The Name “Westclox” on Alarm Clock Dials up to 1930

Introduction

The clock company Westclox started in 1885 as United Clock Company, reorganized as Western Clock Company in 1887; became The Western Clock Mfg. Co. in 1888; and in 1912 became the shorter Western Clock Company. Trademark 108232 of 1916 registers the name Westclox (short for Western Clocks) and states “The trade mark has been continuously used in the business of said corporation since the month of November 1909”. Westclox became the company’s name in 1936 (officially Westclox Division of General Time Corporation).

Summary

Early clocks don’t have the name Westclox on them. Some clocks starting late 1909 or during the year 1910 say Westclox on the back. From 1911 to 1913 a relatively few dials say Westclox in small  lettering at the bottom. Starting in 1917, clock faces conspicuously say Westclox above the model name, first appearing in italics; changing to Roman font in 1924, with a tail added to the “x” in 1928.

Details

The oldest Big Ben and Baby Ben dials don’t say Westclox, here are two examples:

A few Big Ben dials made around 1911 through 1913 have Westclox at the bottom in small lettering:

Here’s an Ironclad from 1913 with Westclox at the bottom of the dial:

In 1917, the name Westclox appeared on the dial in italics above the model name:

Starting in 1923, Westclox was in a Roman font:

Finally, starting in 1928, the “x” in Westclox has a tail:

My clock history database shows more Big Ben and Baby Ben dial variations.

Conclusion

You can tell the approximate date of a ca. 1910 to 1930 Westclox clock by the name Westclox on the dial. Ironclad, Sleep Meter, America, and other popular Westclox clocks of this period, and pocket watches, follow the same progression in the name Westclox.

  • Up through 1916: Model name by itself on dial;
  • 1917 – 1923: Westclox in italics above model name;
  • 1923 – 1927: Westclox in Roman font above model name;
  • Starting in 1928: As above with a tail on the “x”.

Note: Westclox appeared on the back of Big Ben from late 1910 up until moved to the dial. I’ll show examples of this in a future post. Baby Ben clocks said Westclox on the back from their beginning in 1912, up to 1917. Some ca. 1913 – 1915 Ironclad have Westclox on the back. Other alarms also say Westclox on the back during the 1910 to 1916 period. The Westclox trademark registration of 1916 states that Westclox was first used starting November 1909, but I don’t recall seeing it that early – I’ll keep looking.

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3 comments

  1. Hello ! My Baby Ben is black and gold metal base with a black face, gold numbers / letters and Baby Ben in cursive. Numbers on bottom are 2 and 61- Y. Seen plenty of pics but not sure of the date manufactured. Also back stamped WESTCLOX LA SALLE, Ill. MADE IN USA . Hopefully this is enough of a description to help you out . Thank you !

  2. Yes, this is a Style 8 Baby Ben. The dials on this model are always this way, it makes it easier to set the alarm hand.

  3. My dad has a Baby Ben clock with a patent number 201895. The ID number on clock is the number 3 over top a number which is 58056. This clock face has 48 minutes instead of 60 minutes. Have you ever heard of this?

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