Clockor

Clockor is a fictional or hypothetical timekeeping concept used in science fiction and speculative technologies. It denotes a device or system that coordinates multiple time references and maintains coherent timing across distributed devices.

The name Clockor is a blend of clock and chronometer, signaling precision timing with a futuristic connotation. In various works, Clockor is described as a compact, modular unit that can act as both a local oscillator and a network time distributor.

A Clockor typically combines a stable reference—such as a crystal, an optical clock, or a simulated atomic reference—with a digital clock engine and interfaces for time signals from multiple sources. It applies drift correction, holdover capabilities, and cross-checking to keep alignment, and it can broadcast time over wired or wireless links.

Applications in fiction include locking shipboard navigation, coordinating robotics, and synchronizing virtual environments. In theoretical discussions, Clockor serves as a model to study distributed timekeeping, addressing issues such as propagation delay, clock skew, reference hierarchy, and redundancy without asserting that the device exists in reality.

Because Clockor is largely fictional or theoretical, there is no formal standard or real-world implementation. Descriptions of Clockor emphasize its role as a narrative or conceptual tool for examining how precise timekeeping can be achieved across complex systems.