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Rolex Rubidium Atomic Optical Clock

Beating to the pulse of the universe

Today, to measure the second as precisely as possible, the oscillation of a watch’s balance hairspring and the vibration of quartz have given way to the ultra-high frequency of the atom.

In its continuous quest for precision and integration, Rolex has developed an optical atomic clock unlike any other in the world. To achieve this, the brand joined forces with the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) located in Neuchâtel. The result of several years of research, the clock’s technology relies on the use of rubidium, a metallic element that can produce frequencies 100,000 times higher than current atomic clocks.

Once they have been stimulated by a laser at a very precise, very high frequency (385 terahertz), the rubidium atoms emit blue fluorescent light when returning to their ground state. This blue fluorescence is what Rolex uses to define its reference second – establishing a new standard by which the precision testing machines in the brand’s workshops are now set.

The Rolex Deepsea challenge

Less than one second of drift per million years

The Rolex Rubidium Atomic Optical Clock’s precision outperforms that of other atomic clocks currently available by as much as 60 times.

Its operational stability is unequalled for a clock of this type. It has a drift that is less than 0.1 billionth of a second per day, which is equivalent to less than one second per million years. In an industrial, calibrated version, the clock provides the most accurate second – doing so continuously and with the greatest of regularity.