What watch brand was the first Official Timekeeper of Grand Prix motorcycle racing? In theory, this should be a fairly straightforward question to answer, and a claim that any brand would be proud to make.
Or is it? Because perhaps surprisingly, the answer is anything but clear.
While reviewing archive footage of Grand Prix motorcycle races, I saw that Longines branding consistently appeared on both physical signage and TV broadcasts from 1990 to 1994. However, this alone does not prove an official timekeeping role, and the brand’s heritage department was also unable to corroborate this.
What is abundantly clear is Longines’ history with Formula 1. Records indicate official timekeeping duties at select races as early as 1979, after the brand purchased Heuer‘s Automatic Car Identification Timing System. By 1982, Longines not only had ongoing agreements with Ferrari, Renault, and Team ATS, but had also just become the first Official Timekeeper of Formula 1.
1983 then marked two events: Longines signed a new agreement with Ferrari, and the Ferrari Formula line by Cartier was announced. I can’t draw any concrete conclusions from this, but it may have pointed at a small step back for Longines.
By 1992, Longines had apparently pivoted away from Formula 1. Nicolas Hayek, then chairman of the board, was quoted as saying “We refuse to spend money on Formula 1, for cars that go round and round on a circuit. It is quite useless.”
If Longines did begin timing Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 1990, the quote may suggest that this came towards the end of a potentially souring Formula 1 involvement.
Perhaps somewhat telling, Certina is clearly documented as the Official Timekeeper of Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1995 to 2000 but its company records and marketing material refrain from claiming to be the first.
Another piece of the puzzle comes from a 2003 article on Crash.net. Included was a statement that the Swatch Group (which by then owned Longines, Certina, and current MotoGP timekeeper Tissot) “have provided the timekeeping facilities for the MotoGP World Championship since 1992”.
This doesn’t expressly point to Longines, nor does it account for the 1990-91 gap, but it’s another step closer to a complete picture. Still, the question remains firmly unanswered.
As an interesting footnote, Longines’ relationship with Formula 1 did not remain severed for long. I later learned that Brazilian Grand Prix driver Pedro Diniz was announced as a global brand ambassador in 1999, albeit in a lifestyle context.