Oscilloquartz SA is a manufacturer precision timekeeping electronics including

atomic clocks An atomic clock is a clock that measures time by monitoring the resonant frequency of atoms. It is based on atoms having different energy levels. Electron states in an atom are associated with different energy levels, and in transitions betwee ...

Precision Time Protocol The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a protocol for clock synchronization throughout a computer network with relatively high precision and therefore ''potentially'' high accuracy. In a local area network (LAN), accuracy can be sub-microsecon ...

hardware and GNSS clocks. Oscilloquartz's portfolio also includes its Ensemble synchronization monitoring and management software. Oscilloquartz timing and synchronization products are designed for applications in utilities, defense, finance, IoT, broadcasting and mobile networks, including 5G networks. Its company headquarters is in

Saint-Blaise, Switzerland Saint-Blaise () is a former municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. On 1 January 2025 the former municipalities of Enges, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise and La Tène merged into the new municipality of Laténa. History Saint-Blai ...

. It has been a subsidiary of Adtran since 2021.

Products

Optical cesium atomic clocks - Oscilloquartz has developed optical cesium atomic clocks that are more stable and accurate than magnetic cesium-based solutions and exceed the curren
ITU-T G.811.1 enhanced primary reference clock (ePRC) specification
The current highest-end clocks in this range combine with core grandmaster devices to provide holdover accuracy of 100 nanoseconds for 100 days. "Multi-source grandmaster clocks wit
STL
capability" - In 2024, Adtran Oscilloquartz released its OSA 5405-S grandmaster solution. Alongside a GNSS receiver and an integrated cesium clock, the device features a satellite time and location (STL) module that can acces
low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite
signals for increased positioning navigation and timing (PNT) resiliency. The company also offers a pluggable module with STL capabilities for augmenting third-party equipment. "Time Scale System" - The Oscilloquartz Time Scale System is a fully integrated, customizable timekeeping solution that ensures UTC realization and adheres to stringent international standards.

History

* Oscilloquartz began its operations as a department of Ebauches SA in 1949, during the pioneering days of time and frequency measurement. * In 1950, Oscilloquartz equipped the

Observatory of Neuchâtel An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

where the first quartz clocks were installed. Further quartz clocks were delivered to the

Observatory of Paris The Paris Observatory (, ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world. Its historic building is on the Left Ban ...

in 1955. * In 1958, Oscilloquartz began their activity in atomic frequency standards. An ammoniac

maser A maser is a device that produces coherent electromagnetic waves ( microwaves), through amplification by stimulated emission. The term is an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Nikolay Basov, Alexander Pr ...

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

was developed and, until 1988, nine units were manufactured and delivered to several observatories and institutes worldwide. * In 1962, it developed of a complete redundant frequency generating system for

Swisscom Swisscom is a major telecommunications provider in Switzerland. Its headquarters are located in Worblaufen near Bern. The Swiss government owns 51% of Swisscom. According to its own published data, Swisscom holds a market share of 56% for mob ...

(formerly named Swiss PTT) of which more than 50 were delivered in the 1960s and 1970s. * In 1964, it focussed on the field of caesium frequency standards and in 1966 delivered its first commercial

atomic clock An atomic clock is a clock that measures time by monitoring the resonant frequency of atoms. It is based on atoms having different energy levels. Electron states in an atom are associated with different energy levels, and in transitions betwee ...

to the

ESRO The European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a ...

, the predecessor of the European Space Agency (

ESA The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 in the context of European ...

). * In 1967, The Swiss atomic clock "OSCILLATOM" was shown at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. During that same year, transport and transfer of precise time was carried out in the United States, Canada, Far East and South America. * In 1971, Oscilloquartz SA was officially registered as a corporation. * In 1978,

(formerly Swiss PTT) commissioned Oscilloquartz to supply a new generation of plesiochronous and synchronous equipment for hierarchy levels I and II of their digital communications network. Over thirty similar synchronization systems were subsequently installed worldwide. * In 1988, In a joint venture with SERCEL, France, Oscilloquartz developed the new European Digital Caesium Standard, EUDICS, with fully digital control loops and remote capabilities via

RS-232 In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232 is a standard introduced in 1960 for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a ''DTE'' (''data terminal equipment'') such as a compu ...

interface. * In 2014,

ADVA Optical Networking ADVA Optical Networking SE was a German telecommunications company specialized in network equipment for data, storage, voice and video services. It was founded in 1994 by Brian Protiva. On August 30, 2021, it was announced that ADVA and Adtran Ho ...

acquired Oscilloquartz SA from the Swatch Group.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://oscilloquartz.com Manufacturing companies of Switzerland