Henry Dreyfuss designed the style 3, 5 and 6 cases. August Schierholtz designed the styleĢ case, and Max Schlenker designed the base. George Kern designed the style 1 Big Ben movement and case. Pay attention to the shape of the case and not the color (your clock might have a different case or dial color) To identify a Big Ben or Baby Ben alarm clock, find out which of the case styles it matches. Big Ben and Baby Ben Style 1 through Style 10 We have written a " Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide" that goes into detail about their history and identification. They are included in the detail pages of their styles. Reproductions of some of the earlier Big Ben styles are now being made inĬhina. These reproductions may be identified by being battery operated Since then, the name "Big Ben" hasīeen used on several reproduction models of clocks that were not called Bigīen in the past. In 2001, General Time (owner of Westclox) declared bankruptcy and sold the Style 1, Dura Case (LaSalle series), Clock of Tomorrow, and the Seth Thomas Also shown below are some relatives of the Bens: Bingo The style 10 isĬase styles that have names instead of numbers are illustrated after Style 9 were made in the United States, Canada, Great Britain or Scotland. Most of the styles 1 - 10 are windup clocks, but some electric clocks were made in styles 5, 7, and 8. Pay attention to the shape of the case and not the color (your clock might have a different case or dial color). To identify a Big Ben or Baby Ben, find out which case style it matches. acquired the "Westclox" and "Big Ben" trademarks in 2001.The pictures below show the 10 "mainstream" case styles ofīig and Baby Bens and when they were made. Another bankruptcy shortly followed, and Salton, Inc. In 1988, the management of Talley Industries purchased General Time from the company. Westclox introduced its first quartz movement in 1972. Talley Industries acquired General Time in 1968. In 1959, Westclox introduced and patented its "drowse" alarm, which was one of the first of its kind powered by electricity, which integrated what is now more commonly known as a "snooze" function. The company continued to produce cheap pocket watches into the 1990s. It started production of an inexpensive, back-winding pocket watch in 1899, which was intended to be affordable to any working person. The Westclox company was a major manufacturer of dollar watches. Production of civilian models resumed in 1946. Price was set by the Office of Price Management at $1.65. Other clock companies also produced clocks that were labeled "War Alarm", such as Gilbert and Telechron. Clocks were labeled as "Waralarm" by Westclox and only referenced city of origin no mention of maker appeared. Clocks for the civilian market stopped production in 1942.īeginning in 1943, Westclox and other companies introduced clocks for the civilian market that used much less brass than previously. Westclox became a major manufacturer of fuzes for military ordnance. In 1938, Westclox introduced its first portable travel alarm clock to the market.ĭuring World War II, Westclox and other General Time Corporation subsidiaries produced aviation instrumentation and control components, compasses for the United States Army, and clocks for the United States Navy. The Westclox unit became known as "Westclox Division of General Time Corporation" in 1936. Twelve years later, in 1931, the company merged with the Seth Thomas Clock Company, with both companies becoming divisions of General Time Corporation. In 1919, Western Clock Co., Ltd., was incorporated. The company officially registered this trademark on January 18, 1916. The name appeared on Big Ben dials as early as 1911. The modern trademark of the company, "Westclox," first appeared on the back of Big Ben alarm clocks from 1910 to 1917. In 1910, the Big Ben became the first alarm clock advertised nationally, with ads placed in the Saturday Evening Post. The company's name was shortened to "Western Clock Company" in 1912. The company first brought the Big Ben to market in 1909. This movement has a "bell-back" design, meaning that the bell mechanism is integral to the clock's case. In 1908, the company received a patent for the "Big Ben" alarm clock movement. Matthiessen reorganized it in 1888 as the Western Clock Manufacturing Company. In 1887, the company reorganized under the new name Western Clock Company and again went bankrupt, and F. The main entrance Westclox building in Peru, Illinois Bankruptcies, reorganizations, and mergers
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