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Live Track E 10 questions here · 300 at Launch 1 Bank verified September 2026

Are you a watch enthusiast?

Ten minutes. No ranking, no leaderboard, no account, and nothing leaves your device. Every question carries an answer cited to an official source, and every answer links to the page that explains it.

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Methodology

How these questions are made

An unsourced quiz is entertainment. The point of this one is that you can check it. The rules below apply to every question in the Academy, from this ten-minute check to the archive-level brand tests.

  1. No question without a cited answer. Every question carries at least one Tier 1 or Tier 2 source: a standards body, a statute, a registry, a museum record, a peer-reviewed journal, or a company's own primary documentation. Forums, marketplaces, dealer blogs and AI summaries are never sources here.
  2. Facts, not opinions. Nothing asks which watch is best, which is worth buying, or what anything is worth. There is no defensible sourced answer to those questions, so they are not asked.
  3. Exactly one defensible answer. Distractors are plausible but verifiably wrong. No "all of the above", no trick negatives, no ambiguity about what "current" means.
  4. Time-sensitive facts expire. Anything that can change (ownership, current collections, prices, certification schemes) carries an expiry date. When the underlying fact changes or the date passes, every question bound to it is flagged and hidden until re-verified. Four of the ten questions here carry an expiry.
  5. Written from facts, never copied. Questions are composed from verified records, not lifted from brand training material, editorial articles or other quizzes.
  6. Independence. No brand pays for, edits, sponsors or removes anything. A brand may submit a sourced factual correction, which is checked like any other claim, and logged in public if accepted.

The first entry in the corrections log: before launch

An eleventh question was drafted for this check, on the common claim that a water-resistance rating describes a laboratory test pressure rather than a usable depth. Verification could not confirm that framing in ISO's own published material for ISO 22810, and ISO's own consumer-facing wording points the other way. The question was withdrawn and the claim does not appear anywhere in this Codex, pending the purchased text of the standard. It is recorded in the corrections log because a claim this Codex decided not to make is part of the public record too.

An honest limit. This is a static site, so the answer key is delivered to your browser along with the questions. That makes this a self-study tool on the honour system. It is not suitable for supervised or high-stakes testing, and any future product for employers would need a server, private sign-in and its own privacy design, kept separate from this free Codex.

What a result means. A record of completing a self-study knowledge check on information documented in the cited sources, on the date shown. Not a professional qualification, not an accreditation, not a licence, not endorsed by any brand, and not intended to be the sole basis of any employment, hiring or promotion decision.

The road ahead

Track ELive

Enthusiast Check

Ten questions here; 300 at Launch 1, drawn at random and balanced across eight domains, with adaptive placement so a beginner is not overwhelmed and an expert is not bored.

Track IPlanned

Join the Watch Industry

Twelve modules for people who want to work in or around the watch world, from foundations of timekeeping to a scenario-based capstone. Product and industry knowledge as official sources document it: never sales tactics, never career advice.

Brand MasteryPlanned

Five levels, brand by brand

Basics, History, Product, Archive, Mastery. A brand with thin documentation stops at the level its sources support, and the page says so rather than inventing depth.

Every codexPlanned

One engine, reused

The schema and script on this page are codex-agnostic. Watches is the first tenant; the Diamond, Print and other codexes mount the same engine at their own address.

The full bank, in plain text

All ten questions, with answers and sources

Readable without JavaScript and without taking the check. This list is generated from the same question bank the check itself loads, so the two cannot disagree.

Question 1 · Standards and labels · difficulty 2/5

For a watch to be labelled "Swiss Made", what share of the manufacturing costs of the complete watch must be generated in Switzerland?

  1. 50%
  2. 60% ← correct answer
  3. 80%
  4. 100% — the whole watch must be made there

Answer B. At least 60% of the costs of manufacturing a complete watch, as an end product, must be generated in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property notes that this is a change from the earlier rule, which applied to the movement alone. The revised ordinance came into force on 1 January 2017.

Sources
Tier 1 · Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI/IGE), "Revision of the Ordinance on the Use of 'Swiss' for Watches" · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · Ordinance on the Use of "Switzerland" or "Swiss" for Watches, SR 232.119 (Fedlex, Swiss classified compilation) · source · read 2026-09-25
This fact can change: the question expires on 2027-03-25 and is hidden until re-verified.
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/standards/swiss-made/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/#verified

q-enthusiast-001Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-03-25

Question 2 · Myth-busting · difficulty 2/5

A watch carries the words "Swiss Made" on its dial. Which of these does that label actually guarantee?

  1. Every component in the watch was made in Switzerland
  2. The movement is Swiss, the technical development happened in Switzerland, the movement was cased up there, and the final inspection was carried out there ← correct answer
  3. The watch was designed in Switzerland but may be assembled anywhere
  4. The brand's head office is in Switzerland

Answer B. The law sets a set of specific conditions — a Swiss movement, technical development in Switzerland, casing-up in Switzerland, final inspection by the manufacturer in Switzerland, and the 60% cost threshold — but individual components may come from elsewhere. "Swiss Made" is a legal test made of several parts, not a statement that nothing foreign is inside. This is the single most common misunderstanding about watches, and marketing copy is where most people learn the simplified version.

Sources
Tier 1 · Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI/IGE), "Revision of the Ordinance on the Use of 'Swiss' for Watches" · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, "Guide to the use of the designation 'Swiss' for watches", version 5, 13 September 2018 · source · read 2026-09-25
This fact can change: the question expires on 2027-03-25 and is hidden until re-verified.
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/standards/swiss-made/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/#verified

q-enthusiast-002Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-03-25

Question 3 · Standards and labels · difficulty 3/5

COSC, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, certifies to a stated average daily rate. What is that tolerance?

  1. −1 to +1 second per day
  2. −4 to +6 seconds per day ← correct answer
  3. 0 to +5 seconds per day
  4. −10 to +10 seconds per day

Answer B. COSC states that the watch must maintain an average daily rate between −4 and +6 seconds per day. The testing runs for 15 days, in five positions, at three temperatures (8°, 23° and 38°C), against ISO 3159. Note the distractor: 0 to +5 seconds per day is the METAS Master Chronometer requirement, which is a different certification of a different thing — the finished watch rather than the movement.

Sources
Tier 1 · COSC, "COSC FAQ: All your questions answered" · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · ISO 3159:2009, "Timekeeping instruments — Wrist-chronometers with spring balance oscillator", edition 2, published December 2009, reviewed and confirmed 2021 · source · read 2026-09-25
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/standards/cosc/, /watches/compare/cosc-vs-metas/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/#verified

q-enthusiast-003Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-03-25

Question 4 · Standards and labels · difficulty 4/5

In February 2026 COSC published a new, stricter certification called Excellence Chronometer. What does it test that the long-standing certification does not?

  1. The finished, cased watch — not only the movement ← correct answer
  2. The bracelet and clasp
  3. The dial and hands for luminous output
  4. Nothing new — it is the same test with a new name

Answer A. COSC published the Excellence Chronometer certification on 12 February 2026 and positions it as a complementary extension rather than a replacement. Movements are still tested for 15 days under ISO 3159 and returned to the manufacture to be cased; the finished watches then undergo four days or more of additional evaluation: a simulated-wear test in six semi-dynamic positions over 24 hours, to a reduced tolerance of −2 to +4 seconds per day, and a separate magnetic-resistance test at 200 gauss with its own, wider tolerance of ±10 seconds per day. This is a live example of why every question in this Academy carries an expiry date: the answer to "what does COSC certify" changed in February 2026.

Sources
Tier 1 · COSC, "Cosc Excellence Chronometer Certified", news item published 12 February 2026 · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · COSC, "Certified Excellence Chronometer" · source · read 2026-09-25
This fact can change: the question expires on 2027-02-12 and is hidden until re-verified.
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/standards/cosc/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/#verified

q-enthusiast-004Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-02-12

Question 5 · Terminology · difficulty 3/5

ISO 6425 is the standard for divers' watches. According to its published scope, which watches does it apply to?

  1. Any watch marked with a depth of 50 metres or more
  2. Watches designed to withstand diving to at least 100 m, with a secured measuring system to indicate diving time that is visible in darkness ← correct answer
  3. Any watch with a rotating bezel
  4. Watches sold with a rubber strap

Answer B. ISO 6425:2018 applies to timepieces designed to withstand diving in water at depths of at least 100 m and equipped with a secured measuring system to indicate the diving time, which is visible in darkness. That is why "divers' watch" is a defined term with requirements behind it, and why it is a separate standard from ISO 22810:2010, "Horology — Water-resistant watches", which covers ordinary water-resistant watches. A depth marking alone does not make a watch a divers' watch under the standard.

Sources
Tier 1 · ISO 6425:2018, "Horology — Divers' watches", edition 4, published October 2018, confirmed 2024 · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · ISO 22810:2010, "Horology — Water-resistant watches", edition 1, published August 2010 · source · read 2026-09-25
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/standards/iso-6425/, /watches/glossary/divers-watch/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/#verified

q-enthusiast-005Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-03-25

Question 6 · History · difficulty 2/5

Which watch does its maker describe as the world's first quartz wristwatch marketed commercially, and when did it go on sale?

  1. The Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ, on 25 December 1969 ← correct answer
  2. The Swatch Gent, in 1983
  3. The Casio F-91W, in 1989
  4. The Omega Marine Chronometer, in 1974

Answer A. The Seiko Museum Ginza states that on 25 December 1969 Seiko launched the world's first quartz wristwatch, the Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ, and its collection record describes it as "the world's first quartz wristwatch marketed commercially". That qualifier matters: it distinguishes a product placed on sale from earlier laboratory and prototype quartz timepieces. It sold for 450,000 yen — about the price of a popular car at the time.

Sources
Tier 1 · The Seiko Museum Ginza, "World's First Quartz Watch Astron", Seiko Watches (Later Period) · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · The Seiko Museum Ginza, "The birth of the quartz timepiece" · source · read 2026-09-25
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/history/quartz-revolution/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/brands/seiko/

q-enthusiast-006Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2028-09-25

Question 7 · Myth-busting · difficulty 4/5

Quartz watchmaking spread worldwide very quickly after 1969. According to Seiko's own museum, what did Seiko do with its quartz patents?

  1. It never filed any patents, so the technology was free from the start
  2. It obtained patents and then disclosed a large part of them ← correct answer
  3. It enforced its patents until they expired in the 1990s
  4. It sold the patents to a Swiss consortium

Answer B. The Seiko Museum Ginza states that "Seiko decided to disclose a large part of the patents it had been granted during the development of its quartz watches", and that "when Seiko disclosed the patent, watchmakers all over the world began to produce quartz wristwatches of their own". The popular version — that Seiko generously declined to patent the technology — is contradicted by the brand's own record. Patented and then opened is a different act from never patented, and this Codex reports the one the source states.

Sources
Tier 1 · The Seiko Museum Ginza, "Stage 3 (1960s – 1980s)", History of Seiko and Its Products · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · The Seiko Museum Ginza, "The birth of the quartz timepiece" · source · read 2026-09-25
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/history/quartz-revolution/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/brands/seiko/

q-enthusiast-007Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2028-09-25

Question 8 · How watches work · difficulty 3/5

Spring Drive is unusual because of how it combines two ways of keeping time. How does its maker define it?

  1. A quartz watch that winds itself from wrist motion
  2. A watch driven by mainspring power and controlled by quartz at the same time ← correct answer
  3. A mechanical watch with a quartz watch built into the caseback
  4. A solar-powered mechanical movement

Answer B. The Seiko Museum Ginza defines Spring Drive as "the world's first watch driven by the mainspring power and controlled by quartz at the same time". There is no battery and no escapement: mainspring power turns a glide wheel, a quartz oscillator running at 32,768 Hz provides the reference, and the wheel is braked electromagnetically to match it — an arrangement Grand Seiko calls the Tri-synchro Regulator. Spring Drive was commercialised in 1999; the 9R movement used in Grand Seiko came in 2004, and the two dates are often conflated.

Sources
Tier 1 · The Seiko Museum Ginza, "Spring Drive", Seiko Milestones · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · Grand Seiko, "Spring Drive" · source · read 2026-09-25
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/movements/spring-drive/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/brands/seiko/

q-enthusiast-008Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-09-25

Question 9 · Brands and groups · difficulty 3/5

What is the relationship between Seiko and Grand Seiko today?

  1. Grand Seiko is Seiko's highest collection, sitting above Prospex and Presage
  2. Grand Seiko has been a fully independent brand since 2017 ← correct answer
  3. Grand Seiko was sold to a different group in 2018
  4. Grand Seiko is a retailer-exclusive version of Seiko

Answer B. Grand Seiko states that in 2017 "a new chapter in the Grand Seiko story opened with the launch of a wider collection and with establishment of Grand Seiko as a fully independent brand", and Seiko's own corporate chronology records for 2017: "Made Grand Seiko an independent brand." Grand Seiko is not listed among Seiko's current global collections. It remains within the same corporate group — Grand Seiko Corporation of America, incorporated in New York in October 2018, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Watch Corporation — so "independent brand" means brand separation, not a change of owner.

Sources
Tier 1 · Grand Seiko, "A new era for Grand Seiko opens with the establishment of Grand Seiko Corporation of America", press release, 2 October 2018 · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · Seiko Group Corporation, "History: Details" (corporate chronology) · source · read 2026-09-25
Tier 1 · Seiko Watch Corporation, "Products" collections listing (King Seiko, Prospex, Presage, Astron, 5 Sports) — Grand Seiko not among them · source · read 2026-09-26
This fact can change: the question expires on 2027-09-25 and is hidden until re-verified.
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/brands/grand-seiko/, /watches/groups/seiko-group/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/brands/seiko/

q-enthusiast-009Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2027-09-25

Question 10 · Geography · difficulty 2/5

Two Swiss towns are on the UNESCO World Heritage List specifically for how watchmaking shaped the way they were built. Which are they?

  1. Geneva and Lausanne
  2. La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle ← correct answer
  3. Biel/Bienne and Grenchen
  4. Schaffhausen and Zurich

Answer B. UNESCO inscribed the site in 2009 under the name "La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning" (reference 1302), under criterion (iv). The inscription is not for the watches but for the town planning itself — two towns in the Neuchâtel Jura laid out around the needs of watchmaking workshops rather than around the usual civic or defensive logic.

Source
Tier 1 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre, "La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning", reference 1302, inscribed 2009 · source · read 2026-09-25
Codex page planned for this fact: /watches/countries/switzerland/, /watches/institutions/
Read more in the Codex: /watches/#countries

q-enthusiast-010Verified 2026-09-25 · review due 2028-09-25