ATLAS shows its strength for precision physics, taking a world-class measurement of the W boson mass. Precise measurements of the W boson mass are vital, as the parameter is related in the Standard Model to the masses of the top quark and the Higgs boson. Measuring the W mass can thus test the self-consistency of the Standard Model, since any deviation from the predicted relation would be a sign of new physics. This first ATLAS result is consistent and as precise as the best previous measurement of the W mass.