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. Did Westclox use radium? they played a deep rich tone. Stahlberg knows that no other noteworthy clock company has ever succeeded west of the Hudson, let alone smalltown Illinois, but he dives into the challenge, establishing his first factory. I took it back and the repairman told me it was like a large Timex watch and just not worth being fixed. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. Was westclox ever manufactured in germany and if so when? Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. US radium dial painting factory. 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. its a Gold coloring and the bottom is well worn like it was slid into something regularily. When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly, an original Ghost Girl named Catherine Donohue (nee Wolfe) later testified. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. Copyright . . 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. I took it all apart and asked my dad to help me put it back together, but he cut his finger on the spring. Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. It had beneath that four long tubes and they were the chimes for the door bell. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. Stoddard: My grandma gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock that didnt work when I was seven. Credit: pinimg. In 1918 the Big Ben case was improved to make it dustproof, as described in patent #1,300,278 issued to Kern on April 15, 1919. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . About 1920 the luminous dial using radium paint was introduced. Radium is highly radioactive. 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). JavaScript is disabled. The standard operating procedure of their daily work involved literally placing radium flecked paint brushes between their lips to create a finer point before application. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. All Rights Reserved. As stated it is working and keeps time. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. By the 1960s production went offshore to achieve economies of scale . Instrument dials painted with radium-based paint, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "WWII Military Watches 'Potentially Pose Serious Cancer Risk,', "Health Effects of Radium Radiation Exposure,", "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Radium Dials,", "Lume 101: Watch Luminescence Explained,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radium_dial&oldid=1123475907, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Jane Brickman, "Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 19101935,", This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 23:30. It was only with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was given oversight of the use of radium. When I was 11 or 12, I started mowing lawns for money and paid another man to repair it for me, but when it came back it would run for a while and then stop, pretty erratic. I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity. Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. Entertainment & Pop Culture; Geography & Travel; Health & Medicine; Lifestyles & Social Issues; Literature; Philosophy & Religion; Politics, Law & Government Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. 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? I tend to be a nitty gritty detail kind of guy. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. They were sold in a very attractive hexagonal box which has pictures of antique items on the sides (tricycle, telephone, carriage, etc.) Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. [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. Buy Now. 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 . They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. . 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. This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. . i have a large ansonia wall clock 32 1/2 x 32. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. Condition is important, but clocks can be restored. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. The policy of the company is one of highly specialized production. I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. I am trying to determine the age. Westclox began as the United Clock Company in Peru, Illinois in 1885. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. 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. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. From that point on I really liked those. Thanks, Paula. Westclox style series. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. into groups of similar models. When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? 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. This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. 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 . 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. My Grandmother had a Westclox in her house. 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. The style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben (1956 to 1964, the first Bens with concentric alarm hand) has minute markings. As seen below, the company made something of a symbolic gesture out of honoring the last Big Ben to roll off the assembly line on July 31, 1942, the day when all production shifted to government contracts for the duration of the war. For me its kind of an inexpensive hobby because as a boy I could find them for about a dollar a piece, sometimes in good condition. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. $25.99. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. styles to organize them 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. Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. 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. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. 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. 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. A radium dial clock from the 1930s. This will broaden my view in the clock. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. On March 31, 1980, the Peru-LaSalle plant was officially closed, narrowly missing its 100-year anniversary. It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. 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. 400-day clocks are also known as anniversary clocks, they would run 400 days on one winding. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence. 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. Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. 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. These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. 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. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. 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. any info would be appreciated. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. I think the clock was electric but could have been a wind up or maybe even a pendulum. The trademark "Westclox" which had appeared on their Big Ben alarm clocks as early as 1910 was officially registered in January 1916. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. The other thing is reproductions. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. When many of these early Big Ben advertisements were still running, Gaston Le Roys life took a sudden and dramatic turn. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. The NAWCC is dedicated to providing association services, promoting interest in and encouraging the collecting of clocks and watches including disseminating knowledge of the same. Big Ben: butler nickel case, gold leaf numeral dial 1930 1932. 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. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. Collectors Weekly: When did you discover that there were other clock collectors? Thanks, Teri. var today = new Date() 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. I have a Westclox Big Ben 1910 style 1a and have not been able to find out the present value/worth. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. The sound is very good when I compare it with the Howard Miller and the Jauke I just purchases, its loud and resonates very well. 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. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. 1980 By the early 1950s, Westclox employed thousands of LaSalle-Peru residents. The drinking fountain worked.. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. 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. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice,, 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,, But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. 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. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. It is in good condition and has the original pendulum and key. [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. 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. So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. I would like to find the value of it. So, rather than having the classic oversized bell or double-bell on top of the unit (to smash with your palm at 6am), the ringing mechanism was housed inside the back of the case, and a big winding key occupied the summit. Its basically all forward momentum from here. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. . Charles Crow Penn Valley, Ca, I have run across and old clock that I would like to know something about. 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. I have a mantel clock,its floral in color,made by Ansonia Cock Co.USA.New York. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. 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. 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. 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. Omega stopped using radium around 1963. The center is in the shape of the world map. 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. I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. On April 20, 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. 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. Ref comment #10 from Frank Baker. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . Junghans, Kienzle,Mauthe,Kaiser, Peter, (all from Germany) Veglia (Italy), CNIS ( France), Ingersoll (UK) as well as some Hong Kong made items. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . They made them with wooden works until about 1840, then with brass gears and I like some of the early brass-geared American clocks. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. I know very little about clocks in general. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. 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. 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? All I really want to know is about the raised horizontal single eye type decoration on this top removable piece. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. I am pleased that I came across your article. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). I recently wrote an article on Hong Kong Watch and Clockmakers for the Antiquarian Horology Society Journal. 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. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. 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. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. The new company tripled in size by the turn of the century, employing 232 people at its growing Peru plant (145 men, 73 women, 14 children) and producing 500,000 clocks annually. Initially hired as a low level clerk, Le Roy worked his way up the company ladder in the early 1900s as an on-the-road sales rep, soliciting business from Chicago to New York to parts unknown. 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. 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. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. How can people be exposed to Radium? Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. They are just gorgeous watches and very well made. Up until this point in time (pun intended), quality time pieces had been considered a rich mans game. Did westclox stop using radioactive paint by the 1960s? Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. Jessie, good observation. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. 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.. Question: Are both 1) and 2) marriages of Style 2 mechanisms put in a Style 1A Big Ben and Style 1 Baby Ben. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. . Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. 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. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. 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. A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. By Dave Margulius Not everyone involved with the manufacturing of Westclox products was employed directly by Westclox, however. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. The only marking I can find are the letters ST in old english style inside of a diamond thats inside of a circle, on the clock works. . 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. July 17th, 2008. I would like to find out about this clock. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. Stoddard: Pay attention to quality. At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. Through a friend I purchased an apparently antique key wind up long wooden and glass cased clock. 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. Buy Now. 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.