According to the prophets of yesteryear, the atomic age was supposed to have transformed the world by now. Where are the nuclear rocket cars we were promised? What happened to that “energy too cheap to meter”? When will I become a nuclear-powered superhero? Why are we still fighting wars the sluggish, messy old-fashioned way instead of the efficient, turbo-charged atomic way?

Those dreams remain unfulfilled, but at least we have this Abacus Fossil watch as a consolation prize. About the only thing we’ve trained atoms to do is keep accurate time, and the Abacus syncs up daily with the global atomic clock nearest you. It’s got all the figurative bells and metaphorical whistles you expect from a half-decent watch: date and day display, a 1/100 second chronograph, an hourly chime, four daily alarms. You can see what time it is in 23 selected cities around the world (not including Chernobyl, Nagasaki, or Three Mile Island). And you can annoy the collective hell out of your friends by snidely correcting the time on their non-atomic clocks. As atomic powers go, it’s pretty dull. But until somebody has the guts to push the button, it’s all we’ve got.

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