Japan puts world’s most accurate clock on sale for $3.3m

The world’s most accurate clock, resembling a squat, wide refrigerator, has been released for sale in Japan at a price of $3.3 million. Manufactured by Kyoto-based Shimadzu Corp., the “Aether clock OC 020” is so precise that it would take 10 billion years to deviate by just one second.

Known as a strontium optical lattice clock, it is 100 times more accurate than caesium atomic clocks, which currently define the standard measurement of a second. Standing at approximately one meter tall with a volume of around 250 liters, the device is compact for its kind and can be used in research fieldwork.

Shimadzu aims to sell 10 units over the next three years, targeting customers involved in scientific research, including the study of tectonic activity. Optical lattice clocks have previously been installed in Tokyo’s Skytree to test the general theory of relativity, which suggests that time moves slower in regions with stronger gravitational fields.