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Watches which are synchronised with an atomic clock are also known as radio controlled watches. Whilst watches that run from atomic clocks were not made until the late 1970’s, the atomic clock itself was invented in 1949.
Upon inception, the first atomic clock in the USA was no where near as accurate as it is today. With that being said, since the year 2000 a LOT of progress has been made in this area. Laser cooling technology has been implemented so that parts of the clock no longer overheat and become less reliable. It has been estimated that the current accuracy is within +/- 1 second within 138 million years. Therefore it should go without saying that you don’t really have any concern owning a radio controlled watch.
Overall as a modern technology, radio controlled watches are really not popular compared to other designs of movements. This is likely because the general public neither knows nor particularly cares about this technology. In general, people would much rather have a luxury watch or something which looks visually appealing rather than a super accurate watch.
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Where Are Radio Controlled Watches Made?
On the whole, the industry of radio controlled watches is dominated by the Japanese brands Seiko, Citizen & Casio. This is largely due to these brands already being the masters of quartz technology, so radio controlled is another natural step in this direction. These Japanese giants are able to produce radio controlled watches at a very low cost compared to other regions in the world due to their superior technology and scale of production facilities.
Whilst there are some European brands which make radio controlled watches, for the most part Europe has stuck to what it knows best – luxury mechanical watches.
What Is A Radio Controlled Watch?
A radio controlled watch is a wristwatch that receives a radio signal from an atomic clock and synchronises to the time it has been told. Some people refer to these watches as “atomic watches” which is not strictly true. The watch itself is not atomic, but does get a signal from an atomic clock.
These watches are renowned for their accuracy and will adjust to the nearest clock in your geographical region. The only real drawback of owning a radio controlled watch is if you do not live within the range of an atomic clock. If you did live in a very remote region (such as the Amazon rainforest), it is unlikely your watch would work.
Do Atomic Watches Still Work?
Yes. Although depending on where you are in the world this may not be true. If you live on a remote island in the Pacific ocean, your atomic watch will likely be a paperweight. However, if you live in either Europe or the United States there is no problem at all. In fact, the coverage from the atomic clock in Denver reaches down to the tip of Panama and remote regions of Canada.
The issue which is still up in the air for Americans, is whether the atomic clock in Denver Colorado will be shut down. During his presidency, Donald Trump decided for some reason that he wanted to close the NIST center down. Nobody is really sure why this happened, or whether it will ever go ahead. It should be noted that this was announced in 2018 and an opposition candidate is now in power. At this point it looks unlikely.
Does An Atomic (Radio Controlled) Watch Set Itself?
Yes. On some specific models you can brute force your watch in to setting. The instructions will be different for each brand and model, but you are often able to force the watch to synchronise. However, there is little need to do this since the watch will automatically synchronise each night – so this feature is not really necessary.
Are Atomic Watches Dangerous?
No. Even if you believe that radio waves are harmful for humans, since radio controlled watches only sync with the atomic clock in your region once per day, this shouldn’t really matter. If you are using anything like wifi in your house, or own a cell phone, these devices constantly emit radio waves back and forth.
If you take your watch off at night, the atomic clock will syncrhonise with your watch in the early hours of each morning. Even with all of this being said, there are no studies to show that atomic clocks are harmful towards humans or animals.
Are Atomic Watches Any Good?
Atomic watches are very good due to their value for money, accuracy and reliability. Considering that these watches are considerably more accurate than any mechanical watch and are even superior timekeepers to quartz, they are not really priced as such.
Typically you will find that atomic watches are no more expensive than a typical fashion watch. As an example an average Citizen watch would set you back somewhere in the region of $250. A Citizen radio controlled watch does not cost too much more than this and can often be found for around $300. If you wait until RC watches are on sale, you may even find they are cheaper than a regular model.
Overall, there is no real drawback to having an atomic watch. The only issue is that if you’re on a limited budget, they can sometimes cost a little more. However, if you have patience, this isn’t a problem as you can wait for a price drop.
Is An Atomic Watch Better Than Quartz?
Radio controlled (atomic) watches are far more accurate than quartz. In fact, they are the most accurate movements you can actually get in a watch. The level of reliability and accuracy is similar to what you would expect from a laptop or a smartphone.
The similarity between the two types of watch is that they both use batteries. A radio controlled watch uses a battery to communicate with the nearest atomic clock. A quartz based watch uses the power of the battery to keep itself moving as it has no method of telling the time other than its own movement.
Overall, quartz watches are also very accurate (moreso than luxury mechanical watches). But an atomic watch is the most accurate timepiece you can buy.
The Best Atomic Watches By Brand
Due to the lack of competition within the industry, there are only a handful of brands which make radio controlled watches. There are some sub-standard brands which make atomic watches, but these have not been included as they have no company history. Typically the only companies which make RC watches are the 3 main Japanese brands and luxury watchmaker Junghans.
Seiko Coutura
The Seiko Coutura range provides a very modern and futuristic looking watch with radio controlled technology. This watch is more expensive than a lot of other RC brands. However, in fairness the coutura does offer a world time function. This allows you to check (or set) the time to any of the cities in the world displayed on the dial. The watch will simply sync to your nearest atomic clock and then adjust based on how many hours ahead or behind the city is.
Seiko are one of the more expensive brands for atomic watches, although they do offer a few more features and complications to make up for this.
Citizen Eco-Drive
Citizen probably have the largest variety of atomic watches out of any brand. They make standard modern looking chronographs (pictured above) as well as some models in the promaster series, skyhawks and navihawks all being available in the RC format.
This allows you to at least have some choice over design, since there are not too many choices when it comes to radio controlled watches. From a practicality perspective, Citizen watches are awesome. Given that you only have to set an RC watch once, you also never have to change the battery. Citizens entire RC series are all Eco-Drive watches which means this truly is a super convenient brand.
Casio Wave Ceptor
The wave ceptor is Casios range of radio controlled watches. These are typically made in a smart stainless steel sports/dress watch series, as well as some digital G-Shock models making use of the technology. Anyone who has owned a Casio watch before knows they are super reliable and tough as nails.
It should also be added that Casio are probably the best brand in terms of value for money in this sector. None of the other brands can quite match their price point on radio controlled watches.
Junghans Max Bill
Junghans are a German watchmaker which specialises in making very minimalist and fashionable dress watches. These are not to be confused with fashion brands, as they often cost several thousand dollars for automatic models as their movements are made to a very high standard.
This version of the Max Bill is available as a radio controlled watch, which means that you get all the design aesthetics of the German brand, alongside greater accuracy than you would in a mechanical movement. Not only this, but the price is significantly cheaper and you will not need to service the watch every few years.
If you happen to live in Western Europe or Germany in particular, you will be located near the atomic clock in Berlin, which is where this watch will receive its signal from. Of course, if you live in the USA, you will receive the signal from Colorado.
