12 ms·
Much more practical but much less accurate than an atomic wristwatch[1]. I wonder how small a cesium frequency standard could be made. Miniaturization isn't typ
by SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
Much more practical but much less accurate than an atomic wristwatch[1]. I wonder how small a cesium frequency standard could be made. Miniaturization isn't typically a priority in their design, there's surely room for improvement.
[1] http://www.leapsecond.com/pages/atomic-bill/ http://www.leapsecond.com/pages/atomic-bill/ (Yes, that is a guy with an HP-5071A strapped to his arm.)
- y04nn 9y agoYou can also get a radio controlled watch
- SAI_Peregrinus 9y agoOf course, or a GPS-synchronized smart watch. But where's the fun in that?
- makomk 9y agoHigh-precision quartz wristwatches with well-designed temperature compensation can get accuracy within single-digit seconds of drift per year, and even that level of accuracy is enough to make them a niche product. Also, you need pretty good battery life in order to ensure the battery doesn't run out before the drift becomes relevant - some of the higher-end quartz movements already struggle with this a little, and chip-scale atomic clocks are much worse and likely to remain that way. Having accuracy of a second in 5,000 years doesn't give you much benefit over quartz because the battery life is measured in days.
- SamReidHughes 9y agoIt's actually been shrunk down a bit: http://www.ablogtowatch.com/bathys-cesium-133-atomic-wrist-watch-hands-prototype-carbon-fiber/ http://www.ablogtowatch.com/bathys-cesium-133-atomic-wrist-w... https://www.hoptroff.com/collections/atomic-timepieces https://www.hoptroff.com/collections/atomic-timepieces I think they all use the same "chip".