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A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 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. . 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. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? Radium - The First Rolex Luminous Material. I took it back and the repairman told me it was like a large Timex watch and just not worth being fixed. There are some blemishes on the wood on the right side. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. 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. I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. In terms of my own collection, Im still trying to find some of the really early Big Bens. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? 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. It sits on a small brass stand with Westclox on it. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. 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. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. 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. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. 1888. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. 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. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. 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? From 1942 to 1945, Westclox ceased all production intended for domestic civilian sale and dedicated its production resources to the war effort. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that watches with radium dials should not be taken apart[5] without proper training, technique, and facilities. . Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. Can you confirm? National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). 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. 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. (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. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. . When did Bulova stop using radium? [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. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. 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. 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. Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. The Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage is an iconic timepiece that has been around since the early 1900s. can anybody tell me about this piece? 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. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. 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. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. 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. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. 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. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. Westclox Classic Alarm Clock Full Size 47602. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. document.write(year) These folks here that are responsible for this are doing a marvelous job, Ristau said. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. They made them with wooden works until about 1840, then with brass gears and I like some of the early brass-geared American clocks. Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. A radium dial clock from the 1930s. The Forgotten Story Of The Radium Girls, Whose Deaths Saved Thousands Of Workers Lives, by Kate Moore, A Rude Awakening: The History of Alarm Clocks , Western Clock MFG Co. (Westclox), est. Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. At one time they employed about 3500 people, making about 35, 000 clocks and watches per day. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. The trademark "Westclox" which had appeared on their Big Ben alarm clocks as early as 1910 was officially registered in January 1916. 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 . 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. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. By Dave Margulius Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. I have a Westclox Big Ben 1910 style 1a and have not been able to find out the present value/worth. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. Thats another story. 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. The style 1a can be distinguished from style 1 in several ways: The movement was changed for style 1a so that the mounting nuts were on the back. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. All the aforementioned to ask you if you know how many of the 1970 style 1As were made. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. When radium was discovered in the early 1900s, people were fascinated by its mysterious glow and it was added to many everyday products, including paints. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. They arent hurting it permanently, its just kind of weird. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. 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. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. 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 and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. Then my friend and I went around the neighborhood asking people if they had anything they wanted to give away, like old clocks and cameras and tape recorders. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. 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.. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? A key point to bear in mind is this: the dial is still highly radioactive. 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. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. 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. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems.