Countdown Begins to Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth and Olympic swimming star, and Glasgow 2014 ambassador, Michael Jamieson, joined Glasgow 2014 Chairman Lord Smith of Kelvin, KT, Charles Villoz, Vice President of Longines, Glasgow 2014’s Official Timekeeper and Watch and Games Partners on Monday, to formally switch on the Longines Glasgow 2014 Clock at the city’s Central Train Station and officially mark the countdown to the opening ceremony.

Situated above the destination board at the station, the prestigious new Longines clock will be seen by hundreds of thousands of commuters and visitors in the lead-up to the games in July.

Michael Jamieson said, “Glasgow 2014 is going to be one of the highlights of my career and I’m delighted to be playing a part in the run up to the games in my home town as an ambassador. As well as being an athlete the great thing for me as a sports fan is being able to attend other events and I can’t wait to get to see as much as I can at Glasgow 2014.”

Longines, the Swiss watch brand, has generations of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of international sports federations. Since 1878 the company has been developing various types of technology for timing different disciplines with increasing precision. As early as the last quarter of the 19th century, Longines was producing chronographs and timed performances at numerous competitions. The company acquired a remarkable fund of experience in an infinite variety of sporting activities, at all levels of competition.

Today, Longines follows its vocation in the field of sports timekeeping, namely in equestrian sports (show-jumping, flat racing and endurance competitions), gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic gymnastics), archery, alpine skiing, and at the French Open at Roland-Garros.

Glasgow 2014 Chairman, Lord Smith of Kelvin, KT, said, “In less than five months we will welcome the 69 nations and territories of the Commonwealth to Glasgow and Scotland to compete for gold and glory. The switching on of the Countdown Clock is a fitting marker of this important milestone for Glasgow 2014 and we are delighted to be sharing it with such an excellent global brand as Longines, which underlines perfectly the world-class appeal of the games. This is our year and our chance for Glasgow and Scotland to shine on the global stage. The clock is now officially ticking down to the moment we have all been working towards since the bid was accepted in 2007.”

Charles Villoz, Longines Vice President of Longines, added, “Longines is very proud to be the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of Glasgow 2014. Together with Glasgow 2014, we share common values such as tradition and performance. We are happy to bring our timekeeping expertise to the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in Scotland. We are looking forward to the thrilling and emotional action-packed moments that we are sure to experience this summer.”