What is your time reference?
As a metrologist I’m obsessed with accuracy. I set/adjust everything I own that is adjustable. (My tools, torque wrenches, thermometers, tire gauges, obviously clocks and watches.) I’m not sure if my obsession came from my occupation, or if my ability to tolerate my occupation came from my obsession. Perhaps it’s a feedback loop. I set my watch using a cell phone app that I checked against the NIST website by eye. Every time I save up enough money to purchase a GPS slaved clock, I use the money to buy another watch – I guess I’m weak that way. So how do you set your watches?
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Thomas
Born in 1962 in Detroit. I'm a gear-head to the core. I love everything with wheels. Off-roading, fast cars, motorcycles, etc. I always have a vehicle project or two in the works. Professionally I'm a...
Salt Lake City
Member since
Last active: 2 weeks ago
8.62” / 21.89 cm
My Casio G-Shock GWM5610-1.
It has atomic timekeeping that is synchronized several times each day.
My Casio G-Shock GWM5610-1.
It has atomic timekeeping that is synchronized several times each day.
Same here!
Like the previous two replies, I have 4 citizen watches with Atomic Timekeeping and will use those as a reference fairly often.
However, because of where I live (about 2500km from the nearest antenna), my watches often don't synchronize unless I place them on my window sill with the 9-position aimed to the West (I'm in Toronto, and the nearest antenna is Fort Collins, Colorado). The Citizen's generally synchronize at night, I believe.
If I haven't ensured the AT Citizens are up to date, I use my cell phone
I use an Atomic Time app. So much more accurate -- right now my phone is 1 sec 28 ms fast. Can't have that! Important to know the CORRECT time so I don't miss an important appointment. 😂😂😂
Clock on Hodinkee app…..
I use an Atomic Time app. So much more accurate -- right now my phone is 1 sec 28 ms fast. Can't have that! Important to know the CORRECT time so I don't miss an important appointment. 😂😂😂
I use that same Atomic Time app on my Android phone, or the Time.is web site.
My Casio G-Shock GWM5610-1.
It has atomic timekeeping that is synchronized several times each day.
Same!
I use an app from Emerald-Sequoia “Emerald Time”, it contacts multiple NTP servers then adjusts for offset from the device’s time. It even has the option to view the server stats: good/bad packets received, standard deviation, offset, and round trip time.
Overkill? Yes. Do I care? Nope! Haha
Just my laptop time, which gets it’s time from time.gov, so I guess time.gov.
Yep…buy an atomic g-shock if you live in an area that will pick up the signal.
The iPhone doesn't have a second-hand option in the default clock app. So I spent $1.99 and bought the "Analog Clock" app, which DOES have a second-hand option. And that is what I use to set my watches. So really, I am using the cell phone itself, but since Apple doesn't provide analog, I have to get an app involved.
When I set the time on a watch I use the clock of my desktop PC which is getting its timing from an NTP server on pool.ntp.org.
I use an Atomic Time app. So much more accurate -- right now my phone is 1 sec 28 ms fast. Can't have that! Important to know the CORRECT time so I don't miss an important appointment. 😂😂😂
but if everyone is on "Phone Time" wouldn't you always be 1 sec 28 ms late? 😜
My Citizen Navihawk AT Blue Angels. I don’t like wearing it anymore because it is massive at 48mm, but it stays by the rest of my watches so I can set them with it as the reference.
I have a G-SHOCK 5610 in my collection, which is set automatically via Multiband 6, so I use that as my "single source of truth" for my other watches.
Atomic clock. Gotta’ face it to the west at night every few days to get it synced.
If on the road, the national time service by the government. What ever happened to the Naval Observatory time service, btw?
Like earlier responses, I have several Casio watches with Multiband 6 that receive the atomic clock signal that I use to set my watches.
I usually set it to within a couple of minutes of whatever clock is at hand (or shout to my wife or daughter, who are both always Apple Watch wearing or phone staring).
I kind of set my watches to whatever time I "feel" like it is. Usually I'm not far off from reality, probably 10 or 15 minutes.
D : I set al my watches if it is needed like auto's that are not running, to my Casio watches with multiband 6.
That's always the correct time!
but if everyone is on "Phone Time" wouldn't you always be 1 sec 28 ms late? 😜
My phone is fast. Would make me early. I would just have to sit around waiting for 1.28 seconds.
Like many others my multi-band 6 g shock (GW5000U).
Previously time.is
Apple Watch. I read that it's accurate to something like within 50ms of standard time. Good enough for me!
Atomic Time app on iPhone..
As an engineer I too am a little obsessed with accuracy, add in some OCD and it can be a little unhealthy 😂 I never use my phone to set the time on my watches, it can drift anywhere between +0.25 and +2.00 seconds daily (I appreciate that this is not significant to many but try telling my brain, haha). So I use the website you shared in this post. Interestingly the timepiece that can keep in almost perfect agreement with the website is my trusty Casio F-91W! Followed by a another trusty Casio analogue quartz which wasn't an expensive watch either.
Clock on Hodinkee app…..
This
I usually set my watches with time.is, but I also spent far too much time on NIST the other night setting my VPN do different world locations and checking on how much it affected the accuracy of my phone’s clock. 😂
My Casio G-Shock GWM5610-1.
It has atomic timekeeping that is synchronized several times each day.
Concur!
Please check out the new posts section for the results of the poll.
https://time.is/ is really accurate