His bigger job was to design a system so the power companies could regulate their generator so the clock could keep time. 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. I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. dated:1990 ,decorated :hong cong.made in japan.cocacola tradmark. Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. 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 . when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! Penetrating gamma radiation produced by some dials also represents a significant health risk. The precise, delicate skill of painting clock dials with radium powder promised a much higher salary than most factory jobs available to women at the time (upwards of $18 a week), and the company soon employed as many as 200 female workers in its Ottawa plant. They did some limited production (less than 200) in 1908, when they were still perfecting the design, then quite a few in 1909, but it really wasnt nationally advertised until September of 1910. The Westclox building remained there in all its glory well into the 21st century, as plans were tossed around for some sort of repurposing of the huge, historic facility. Through a friend I purchased an apparently antique key wind up long wooden and glass cased clock. Stahlbergs company goes bankrupt not once, but twice, within its first several years. Stoddard: The first Big Bens and Baby Bens went on the market in 1910 and they were wind ups. I met somebody then who told me about the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and then I joined that and in their bi-monthly magazine I found a man looking for early Westclox information, he is now one of the foremost Westclox researchers. 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. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. It has ingraved on it 2-20-31. . Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. Up until this point in time (pun intended), quality time pieces had been considered a rich mans game. When did westclox stop using radium? Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . Through it all, Peru remained the companys home base, as over 3,000 employees now enjoyed the rapidly expanding space of the factory and its attached campus, with gardens, tennis courts, a bowling alley, and other things worthy of a Matthiessen estate. When did Westclox stop using radium? On March 31, 1980, the Peru-LaSalle plant was officially closed, narrowly missing its 100-year anniversary. The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. It is in the manufacture of alarm and one-day clocks that these results are the most noticeable, because in this field the quality of the product had always been subordinated to the market value, and the general feeling was one of let good enough alone., [Automatic machinery certainly sped up the manufacturing process, by plenty of human skill and attention was still required to make the Big Ben. Luminous Processes employees interviewed by a journalist in 1978 stated they had been left ignorant of radium's dangers. Sep 23, 2011 On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . All the aforementioned to ask you if you know how many of the 1970 style 1As were made. So yes. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. 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. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks. You do not want to open them up, lest you breath radioactive dust from old paint or spread it around. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. I have a Westclox Big Ben 1910 style 1a and have not been able to find out the present value/worth. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. I bought a 1970s Westclox pocket watch with a Hotwheels face that says authorized seller on it. Westclox began as the United Clock Company of Peru, Illinois in 1885. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. $26.95. See the top of this page for a current list of 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 . Thanks for any info you may be able to supply 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. This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. 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. Frank Baker. 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. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. 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. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint. Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. I tried selling some of my surplus electric Big Bens on eBay and they just didnt go, you could get only about $0.99 for them. Westclox Classic Alarm Clock Full Size 47602. 1888. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. When the Radium Dial Company moved to Ottawa in the 20s to better serve its number one client, Westclox, they were welcomed with enthusiasm, particularly by the young, working class women in the town. Early in the 20th century there was a medical practice that revolved around a new treatment involving the radioactive material called radium. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 When did they stop using radium on clocks? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. July 17th, 2008. Copyright $38.00. Dozens of radium dial painters around the country developed similar symptoms, although the effects could take years to manifest, making it more difficult to pinpoint the phenomenon from its first cases in the early 1920s. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. [6] Decaying radium also produces the gas radon, recognized as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States[6] and the United Kingdom. I have a quite a few pieces of both of them I have even one big Ben pocket watch which is still working after , I do not know how many years. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. It looks like you mount it to the wall. I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. 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. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. I always wondered why the dial of my Baby Ben clock, which I have had from late 60s, was marked off in 48ths of an hour instead of minutes. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. Can you help I have never seen this mentioned anywhere. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. The trademark "Westclox" which had appeared on their Big Ben alarm clocks as early as 1910 was officially registered in January 1916. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. When did Westclox close? 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. Finally, with Catherine Donohue serving as a key witness from her death bed in 1938, a groundbreaking Supreme Court case finally delivered some long awaited justice to the victims. 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. 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. Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. They typically have a round brass base with a glass dome over them; they were made in Germany from the 1890s up through the 1970s, and a lot of people collect them. 2023 by Andrew Clayman. The incidents occurred at three different factories in United States: one in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917; one in Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s; and a third facility in Waterbury, Connecticut, also in the 1920s. The style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben (1956 to 1964, the first Bens with concentric alarm hand) has minute markings. The style 8 Big and Baby Bens were introduced in 1964. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. 1968 Who made westclox? This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . Thanks, I have come across a mantle clock that has been in my husbands family for as long as he can remember He estimates his bother purchased the clock around 1950. Buy Now. Thank you. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. That was the first antique clock I owned myself. Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. 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. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. Your email (will not be published) (required), The Timeless Appeal of the Westclock Big and BabyBens, The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Not Your Grandmas Cuckoo: Decapitating, Rat-Eating Clocks of the Black Forest, The Care and Repair of 19th-Century American Clocks. I was about 3ft high and recessed into the wall. The alpha particles emitted by the radium, which is taken up in bone, will kill off surrounding bone tissue, resulting in a condition loosely referred to as radium jaw. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. Radium is highly radioactive. credit: Northern Illinois University], According to a 1909 article in Commercial America, In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. [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. At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. Patton, had joined Charles Stahlbergs original start-up back in 1886 at the age of just 13, and he was still on board in 1936, 50 years later. This fall, the museum will be open more frequently and for more events. Thank you Dates Stamped on Big Ben and Baby Ben Clock Movements Dates were stamped on a movement plate of most Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks made up until mid-1970's. Numbers are used for the month, day and year; or just the month and year (e.g. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. Was westclox ever manufactured in germany and if so when? Just as pilots in World War II had radium on the dials in their cockpits for all-condition visibility, many people who purchased Big Ben alarm clocks during the same periodincluding the very style in our museum collection (made from 1939-1946)went to bed each night sleeping next to a tiny box of radioactivity. One time a friend and I were down there behind the factory and we got talking to a man who was leasing the back half of the factory to make machinery for bakeries. I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. Big Ben Style Series. Stoddard: Ive been there several times. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. A lot of American clocks have veneer over the base wood so if thats starting to peel it can be really expensive to get fixed. While promoting Westclox products in Europe, the breakout of World War I and the laws of mandatory military service in his native France forced Le Roy to get his affairs in order and head for the front in 1914. How do you date a Westclox Baby Ben? . They made the most of the perk, wearing their good dresses to the plant so theyd shine in the dance halls at night, and even painting radium onto their teeth for a smile that would knock their suitors dead., When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly,, My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. They made the most of the perk, wearing their good dresses to the plant so theyd shine in the dance halls at night, and even painting radium onto their teeth for a smile that would knock their suitors dead.. Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book We would like to redo the entrances and lobby areas and show the history of the building right on site but have not found much anywhere. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. can anybody tell me about this piece? I worked here for 28 years. It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. Was this done so the alarm could be more easily set on the quarter or half hour? Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. (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. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. He invited us in to look around, so we got to go up and down the big freight elevator and he found some old music boxes that were never used that he gave to us (Westclox made one or two little clocks with a music box in them). Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. According to Periodic. Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard 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. The center is in the shape of the world map. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that watches with radium dials should not be taken apart[5] without proper training, technique, and facilities. Do you have an archival dept who could give us an idea of our Western Clock which we recently acquired? 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. 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. Good old fashioned branding played a major role, as well. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. Can anyone tell me about this? In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . By Dave Margulius 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. Condition is important, but clocks can be restored. Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum. I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. 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 was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. As the 1960s began, over 50 million Big Ben clocks had been produced in total, and additional Westclox plants were now in operation everywhere from Athens, Georgia, and Ontario, Canada, to Scotland and Australia. The massive success of the Big Ben design wasnt just about function and style. i have a large ansonia wall clock 32 1/2 x 32. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! Selling for $2.50 in the years before World War I (or about $60 in modern money), the 5-inch diameter Big Ben and its half-pint cousin the Baby Ben combined to move over 900,000 units in just 1913 alone, and the Western Clock MFG Companynot yet officially known as Westcloxwas producing more than twice that many clocks annually in total. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. Thanks so much 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. . Radium dials held near the face have been shown to produce radiation doses in excess of 10Sv / hour. thank you, My Husband and I just purchased an antique mantle/shelf clock at an estate sale. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. All I really want to know is about the raised horizontal single eye type decoration on this top removable piece. . On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. Buy Now. Stoddard: The main thing is the originality of the dial and if its a wooden shelf clock, having the original painting in the door would be really important. When did the use of radium stop? . hi, I have a cocacola square clock. I would like to find the value of it. 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. There is a small dial inside of the clock face that has roman numerals like another clock face. Same as the nickel version but in a gold-plated case. On April 20, 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. It might be the only one in the country, Spayer said. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. bailey oceans tide clock dated 1880, with a Fusee movement. 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. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. 514 Poplar Street If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. Is radium still used on watches? Debbie Blake, I have a small Westclox wind up clock dating around 1937. 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. Matthiessen, 1904 Western Clock MFG Co. catalog cover, and the original Peru factory in 1905]. Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. But hes taken some that are really rusty and had the backs replaced beautifully and reproduced some dials, and hes actually had some selling for several hundred dollars, so thats a totally different thing. i use a 1980s I believe westclox pocket ben sweep 2nd hand, I actually had a westclox bullseye from the early 1990s when I was in elementary school. These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. Thanks. A clock without hands might seem indifferent to the passage of time, but these old Big Ben and Baby Ben dials have some serious stories to tell. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? Thank you, i have a pocket watch that says (inscribed inside) g. falconer ,,,rona & london or kona & london i dont know its in old english and says kona or hona it has 1243 all inscribed on the inside where when u open it u can see the gears, looks like an a8 and a crown with a 18 on the middle inside cover (that covers the gears) and also a 1243 and what looks like an 8 or an infinite symbol (sideways 8)then again on the part that clasps over everything on the inside an A3 or A8?
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