Benefits of an Atomic Solar Watch
I'm not particularly big on wristwatches. Yes, I've always worn one, but I would never go out and spend thousands of dollars on a Rolex or something like that. I value function over everything else and don't care too much about name brands. That's why my next timepiece is going to be an atomic solar watch instead of a traditional battery-operated model.
I first heard about atomic solar watches a few months ago when a friend of mine bought one. He thought it was the coolest thing around and talked about it so much that I couldn't help but take notice. I was especially interested after hearing about the two biggest benefits of atomic solar watches: automatic time synchronization and solar-charged batteries. Adjusting the time and changing the batteries are undoubtedly the most tedious maintenance tasks associated with wearing a wristwatch, so automating both processes seemed like a good idea to me.
Just how does an atomic solar watch work to accomplish these things? From what I understand, there's a component in the timepiece that picks up a free radio signal broadcast of the official time. This is checked several times throughout the day and night, and automatic adjustments are made if necessary. Most atomic solar watches also allow for the wearer to initiate synchronization, so if you feel that the time is out of whack, you can quickly go through the adjustment phase.
Atomic solar watches do have batteries, but these are charged whenever you expose the timepiece to the sun or other light sources. The batteries serve as a backup, and allow the atomic solar watch to keep chugging right along even if you stash it into a drawer for a few days. The battery will probably still need to be changed, though you certainly wouldn't have to do so as frequently as with a traditional wristwatch.
These products are pretty popular right now, so you can buy them just about anywhere. Prices vary depending on different factors such as other features, quality of the components, and the maker, but you shouldn't have to pay more than a couple hundred bucks for a good one. For instance, the Casio G-Shock GW-1200BA is a top seller that can be purchased for anywhere from $200 to $300. That's not bad at all for a good-looking, durable timepiece from a respected manufacturer. You can also find models that sell for as little as $50 or as much as $500 or more. It really just depends on how much you're willing to spend.
As I said before, I'm definitely buying an atomic solar watch sometime soon. I love the whole "set it and forget it" aspect of these things and am sure that I'm making the right choice here. Now all I have to do is start shopping around for the perfect one!
