ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Atomic Wrist Watches-Better Than Rolex?

Updated on April 10, 2011

What Is An Atomic Wrist Watch?

Atomic wrist watches, more accurately called radio controlled watches, are the most accurate wrist watches in the world. It is estimated that an atomic watch will lose less than one second, over the course of three million years.

By receiving a radio signal that contains the time and date code from one of the atomic clocks that keep the world's time, an atomic watch automatically calibrates itself to the exact time. They self-adjust for Daylight Saving Time, leap years, and even leap seconds.

How Atomic Watches Work

These wrist watches contain radio receivers that are tuned to a specific frequency. The frequency varies, depending on where you live. If you live in the U.S., for instance, the radio station carrying the time code frequency is WWVB. This is a radio transmitter dedicated to the time code from the atomic clock at Fort Collins, Colorado.

When you purchase an atomic wrist watch, the only thing you need to do is set your time zone. This simple process usually entails scrolling through a menu to select the area in which you live. Once you have done that, the watch will automatically update several times a day. These updates usually happen late at night because there is much less radio interference at this time. It may also be necessary to leave your watch near a window to maximize reception. A time, day and date update usually takes about five to seven minutes. It's important that you not move the watch, or push any buttons while it is receiving.


A Few World Frequencies

In Germany, DCF77 is the station dedicated to time code transmission. The transmitter is located in Mainflingen, near Frankfurt.

Once called "The Rugby Clock", MSF is the station to which atomic watches in the UK are tuned. Broadcast at 60 kHz, it is also received throughout parts of northern and western Europe.

Radio station JJY broadcasts the time code for Japan, via two transmitters, at two different frequencies. There is one near Fukushima, that transmits at 40 kHz, and another on Kyushu Island, transmitting at 60 kHz. The two different frequencies ensure that the transmitters will not interfere with each other.

 

Casio Atomic Wrist Watch
Casio Atomic Wrist Watch

Things To Know Before Buying An Atomic Wrist Watch

As long as you are within a 2000 mile radius of the transmitter to which your watch is tuned, you should receive regular updates. This covers just about all of the U.S., with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii.

If you travel outside of this radius, your atomic watch will continue to function as (and with accuracy comparable to) a quartz watch. Once you are back within range, it will update at the normal times.

There are a few other factors that may affect your atomic wrist watch's ability to receive the signal. You may have difficulty if you are in a vehicle, in or around tall buildings, or in a mountainous area. Most manufacturers have accounted for this, by adding a "manual receive" feature. With this feature, you can manually activate the receiver when you in a more suitable area.

Why You Need One

OK, so you probably don't absolutely need one. But if you're shopping for someone who loves wrist watches (and there are a lot of us who do), this should top your list. A watch fancier may take a certain level of pride in knowing that there is no watch more accurate than theirs.

They are available in digital, chronograph, or a combination of both. There are sport models, casual, and business models. Most are water resistant to one degree or another. They can be found for prices starting at around thirty dollars, and ranging well into the hundreds, depending on the style and features you want. Regardless of how little or how much you spend, they all maintain the same unparalleled level of accuracy.

Who Makes Them?

There are a number of companies that make atomic watches, but Casio seems to dominate the U.S. market. Their Wave Ceptor line of atomic wrist watches runs the gamut in terms of styles, and range in price from around forty dollars, to over three hundred. For durability, Casio G-Shock watches are tough as nails. I tend to shop from the lower end of the price range, but both of my Wave Ceptors have absorbed a lot of abuse, with no sign of distress.


Rather Have A Rolex?

You could spend thousands of dollars on a Rolex (if my wife is reading this, I am partial to the Submariner), but even that time honored name can't keep better time than my forty dollar atomic wrist watch. These little gadgets are clearly the way to go, when you want to know what time it really is.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)