Watch quiz Ref. NQ0003 answers, Sept 25, 2026 | NO QUARTZ

Question 1

Who founded Rolex?

Accepted Answer

Hans Wilsdorf — Wilsdorf later recalled that the name came to him on the upper deck of a horse-drawn omnibus in the City of London, after he had tried about a hundred letter combinations. He registered Rolex as a trademark in 1908, three years after going into business.

Question 2

In watch collecting, the 'Holy Trinity' refers to which three brands?

Accepted Answer

Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin — It is an informal collector term, not an official ranking. The three span 120 years: Vacheron Constantin dates to 1755 and Audemars Piguet to 1875, with Patek Philippe in between.

Question 3

Which designer drew both the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus?

Accepted Answer

Gérald Genta — The Royal Oak came first, in 1972, and the Nautilus followed four years later. Genta said he sketched the Nautilus in about five minutes at a restaurant, within sight of a table of Patek Philippe executives.

Question 4

Rank these independent brands by the year they launched their first series-production watch, earliest first.

Accepted Answer

1. F.P. Journe — Tourbillon Souverain 2. Greubel Forsey — Double Tourbillon 30° 3. MB&F — Horological Machine N°1 4. Laurent Ferrier — Galet Classic Tourbillon Double Spiral — Laurent Ferrier launched his brand after nearly four decades at Patek Philippe, and his debut watch won the Men's Watch prize at the 2010 GPHG. Journe's 1999 Tourbillon Souverain paired a tourbillon with a remontoir d'égalité, a constant-force device that feeds the escapement steady power whatever the mainspring's state of wind.

Question 5

Rank these Piaget milestones by year, earliest first.

Accepted Answer

1. Georges-Édouard Piaget sets up his first workshop in La Côte-aux-Fées 2. Hand-wound Calibre 9P (2 mm) presented 3. Automatic micro-rotor Calibre 12P (2.3 mm) presented 4. Altiplano Ultimate Concept (2 mm total watch) presented — Piaget built movements for other brands for decades before it became known for its own watches, and the 9P caused a stir at the 1957 Basel Fair. The Altiplano Ultimate Concept got down to 2 mm by making the main plate, case and bezel a single part.

Question 6

Put these Project Mercury flights in order by launch date, earliest first.

Accepted Answer

1. Friendship 7: John Glenn 2. Aurora 7: Scott Carpenter 3. Sigma 7: Wally Schirra 4. Faith 7: Gordon Cooper — Mercury flew before NASA had qualified any watch; formal chronograph testing only began in 1964. Schirra's CK2998 on Sigma 7 (October 1962) came from his own collection and was the first Omega in space. The Speedmaster's first flight as a NASA-qualified instrument was Gemini 3 on 23 March 1965, when Grissom and Young wore the ST 105.003. The Moonwatch's space record therefore starts two and a half years before NASA chose it.

NO QUARTZ Ref. NQ0003: the answers