Atomic Watches

Atomic Watches. No ground zero, just zero configuring.

An impressive new development in chronographic technology is the atomic watch.

No, there isn't a mini nuclear reactor attached to your wrist, it uses atomic signals to calibrate it's time. The basic technology behind this feature utilizes a built in radio receiver in the watch, and a radio antenna which sends out a strong signal across the continental US. This new technology allows for absolute time and date accuracy that is never off by more than a second in twenty million years. Most atomic watches adjust for time zones and daylight savings time as well. Set the time zone and that's it. You never have to do another thing except change the battery.

The technologies behind the watch are nothing new, but the way it achieves this accuracy is. The government operates an “atomic clock” at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Fort Collins, Colorado. This signal is then transmitted to the watch at least once a day, usually at night, and the watch resets itself. The watch operates on the quartz crystal the rest of the day and the atomic update subsequently compensates for the normal drift associated with quartz crystals.

The precise time of the atomic clock, and how it achieves it requires some explanation. The atomic clock bases it's timing on the vibrations of a cesium atom, as opposed to a vibrating quartz crystal. Unlike quartz crystals which are used in many watches, cesium atoms don't wear out and they can oscillate forever without any distortion. In addition, all cesium atoms oscillate at the same frequency so they are perfect for keeping perfect time. This precision makes the clock accurate to ten billionths of a second.

A new feature in atomic watches, which may be desirable to the world traveler, is the global atomic watch. Four separate radio receiver chips allow you to receive signals from internationally recognized atomic clocks in North America, Europe and Asia.

| Search

Designer Watches