Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. Big Ben: butler nickel case, gold leaf numeral dial 1930 1932. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. . Luckily for Charles, however, he is living in the same small town as Frederick William Matthiessena fellow German, but one with a hell of a lot more money and business experience. As the dark cloud of fear and suspicion grew over the small town of Ottawa into the 30s, the Radium Dial Company itself refused to take any responsibility, claiming innocence and ignorance. So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. 1980 By the early 1950s, Westclox employed thousands of LaSalle-Peru residents. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. It is too large (wide). You must log in or register to reply here. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. Omega stopped using radium around 1963. I have purchased 1) Style 1 Baby and Big Ben with the Gold Leaf dial (seller stated raised letters); and, 2) a Style 1 Baby Ben with Baby Ben De Luxe on the dial. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. So I swapped them, and its worked perfectly ever since. July 17th, 2008. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. any info would be appreciated. Junghans, Kienzle,Mauthe,Kaiser, Peter, (all from Germany) Veglia (Italy), CNIS ( France), Ingersoll (UK) as well as some Hong Kong made items. This particular clock is made in China while other similar Westclox alarm clocks at the time were made in Taiwan. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. The company made luminescent paint. Their Scottish factory was a full manufacturing plant, at which all their clocks were assembled from start to finish with only the basic raw materials being brought in by outside suppliers. 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. Dreyfuss revised his changes at the end of the decade, designing the Style 5 and 5a Big Bens in 1938including the featured Loud Alarm dials from our museum collection. Your email address will not be published. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. Columbia, PA 17512 We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. First, if your clock is for display only, I think it is harmless if the paint on the hands is not disturbed. In some respects, the early rise of the Western Clock MFG Co. is even more impressive considering the company didnt have all the resources of an established, major metropolis to draw from. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. 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. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. The aim of the Western Clock MFG Co. in entering the manufacture of alarms was to apply to nickel clocks, features which were previously found only in high-priced timepieces, and prohibited in low-priced lever clocks by the high cost of production involved. Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. Debbie Blake, I have a small Westclox wind up clock dating around 1937. But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. From that point on I really liked those. People did some bad things over the years just to get them running. JavaScript is disabled. She was 18. Can you confirm? Similarly, 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. Jessie, good observation. All I really want to know is about the raised horizontal single eye type decoration on this top removable piece. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . Thank you. Buy Now. Required fields are marked *. As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. Various lettering on the dial and various patent dates (later, numbers) on the Like style 1a non-luminous with dealer name on dial. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. I took it all apart and asked my dad to help me put it back together, but he cut his finger on the spring. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. 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. Can anyone tell me about this? According to Periodic. "[5] However, radium is highly radioactive, emitting alpha, beta, and gamma radiation the effects of which are particularly deleterious if inhaled or ingested since there is no shielding within the body. After several changes of ownership, it became . The phosphor deterioration means you can't see a glow anymore, but . . Next year, well have been married for 49 years, Mary Ann said. On April 20, 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. Former employees showed up to view a collection of watches, clocks, tools, photographs of the old factory, a short black and white film of the factory in action and remember working for Westclox. When I was eight we moved to a new house and my mom and I were looking in the attic and found an old octagon wall clock made by Waterbury, probably dated about 1880. During World War II they had some fantastic ads that you can see on my website like, Victory Wont Wait for the Nation Thats Late, and Guard Your Big Ben where they show a bulldog and a soldier with a gun guarding a Big Ben because during the war they stopped making clocks for the consumer market and totally switched over to military work. Radium - The First Rolex Luminous Material. Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? Am I missing something here? 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. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. The alarm mechanism was also improved as part of Kerns new patents, with an intermittent ringing that kind of acted as an archaic form of snooze alarm. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. According to Chemistry Explained, radium is extracted today from uranium ores in much the same way that Marie and Pierre Curie did in the late 1890s and early 1900s. 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. They can be identified by having the modern type of flat head screws with shoulders instead of round head screws, and by having a 1910 patent date on the back even though the case is style 1a. Old Rose (pink) crackle finish Baby Ben with luminous dial: 1929 1930. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. Among the rarities on display is a Westclox-made National Emergency Alarm Repeater. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. While the painting technique of the Ghost Girls was replaced with supposedly safer methods like silk screening, traces of radium were still used by many companies to get that desired glow effect throughout the 1940s and even as late as the 60s. 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. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. In fact, one of their designs for the military, the terrifying sounding WarAlarm, spurred a small shopping riot in Chicago in 1944 when a small batch of the clocks was made available for commercial purchase at a downtown store. 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. I was about 3ft high and recessed into the wall. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. As stated it is working and keeps time. var today = new Date() Radium was also used until the early 1970s in "glow-in-the-dark" paints, e.g., for dials on clocks, and in other industrial applications such as instrument calibration. This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. . It is made by The Sessions Clock movement, appears to be brass, a bucking horse with cowboy riderjudgeing from the clothes design of the cowboy it is quite old. Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. I would like to find the value of it. can anybody tell me about this piece? We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. $38.00. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. Your email address will not be published. theres the problem, there were two gears that were in backwards. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. Condition is important, but clocks can be restored. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. When did they stop using radium for watches? How did I get interested in clocks? It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. 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. Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock. George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. American manufacturers were quick to see that the millionaires are a negligible quantity as consumers, and that, not chronometersnot marvels of intricacy and originalitywere needed, but timepieces within the reach and want of all. Yet Mrs. Keane was a survivor who later conquered colon and breast cancer. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. 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. 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. Radium dials usually lose their ability to glow in the dark in a period ranging anywhere from a few years to several decades, but all will cease to glow at some point. Do you have an archival dept who could give us an idea of our Western Clock which we recently acquired? . Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. It would be greatly appreciated. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable.. Is radium still used on watches? 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. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. Same as the nickel version but in a gold-plated case. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. American manufacturers were quick to see that the millionaires are a negligible quantity as consumers, and that, not chronometersnot marvels of intricacy and originalitywere needed, but timepieces within the reach and want of all. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. The movement was mounted to the inner case back. [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. By the 1960s production went offshore to achieve economies of scale . This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. It looks like you mount it to the wall. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. The NAWCC has an online forum with a lot of different categories. How can people be exposed to Radium? Through a friend I purchased an apparently antique key wind up long wooden and glass cased clock. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. The disease, radium-induced osteonecrosis, was recognized as an occupational disease in 1925 after a group of radium painters, known as the Radium Girls, from the United States Radium Corporation sued. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. They make alarm and one-day lever clocks only, and with practically two different articles, known as the 4-inch and 2-inch movements, they have an output of in their factory at LaSalle, Ill., of nearly two million clocks a year.