The Best Atomic Watch of 2022

An atomic watch is a timepiece that receives radio calibration signals for an accurate time from a real super-accurate atomic clock. More info on the functioning of atomic watches here. If you want you can skip all these information and jump to the watches themselves to find the best atomic watch for your needs and budget.

The reasons why you could make use of an atomic watch or choose one to the detriment of a regular watch are various. Maybe your job requires you to know the exact time or maybe you just want a super accurate watch. Either way, atomic watches are a great choice.

In our opinion, at the moment, the best atomic watch manufacturers are the following:

Citizen

Citizen makes not just some of the best atomic watches on the market but also some of the best watches from all categories. They perfected their technologies over time, the Eco-Drive solar charging or the radio control feature being just two of them. You generally cannot go wrong with Citizen in terms of quality.

Casio

The ProTrek, G-Shock and Edifice line from Casio are so popular for a good reason. Edifice watches bring a lot of style to the beholder’s wrist while also offering good specifications, G-Shocks are resistant as hell, being the preferred watches for people who need a tough yet feature-packed watch. And finally, the ProTrek line is generally the best pick for outdoors.

Now let’s get to the list to help you find the best atomic watch.

-Best Atomic Watch from Citizen-

1. Citizen Eco-Drive CB0020-50E Atomic World Perpetual

Enter the world of accurate atomic watches with the Citizen CB0020 Atomic watch featuring a perpetual calendar. If you want the type of watch that you set once and then never touch the configuration buttons again (as long as you expose it to light regularly), then this is the watch you are looking for.

The atomic timekeeping system ensures that the time is dead accurate, the perpetual calendar is basically programmed to know whether a month has 30 or 31 days or whether February has 28 or 29 days and so on. Thanks to these two features combined, you can forget about setting the time or date anytime soon.

The world time is another smart feature especially helpful when you travel abroad or when you switch to a new time zone. At the press of a button, you can set the time of your travel destination.

Not only that it has some of the best features in this price line but it also comes in an incredibly high-quality case along with a stainless steel strap. Great pick if you want a high-quality atomic watch.

Check out our in-depth review of the Citizen Eco-Drive CB0020-50E Atomic Perpetual.

-Best Atomic Watch (Overall)-

2. G-Shock GW-9400 Rangeman

One of the best G-Shocks on the market, the Rangeman is a masterpiece even among other atomic watches. It comes with a lot of useful features and a tough casing which is resistant to all sorts of shocks and scratches.

With the now famous triple sensor, you can make predictions of the weather, know the altitude at a certain moment or guide yourself in places you never went before.

Speaking of design, the case has a pretty irregular shape although it feels great on the hand along with the resin strap. The display is visible during most lighting situations thanks to the backlight. The intuitive crown lets you easily configure whatever you need.

The Rangeman is good at many aspects but when it comes to being the best atomic watch, I would say it makes for a great impression.

There are a lot more to tell about the GW-9400 Rangeman which we covered in our in-depth review here.

3. G-Shock GWG-1000-1A3 Mudmaster

This fancy G-Shock is great if you want top notch technologies and quality. While it is a relatively new release the G-Shock community already embraced it, and loved it. The Mudmaster is a very appreciated watch because it has little to no flaws, both when speaking of design / build and specifications. Of course, I still haven’t discovered a true flawless watch yet, but the Mudmaster is the closest to winning the title.

The triple sensor with the altimeter, barometer and compass is useful for outdoor amateurs because it offers estimative values of the barometric pressure, and of the current height. I say estimative because you shouldn’t consider a watch to be a professional measuring tool in any way. The values returned by these sensors are kind of accurate, but nowhere near the accuracy of dedicated tools. With the compass, we have another story, however. You can rely on its values most of the time.

Remember that this is a big watch, so if you never had a similar sized watch before you will need some time to get used to it. However, this doesn’t mean it will make you feel uncomfortable. Actually, after you get used to its size, it is a true pleasure wearing it, especially knowing what a powerful tool you have on your wrist.

The illumination is good, the design is great, the materials are high-quality, the brand is famous, the line of watches is tested by hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide and last but not least, the experience is great. One of the best purchases you can make for a G-Shock atomic watch.

You can see even more on our extended review of the GWG-1000 Mudmaster here.

4. Casio ProTrek PRW2500T

The ProTrek line is always a great choice for active people, especially for the outdoors. The ProTrek PRW2500T is an improved version of the plastic PRW2500. While the features are pretty similar between these two models, the model reviewed here is made of a combination of stainless steel and titanium which are much better in terms of quality.

The atomic timekeeping function on this ProTrek makes the watch very precise and the auto calendar is preprogrammed until 2099, so no worries regarding the time and date.

Other features include a full auto backlight, the triple sensor with the altimeter, barometer and compass, and the solar charging feature.

This ProTrek model is very appreciated by a lot of people worldwide due to its reliability, high-quality build, and tons of features. Overall it is a very good atomic watch for the money.

Read more in the in-depth review of the similar ProTrek PRW2500.

5. Citizen Eco-Drive AT4010-50E Titanium Perpetual Chrono

If you want top of the line specifications, then the Citizen AT4010 is one great choice. Both the bracelet and case are made from titanium which is resistant and good looking. The window is made from Sapphire Crystal, the highest standard in quality for watch windows.

I already stated that the atomic timekeeping keeps the hour dead accurate and the solar charging eliminates the need for swapping batteries. Basically, all these features combined, the atomic timekeeping, the solar charging and the perpetual calendar empowers you to set the watch once and then never touch it again.

The quality of the materials is always a main selling-point for Citizen watches. Everyone knows to look for a Citizen when they need quality materials and craftsmanship. Of course, the Citizen AT4010 is no exception. The titanium case and sapphire crystal window with antireflection coating say it all.

Is this the absolute best atomic watch? Probably not. Is it one of the best atomic watches on the market in this price range? It definitely is!

Read our full review of the Citizen Eco-Drive AT4010-50E Titanium Perpetual Chrono.

We also have lots of articles on various other topics. Here are a few: best altimeter watch, best compass watch, best ABC watch, best survival watch, best solar watches, best G-Shock watch. Click on whichever you wish.