[defrost]

It's a genuine question about the conditions under which error bar performance was claimed (by whomever you quoted).

> A bit LARPy, I would think.

That's all relative - I worked global exploration geophysics for a decade, worked with folk that developed sapphire oscillators for use in gravitational wave detection, dabble with SKA data, etc.

What's role play to some is just a job to others.

[TheOtherHobbes]

Even the cheapest quartz watches (0.5s/day) are significantly more accurate than a typical Rolex (2s/day) in normal use.

I'm having some difficulty understanding how g shocks, temperature variations, and barometric changes will have less of an effect on a fragile mechanical system than a tuned electronic one.