I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. bailey oceans tide clock dated 1880, with a Fusee movement. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. any info would be appreciated. When Westclox changed over to the style 8 Big Ben and Baby Ben in 1964, they used 4 divisions per 5 minutes, I believe to make the alarm easier to set. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. After the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by French physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Antoine Henri Becquerel, many other scientists began to search for uses of radioactivity. Omega stopped using radium around 1963. It would be greatly appreciated. But it had always just been a matter of time (pun less intended) before industrial mass production made a wide-scale phenomenon like the Big Ben possible. As Kate Moore explains it, The radium girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the companys employees. Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. I first saw the clock in 1957. Big Ben Style Series. 1968 Who made westclox? They were sold in a very attractive hexagonal box which has pictures of antique items on the sides (tricycle, telephone, carriage, etc.) Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. The lume used on vintage Rolex watches was radium-based, and radium remained the standard for nearly all Rolex lume until 1963, when growing health concerns forced a shift away from it. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. Inhaled or ingested particles may deposit a high local dose with a risk of radiation-caused lung or gastrointestinal cancer. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). A well-dressed, steady and punctual chap, up to the minute and always on the job., Big Ben always comes to you straight from home, LaSalle, Illinois, read another. The company made luminescent paint. It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. But the chances that you have a radium clock are slim, unless it is very old. Helen. Hi I need the face plate for a black face big ben with the alarm dial on its face do you have any you could sell me alonf with the radio dials, it was probably outsourced meaning westclox sold some watches to hot wheels, I had a westclox electric dialite like that. Buy Now. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. While studying the types of Big Ben style 1 and 1A in WestcloxHistory.com, I noticed the reproduction style 1A, and have acquired about 5 of them. It is a wind up. [Westclox advertisements from WWII period, ft. By Dave Margulius knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. In its place, he ironically dubbed the little bedside clock Big Ben (apparently not copyrighted by the British Parliament), and introduced it to the public in early ads as a gendered he instead of an it., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice, one ad read. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. . I have a mantel clock,its floral in color,made by Ansonia Cock Co.USA.New York. That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. In the comprehensive Big Ben & Baby Ben Identification Guide, organized by researchers Richard Tjarks and Bill Stoddard, they credit the original brilliant marketing of these little wonders almost entirely to one mana 28 year-old French immigrant named Gaston Le Roy. About 1920 the luminous dial using radium paint was introduced. I have a Westclox Big Ben 1910 style 1a and have not been able to find out the present value/worth. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. Theres a clock that came down the family, my great great granddad bought it used in about 1885, it was actually sold new in about 1839, one of the first of the weight-driven brass clocks. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. It is in good condition and has the original pendulum and key. This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. I am pleased that I came across your article. The next month, Roth got a cablegram from London; his friend and valued co-worker Le Roy had died for his country. Those simple words, Roth later wrote in the November 1914 issue of the company newsletter, Tick Talk, unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., [Images from a 1922 issue of the Westclox company newsletter, the very cleverly titled Tick Talk]. Stoddard: The prices for larger wall clocks, three feet tall and up, have increased dramatically, while prices on some of the more common clocks have remained the same for the past 20 years. Now I know that theres probably 14 basic shapes, but a lot more variations than that depending on how far you want to take things. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It started early in the 20th century, around 1910, when some companies began to use radium on watch dials and hands to create a "glow in the dark" effect. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. Similarly, Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it Style 10 is the last numbered Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock. Jessie, good observation. I have a Westclox Magnet Key Part number 031723 I think was used to open a door as it has an arrow on 1 end. Up until this point in time (pun intended), quality time pieces had been considered a rich mans game. I know the site informs readers the amount of Big Bens produced in any one year, but does NOT for the reproduction model produced in 1970. See the top of this page for a current list of I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. Even if the Western Clock Co. wasnt born in Chicago or headquartered here, the immediate aftershocks of the companys cultural and industrial impact certainly reached our shores in a hurry, no interstate required. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. "Westclox" in italics, double hexagon legs: 1918, "Westclox" in italics, regular legs: 1918 -1922, "Westclox" in italics, very narrow lettering at bottom: "MADE BY WESTERN CLOCK CO., LA SALLE, ILL., U.S.A.", ca. Recently Ive seen people taking an old Baby Ben thats worth a few bucks or so and gluing rhinestones around the bezel on the clock. The new features, according to a synopsis from the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, included: shifting from serif to sans-serif typefaces and from slightly ornate to more streamlined minute and second hands, all of which eased legibility; setting the clock face closer to the glass, reducing shadows; and creating a slightly smaller form overall.. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. Their factory in LaSalle, Illinois closed down in about 1980 when they moved all their production down south, but the building is still there. styles to organize them Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. The center is in the shape of the world map. As various larger corporate interests got involved in the years ahead, however, and as increasing competition from electronic clockmakers slowed the Big Bens dominance, the inevitable slow down began. The whole clock seems to be origional and was maintained by my grandfather who was a watch/clock repairman. [citation needed] This rate probably only represents the dose rate from gamma emission, as the alpha emission will be stopped by the lacquer, or crystal, or case; hence, the dose rate following ingestion or inhalation of the dust could be much higher. With a half-life of only 3.8 days, radon "seeds" (Rn gas contained in thin walled gold tubing, crimped and cut into units up to 1cm in length) could be left permanently implanted in the body. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard Instead, it would be better to take the box outside and remove the lid there, which would allow any built-up gas to rapidly dissipate." The watches tested were produced from the 1920s through the '60s, and are a mix of British, Swiss, and American origin. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. For my 14th birthday I got a book called The Treasury of American Clocks and there was a picture showing the seven types of Baby Bens. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. Sep 6, 2008. potz said: Afaik Radium was used right up to the 1950's. Some sources even say it was used up to 1968 in watches and 1978 in clocks. Ref comment #10 from Frank Baker. When I got out of college I started going to the watch and clock conventions and met a man who was giving a program about the history of Big Bens and Baby Bens. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks. I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . I was looking at it and said, aha! UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. Handle on top: down alarm off; up alarm on. So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? The style 8 Big and Baby Bens were introduced in 1964. They asked me to give some programs myself at some of the chapter meetings so I became a little bit better at being a public speaker, and its been great meeting people. Purchased from a man who claimed to have salvaged them from the backroom of an unnamed Chicago watch repair shop, each round and weathered face represents the lasting work of an international manufacturing giant at the peak of its powers. into groups of similar models. Gordon Goodrum Thank you. Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. Unfortunately, they also hint at a tragic chapter in American industrial history, when the appeal of a luminous new kind of paint wound up putting hundreds of workersmostly young womenat great personal risk. I believed it was manufacturing tag. Early in the 20th century there was a medical practice that revolved around a new treatment involving the radioactive material called radium. In a way theyre preventing clocks from being thrown away so I cant totally condemn it, but it still seems like a funny thing to do. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. (All images in this article courtesy Bill Stoddard, www.clockhistory.com), I found this article very complimentary to the Westclox company and an intriguing piece to read. It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. JavaScript is disabled. Although old radium dials generally no longer produce light, this is due to the breakdown of the crystal structure of the luminous zinc sulfide rather than the radioactive decay of the radium. Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? Im always interested in the history and the variations of clocks and how they fit in the scheme of things, what came before and what came after. T. tkarter Registered User. The Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage is an iconic timepiece that has been around since the early 1900s. The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. Within in another ten years, the workforce had tripled again, powered by employee George Kerns 1908 invention of the first Big Benthe sleek, iconic model that basically set the template for the 20th century wind-up alarm clock. Thanks, Teri. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable., shifting from serif to sans-serif typefaces and from slightly ornate to more streamlined minute and second hands, all of which eased legibility; setting the clock face closer to the glass, reducing shadows; and creating a slightly smaller form overall., three women fainted, several clerks were trampled, and four showcase windows were shattered before police untangled a jam of 2,500 women and a few stout-hearted men who converged on the store., For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation . All Rights Reserved. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. There are also some specialty chapters, like an alarm clock chapter and a 400-day clock chapter, one that specializes in wristwatches and one on early American pocket watches. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. The Canadian Clock Museum (http://www.canclockmuseum.ca/) may have some information. It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. The phosphor deterioration means you can't see a glow anymore, but . I wonder if the younger generations are as interested in the older things as we are, although there are some younger collectors out there learning how to do clock repair. the knobs have foreign words ie wecker & UHR.would like to know about his clock Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. Did Westclox use radium? Stoddard: Its really hard to say. document.write(year) var today = new Date() I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. Next year, well have been married for 49 years, Mary Ann said. 226RA has a half life of about 1600 years and the glow of the paint used on dials and hands decreases because of the damage the alpha particles emitted by the Radium do to the ZnS . I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. [7] A 2018 study by researchers from the University of Northampton found that a collection of 30 vintage military watches with radium dials kept in an small, unventilated room produced a radon concentration 134 times greater than the UK's recommended "safe" level. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide ClockHistory.com, Keeping Time in Peru Chicago Tribune, October 18, 1998, Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot WestcloxMuseum.com, For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation Popular Science, August 17, 2004, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of Americas Shining Women, by Kate Moore, 2o17, The Forgotten Story Of The Radium Girls, Whose Deaths Saved Thousands Of Workers Lives, by Kate Moore, Buzzfeed.com, One-Day and Alarm Clocks Commercial America, Vol VI, 1909, A Rude Awakening: The History of Alarm Clocks ThroughoutHistory.com. Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. Through a friend I purchased an apparently antique key wind up long wooden and glass cased clock. Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. Credit: pinimg. thanks for your time, was doing research.. Appears from search engine a conversation about D batteries but cant find it in the text.. Can anyone inform me of the different size of D? It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. Is Westclox a good brand? The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. They can be identified by having the modern type of flat head screws Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, The Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide, Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. The trademark "Westclox" which had appeared on their Big Ben alarm clocks as early as 1910 was officially registered in January 1916. Collectors Weekly: When did you discover that there were other clock collectors? 1919 - 1920 on a small proportion of clocks, "Westclox" in Roman text, Wide lettering at bottom: 1923, "Westclox" in Roman text, Narrow lettering at bottom:1924 to 1927, "Westclox" in Roman text, Projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935, Luminous, "Westclox" in italics: ca. After several changes of ownership, it became . Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. With George Kerns new alarm clock, specifically, Le Roy decided it would be wise to craft a new brand name, and to leave the Western name off of the clock face entirely, since the company was overly associated with cheap goods at the time. they played a deep rich tone. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24., unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., Radiums luminosity was part of its allure,, The dial painters soon became known as the ghost girls because by the time they finished their shifts, they themselves would glow in the dark. 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. For at least four generations, the Western Clock Manufacturing Company, aka Westclox, was the lifeblood and largest employer in the small town of Peru, Illinois (with a mailing address in its twin city of LaSalle). the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. The internet is fantastic, you can find out anything about just any kind of clock, exchange pictures easily, correspond with people and work together on research. When did westclox start making clocks? By the 1970s, radium was no . The thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. I would like to find the value of it. Ruth Spayer at the Westclox Museum tracked down a newspaper story from the Daily Post-Tribune on March 21, 1944, describing a scene in which three women fainted, several clerks were trampled, and four showcase windows were shattered before police untangled a jam of 2,500 women and a few stout-hearted men who converged on the store.. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. About the only. Located at 41.3275 N, 89.1290 W on the map, the companys former plant is admittedly on the absolute fringes of what would typically be designated Chicagoland turf. These efforts, combined with an ahead-of-its-time factory welfare department and employee benefits packages, led to a lot of workers spending their whole lives with Westclox. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). If you look at a Baby Ben in the 1959 Sears catalog, they sold for about nine dollars and if you go to a Wal Mart today you can still buy a Baby Ben for about nine dollars, but the quality isnt the same. I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. In her 2017 book, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of Americas Shining Women, author Kate Moore notes that many of the new girls at the Radium Dial factory started out painting the famous Westclox Big Ben clocks before moving on to the smaller and more challenging Baby Ben, and finally the Pocket Ben and Scotty pocket watches, all produced at the Westclox Works. I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. This will broaden my view in the clock. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. Donohue, like many of her young peers in the radium industry, eventually realized that her amusing glow had been a warning of severe exposure to a radioactive substance. Radium dials were typically painted by young women, who used to 'point' their brushes by licking and shaping the bristles prior to painting the fine lines and numbers on the dials. A lot of the American Shelf clocks from the 1820s up to 1900 have reverse paintings in the door, on the backside of the glass. From 1942 to 1945, Westclox ceased all production intended for domestic civilian sale and dedicated its production resources to the war effort. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other In 1913, with help from the US government, Dr. Douglas formed the National Radium Institute, to mine radium from uranium ores recently discovered in Colorado. This fall, the museum will be open more frequently and for more events. Even today, with the considerable help of a thing called Interstate 80, its still about a two-hour journey from LaSalle Street to LaSalle County. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. The Ingersoll Watch division of the Waterbury Clock Company, a nationally-known maker of low-cost pocket and wristwatches, was a leading popularizer of the use of radium for watch hands and indices through the introduction of their "Radiolite" watches in 1916. Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. That was the first antique clock I owned myself. can anybody tell me about this piece? Luminous Processes employees interviewed by a journalist in 1978 stated they had been left ignorant of radium's dangers. How can people be exposed to Radium? Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Going back further in time, here is a pretty hypnotizing silent film released by Westclox in the early 1920s to promote the Big Ben and other products. Westclox Clock Construction and Quality. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. It looks like you mount it to the wall. Some years ago I intended to do a write-up on my collection and started researching on the internet and found the Westclox history site with a wealth of info. Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. It sits on a small brass stand with Westclox on it. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. $38.00. Theyre just scattered in different places all over the country, little collections of hands, springs, screws, and things like that. A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? When did they stop using radium on clocks? George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. Sep 23, 2011 Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. There are some blemishes on the wood on the right side. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. I think the clock was electric but could have been a wind up or maybe even a pendulum. [citation needed] After about 20minutes this delivers the equivalent of one whole day's worth of normal background radiation. Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898[1] and was soon combined with paint to make luminescent paint, which was applied to clocks, airplane instruments, and the like, to be able to read them in the dark.[2]. My Grandmother had a Westclox in her house. Not everyone involved with the manufacturing of Westclox products was employed directly by Westclox, however. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . People will still look for a good wind up but the quality declined in the later years just because the companies tried so hard to keep the prices low. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed.
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