), made its debut. It was developed for Longines by Swiss Timing, a branch of Swatch Group specialising in advanced sports timing systems. Comprising a chip attached to the skier’s boot, it measures their speed in real-time. An optimised iteration was introduced in 2023 at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Courchevel-Méribel. This avant-garde technology is back on the slopes this year for the eleven events taking place in Saalbach/SalzburgerLand. As Official Timekeeper, Longines has posted more than twenty technicians along the runs while journalists are kept up-to-speed with results thanks to the 80 information systems set up by the brand. An impressive ten tonnes or 50 cubic metres of equipment have been rolled out to separate skiers’ performances by the smallest of margins.
Marco Odermatt, Super-G world champion
Longines athletes are among the world-class skiers in the start gates for the eleven events of the 2025 World Championships. And not just any: Mikaela Shiffrin, Loïc Meillard, Clément Noël, Alex Vinatzer, Mélanie Meillard, Alexis Monney and, of course, Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt. Having clinched three crystal globes in just three seasons, last week the 2022 giant slalom Olympic gold medallist claimed his first Super-G world champion title. Yet another victory for Odermatt, who hails from the Swiss canton of Nidwalden, and for Longines which has a long track record for supporting athletes, as Matthias Breschan confirms: “Since 2012 the Longines Rising Ski Stars programme has rewarded the best under-21 female skiers and the best under-23 male skiers. We are committed to supporting young talent and forming a genuine partnership and long-term connection with them. If I might take the example of Marco Odermatt, we have strong bonds that go well beyond purely commercial considerations. He’s extremely approachable and possesses immense natural elegance. As for Loïc Meillard, he is a watch collector, a passion we sincerely share.”
Performance, determination and success
What influence, if any, do these ambassadors have on the new models Longines develops? “I’d say our ambassadors share their ideas on a regular basis, as much in terms of design as functions,” says the man at the head of the Saint-Imier brand. These high standards are clearly exemplified in the latest releases. Unveiled during the FIS Race Talk in Sölden, last October, the Conquest Chrono Ski Edition, limited to 2,025 pieces, combines the precision of the Longines L898.5 calibre, with silicon balance spring and superior resistance to magnetic fields, with the sleek, ergonomic design of a 42mm stainless steel case, rated water-resistant to 100 metres. Dial-wise, functionality and legibility prevail with three counters in a classic 3-6-9 layout, framed by a black ceramic tachymeter bezel. Turning the case over reveals an engraving of a skier in action; the logo of the 48th FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt have already given their seal of approval to this watch, which celebrates performance, determination and success. And you?
